When you first planned your content marketing strategy, you probably put a lot of time and thought into your content pieces. But once you emerged from that pizza- and caffeine-infused haze of intense planning, your content may have gradually evolved until it’s sort of existing on autopilot.
It’s a common problem and for good reason: everyone is busy and as long as growth is keeping pace, it doesn’t feel urgent. At least until you hit a wall, that is.
If your content marketing isn’t producing results, it may be because you’ve lost focus on the purpose of content and what role it plays in your broader strategy. It’s easy to do, so here are a few reminders:
- Content marketing builds trust and relationships between you and your target audience.
- It establishes your brand as a voice of authority in your industry.
- It adds value, such as solving a problem or informing your audience on a topic that is relevant to them.
Let’s talk about some considerations you might include as you refine your content marketing to make it more purpose-focused:
Pain Points: Think about the problems your potential customers might be trying to solve. You might have a unique product or service that solves them, but don’t stop there. You also might have expertise in an area that helps them address some issue that has been plaguing their thoughts.
Emotional Connection: At the heart of each of those pain points is an emotion that is always part of buying decisions. For instance, if you are a financial planning advisor, you may be trying to empathize with the desire for security or financial freedom. If you are a chain of dog grooming salons, you may want to think about how your salons offer convenience and care for a beloved member of your customers’ families.
Timing: When you are strategic with content marketing, you will think about how to time your content to your buy cycle. You should have some content that is more introductory for someone who is just beginning their journey of considering a purchase, while other pieces are designed to help a lead make a final decision. It can vary in its level of expertise and detail for different stages.
It can be a challenge to keep up with the demands of content marketing on top of all you have to do as a business owner. That’s why SJC Marketing offers a full range of services, from helping you shape up an existing strategy to creating and executing one from scratch. Contact us to learn more!