Every successful digital marketing strategy starts with content marketing. This is why the age-old saying, Content is King, has relevance.
“Content has the power to transform lives, whether it’s for a second, a day, or for ever. That is what I love about it.” Great content encourages people to reflect and creates space .” Jolie Müller
Before we get into the details of content marketing, let us first define what content marketing is.
Content Marketing: What is it? Why? And how do you get there?
In his article, ” What Is Content Marketing”, Josh Steimle explains the meaning of content marketing. It was published by Forbes.com.
“Content marketing” is a method of marketing that creates and distributes valuable, relevant and consistent content in order to attract and obtain a defined audience. It has the goal of driving profitable customer actions. -Josh Steimle. Forbes
This definition focuses on content marketing, which creates and distributes value-added content. The concept can be broken down into content creation and distribution channels.
The next question to be answered is “What is valuable content?”
Summary: Value content is content people are willing to read or consume. It answers the question “Why” or explains why it exists. Articles in the “valuable content” category are authoritative and provide useful information that is tailored to a specific audience. Its purpose is to make a difference in the lives of its readers by its ability to inspire, educate, and help.
A small case study is a great way to explain the value of content, and how it can drive profitable customer action.
Let’s say I have an online adventure clothing shop that sells hard-core winter clothing as well as athleisure. It’s autumn or fall in the Southern Hemisphere. I would like to bring your attention to a recycled eco softshell jacket and a 100% certified recycled down down jacket.
Recognizing the fact that guest blogging can be a great way for your brand to draw attention to these products as well as your brand, I wrote a blog post of 1000 words about the benefits to using recycled materials to make warm jackets. The article ends with “click here for more information about these jackets” and a link to your website.
This is the article’s Call-To-Action, and it directs readers to the website that contains information about the jackets. The web page offers the option to buy each jacket if the readers are interested. This article aims to drive web traffic to your site and to get customers into the sales funnel. There is a high chance they will purchase at least one jacket once they reach the top of the sales funnel and then convert into returning customers.
Content Marketing and HARO – Distribution channels
Once we have created a great article and added a CTA, it is time to find a distribution channel for the article. This article should be published on a niche-specific website, as mentioned earlier. Make sure that your blog posts are published to a site that supports your niche branding.
If you sell a particular type of clothing, you should approach bloggers who have blogs about adventure clothing and ask them if they would publish your article. For the sake of this example, let’s assume that this article was published to a relevant blog and drove traffic to your website. Your sales figures increased significantly.
Guest posting isn’t the only effective content marketing channel. You can also get your brand featured on top news sites around the globe. How can I do this? This is not an easy task. Contact a reporter or email to request a mention.
Signing up at HelpAReporter.com is the best way to answer this question. This is where bloggers and reporters search for experts on a topic.
Because I am an expert in the area of recycling, adventure clothes, and caring for the planet through recycling, I signed up with HARO. The HARO platform then sends a daily digest to all bloggers and reporters asking questions about their sources based upon their expertise.
I am happy to answer any reporter’s questions via email if they are in one of my expert areas. If the reporter uses this information, it will be mentioned along with a link to you website or social media.