17 Sep What Is Content Marketing And How Can Your Business Do It Better In The Year Ahead?

The average internet user is overwhelmed with advertisements and invitations to like, share and engage with branded media. While this approach is clearly working for many marketers, there is another avenue of communication that is worth considering. Content marketing aims to contribute to the lives and experiences of users. Generating useful and relevant content such as how-to guides, instructional videos or even entertaining articles draw people to the brand. When marketers switch the narrative from one of trying to wrestle attention away to providing information that is being sought, the results are clear. Content marketing works, and there are ways your business can do it better in the year ahead. Here’s how.

Accessibility

There are two sides to accessibility. The most common understanding is simply to make the content accessible to as many people as possible by posting, sharing and commenting about it where the customers are. Optimizing the content for search engines and sharing also falls under this category. To make content truly accessible, make sure you have factored in modes of accessibility for people with disabilities. For example, ensure videos have captions, include image descriptions in markup code and provide transcripts of audio files.

Centralize your content

It’s a good strategy to promote your content on third-party websites such as Medium or LinkedIn but be aware that you are not ultimately in control of the content on these platforms. It may be better for your brand to locate its content on a blog on the business website. Use the third-party sites to funnel clicks through to the main site. Sales can also be converted more easily if consumers are already on the branded site. Depending on the frequency of your content and the quality, you may be able to cultivate a reputation as a central hub of expertise on your topic.

Connecting with your fans

You can encourage and nurture an ongoing relationship with your customers by sharing quality content on a reliable schedule. Use your email list to deliver timely and relevant content. Combining content with appropriate offers can encourage a higher CTR than pitches alone. You could highlight flagship products in informative videos, interview high profile fans or provide a space for invested customers to chat about your products.

Content marketing is all about enriching the customer experience of your brand. When you offer useful content, you develop a reputation for reliability and expertise, which will help to reinforce your traditional marketing efforts.