You had a dream — a vision — for a start-up business. You nurtured this dream, kept it close, and went to work putting the foundation under it, as Henry David Thoreau said. Then, you convinced hardened financiers to back your vision, and you spent long hours working into the night, surviving on countless cups of coffee, to get your business set up. Perhaps you found a small, likeminded group — or one partner — to help you see your dream become real the day you opened the doors and launched the website. Finally, you are up and running. Congratulations! Now what?

For short-term growth and long-term success, focus on effective content marketing and develop a content marketing strategy that sets you apart and pinpoints you as an expert. If you suddenly got a knot in your throat at the thought of this, please relax. This process is not as intimidating as it seems. You simply need an organized plan and a willingness to think imaginatively and to color outside the lines.

Content Marketing and the Best Content Marketing Strategies

In short, content marketing is a specific marketing technique directed at creating consistent, valuable, and engaging content to appeal to and keep a carefully defined audience. Your ultimate goal is to compel that audience to action that profits your business.

Successful content marketing means you do not merely pitch your services and products. Rather, you offer genuinely valuable information to potential and returning customers. Content marketing strategies are focused, guided plans for your marketing efforts.

Choose Imaginative, Useful Formats

In today’s manicured business world, forget about the so-called shotgun approach. One size does not fit all. Content marketing must be organized to be successful. By presenting customers, both potential and returning, with interesting and useful information on topics related to your industry, you are setting yourself up as a responsible expert who truly cares about customers and wants to help them solve their problems.

Therefore, you must target your marketing content to your specific niche audience. The one thing all effective content marketing does have in common is giving audiences real value, which you can do in multiple formats.

• Feature actual customer and reader questions and answer them authoritatively, but beware of getting overly technical. Your content should be engaging rather than intimidating.
• Interview employees as well as other industry experts, being careful to ultimately position yourself as a trustworthy authority. Employees, along with satisfied customers, are your best ambassadors.
• Get creative with blogs, videos, checklists, worksheets, and how-to pieces to keep your audience interested.
• Use social media platforms, which are excellent ways to engage with and give value-added content to customers. They also are great avenues for promoting your content through fun activities such as games and quizzes.

The best types of presentations for your business depend upon your desired audience. Who will buy what you are selling? Those are the people you want to reach.

Create Intriguing Content

Once you pinpoint your audience — those most likely to be interested in your products and services — and formulate a plan, it is time to develop content. Audience research and planning are the skeleton of your marketing strategy. Content marketing is the muscle and sinew that holds everything together and creates vibrant movement.

The good news is that you do not have to develop stunning marketing content that will wow your audience, raise your exposure, and bring in sales, sales, and more sales all on your own. SEO content marketing experts can help you by creating niche-perfect content, including the following:

• Blogs
• Articles
• Web pages
• Product descriptions
• Specialized documents

Whether your company focuses on quizzes or four-wheel drives, effective marketing content pulls customers to your site, tells them why they should buy from you, and urges them to make a purchase.

Feel free to tell customers a bit extra about your business. Put a human face on your firm, which ultimately makes your company more attractive to consumers. Include biographies of employees, photographs, and stories about how your product solves day-to-day problems and difficulties. This strategy brings your content to life, in turn invigorating your business.

SEO content marketing strategies and content creation is at the very heart of effective marketing and public relations policies, whether for large corporations or one-person start-ups.

Be Consistent

According to eMarketer, 60% of marketers generate at least one bit of marketing content every day. Some content can be recycled and repurposed, but in order to have long-term success for your business, you need to commit sufficient time to fresh content creation. If you cannot do this yourself, outsource this vital task to a reliable and experienced expert.

You should find a company that works with you to produce valuable content that enhances your business and speaks in your business’ unique voice. Work with a content creation firm that feels like a natural addition to your business.

Be Bold

You want to set yourself up as an expert, certainly, but you also need to be a bit daring and let your individual voice be heard. After all, you want to stand apart from competitors. When you speak up and set yourself apart, people notice.

Creative Business man stand out from co-worker

According to Aberdeen, yearly growth in unique site traffic (individual visits to a website) is 7.8 times higher for marketing leaders than it is for followers (19.7% as compared to 2.5%). A marketing leader has a solid, intelligent content marketing strategy that is rich with compelling content. There are several great ways to develop bold content that will not let readers look away or forget you. Here are a few:

• Take a controversial stand. Be firm, and both supporters and dissidents will link to you and give you exposure.
• Include peripheral topics. For example, if you sell pottery for planting, you can write about decorating a porch or gazebo, setting up a pleasing swimming pool area, and gardening and transplanting successfully.
• Compile valuable, interesting information. Fill your website with exclusive data, making it a go-to place for those seeking industry information. Update this data annually and present it in an easy-to-understand manner, thus setting yourself up as an industry expert.

Ultimately, effective content marketing wins you exposure. Whether through informative blogs, specialized lists and tables, or even contentious statements, your goal is to get attention on the crowded internet. The right content, with carefully crafted keywords used well, leads customers straight to your door.

Tell Stories

It is hard to resist a good story. Put this human love of narrative to work for your business and incorporate storytelling in your content marketing. You can tell stories in multiple ways — through photographs, blogs, or videos, for example.

Customers can describe how your products or services solved their problems, or employees can talk about how their work with your company enhances their lives. The point is to engage your audience in an irresistible pull that eventually results in a purchase.

According to DemandMetric, content marketing costs about 62% less than conventional marketing yet produces almost three times more leads than older methods. It makes good business sense to connect with current and potential customers through interesting narratives that encourage them to relate your products and services with solutions and easier living. A great tale really can help you live happily ever after.

Great Content You Can Live With – and Profit By

Developing stunning content marketing takes a lot of time and skill. To give wings to any business — established or new — turn to consistent, high-quality content marketing.

Working with an experienced, skilled content company lets you focus your time and energy on growing your business. With great content produced by dedicated professionals, you get all the benefits from content marketing without any of the hassles. We make content ordering easy and fun. Contact us today to find out how we can help you with all of your marketing content needs.