If, like me, you are tasked with managing your digital content strategy then I’m sure you have already been asked the question, “What’s your content marketing strategy?”

So, let’s talk about 5 essentials that need to make it into your content marketing strategy.

1. Embrace visual content

Our world is becoming more and more visual as Jeff Bullas emphasizes. If you have not yet embraced visual content, it’s time to start.

Think:

Factor compelling imagery into your blog, email marketing, social media marketing and even offline, and you will certainly boost your results.

Takeaway

Starting to introduce visuals to your marketing strategy has never been easier with the launch of sites like Canva, which enables you to play graphic designer. (Agorapulse has a Canva integration to help you create social media content.)

Think about visuals which will draw attention to your content as opposed to dominating it while also complimenting your brand.

2. Play with storytelling

Who’s interesting in reading promotions these days?

Potential customers are increasingly drawn to engaging content, thought leadership and valuable information as opposed to cheesy sales copy.

Now this can be a tough one, especially if you need to convince your shareholders to spend money on an ad that doesn’t overtly promote your product. Believe me: It’s a fight I’ve had many times! If in doubt, remember these statistics: 5,000 marketing messages are seen each day by the average person. The truth is that we are so bombarded with messages that we tune out the majority of them unless we find them interesting or useful.

Storytelling engages potential customers and its success has proved phenomenal in recent years. Take Charmin as an example: This brand saw a 585% increase in its Facebook engagement when it incorporated storytelling in its campaigns.

Takeaway

Try looking at your product from a different angle. Instead of selling it, provide case studies and interviews with product designers and insightful thought leadership.

3. Focus on content distribution

Content distribution is woefully underutilized by most companies and yet it is one of the most powerful methods of obtaining excellent SEO (search engine optimization) and ROI (return on investment).  I  addressed this in my article 5 Tips For Awesome Guest Posts which discusses productivity guidelines for guest posts.

Of course, it is necessary to keep your own blog updated (1-3 pieces per week) but if you are not utilizing other, possibly higher ranking sites, then your exposure is lower than it could be.

The key for great content distribution is to find likeminded blogs and websites where your content can be published with backlinks to your own site or landing page. Factor in the storytelling tips we talked about above and you can be sure that you will pick up a dedicated following. Remember that other higher ranking blogs will also have a social media influence so you will also gain valuable exposure through their channels.

Takeaway

Take the time to identify and leverage influencers in your industry, create strong relationships through consistent and timely blogging, and monitor and analyze your results.

(You can identify influencers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with Agorapulse. Sign up for your free trial today!)

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4. Fine tune your social

Which social media channel should you focus on? It’s the killer question right?

The days when you had to be on every social media network are long gone. Shine your focus and budget on the ones which are performing well. If your Facebook page is producing 100 new leads per week and your Pinterest produces 0 then why are you spending the same amount of time on each network?

Takeaway

Still not sure which network to focus on? The awesome quiz over at Simply Measured might help you to decide.

5. Update your email marketing

Social media might be the buzzword right now but email remains to be one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience and maintain customer loyalty. If smart, mobile optimized email marketing isn’t in your 2016 content marketing strategy, then it should be.

Advanced email marketers embrace a range of techniques to capture business including animated GIFs, integrated video, combined social media, smart pop-ups, and customized designs based on user history.

One such success story can be seen in Dell who lifted its revenue by 109% by using an animated gif in its email. In fact, in comparison to previous campaigns, Dell’s first GIF email produced the following results:

  • 6% increase in open rate
  • 42% increase in click through rate
  • 103% increase in conversion rate

Of course, all this means that you should be analyzing your email marketing data. This includes running split tests to compare open rates, click through rates and conversion rates using tracked CTAs (Call to Actions).

Takeaway

Your email marketing now requires input from your content writer, graphic designer and video editor. If in doubt, send fewer emails — but make them count.

Take control of your social media! Check out our free trial of Agorapulse to help you schedule, track, and measure all your social media efforts.

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