Creating content in the digital space is not just about telling a compelling story about your company, or promoting the benefits of your product or service, you also need to know effective marketing strategies to get your content in front of your target audience. You need to understand how the platform works and know the behaviour of your readers to push them further into your sales funnel. Here are a few content marketing strategies to help you increase conversions.
Invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Understanding how Google’s algorithm works can be complicated. To provide a better experience to search engine users, Google needs to regularly update its algorithm to ensure that it stays on top of tactics people use to trick the system. While SEO can get technical, a good rule of thumb in your marketing strategies is understanding human psychology and how users look for information online. Tools such as Moz can help you discover popular keywords that may not be on your radar. Don’t simply stuff your content with keywords, instead make sure that you are providing real value to your readers. Google penalizes sites that publish ‘spammy’ content and this will result in your blogs getting lower ranking or not showing at all. It may take more work in the beginning, but in the long run as you build your reputation you will begin to be recognized as an authority in your field. More people will seek out resources that you create.
Don’t Forget to Include a Clear Call-to-Action
Creating awesome content that is appreciated by your readers is great, but it may not lead to more sales if you are not including an appropriate Call-to-Action (CTA). A clear CTA allows you to state what you want your prospect to do next. Be aware that your CTA must be in line with where the prospect is in your sales funnel. Don’t push them to buy if they are still in the awareness or research phase. The best thing to do at this stage is to provide them with more relevant information. Only when they are in the decision phase should you encourage them to purchase your product or service. Readers who are already customers may be open to upselling or cross-selling. The key to an effective CTA is proper timing.
Gather Comments from Prospects and Customers
Listening to feedback is essential to ensure that you are creating content that is useful to your target audience. The market is consistently changing and so are the needs and expectations of your readers. Allow readers to comment on your blogs and monitor any feedback on social media channels where you share your content. When your content gets shared, it is definitely a vote of confidence from your readers. Google Analytics can also provide valuable insights. You can check which blogs are getting more clicks, whether they return to your website and if they spend ample time reading the resources you have published. Make sure you also use negative feedback to improve your content strategy.
Create Teaser Videos
A growing number of people prefer watching videos to gather information. Social media channels are riding on this trend by pushing more video content. One way to help your content marketing efforts gain more traction is by creating teaser videos that discuss the main points of your blog and then encouraging your audience to visit your website to get a more in-depth information. Use your videos as a hook to lead your audience to explore your blogs and whitepapers. If you are developing quality content, you would soon develop a loyal following.
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