Is Content Marketing Dead?

No…You Just Have to Avoid Costly Shortcuts!

It’s 2016, and marketing has changed. Today, your sales, public relations, social-media, SEO, and all other, activities work together to find and keep new customers through specific messaging. And at the heart of all of this is content.

According to The Content Marketing Institute article on Key Roles for Building a Lean, Mean Content Marketing Machine in 2016, “86 percent of marketers recognize the need to produce exceptional content right now. And this need is all for a very good reason: because content marketing is an extremely effective tactic for engaging consumers.”

Sure. There is a lot of buzz about content-marketing strategy, and many businesses are producing lots of content… so how do you stand out from the competition?

Provide Unique, High-Quality Content That Provides Value to Your Customers.

You can find numerous copywriters and services willing to produce content for you at very little cost. Perhaps, you have tried this method, failed and given up on content marketing entirely?

Well, note that a good, content-marketing strategy only works when you:

• Develop a specific plan to reach unique goals;
• Prepare an editorial calendar with responsibilities, timelines and potential outcomes for all of your venues (Web, e-mail, social media, press, print, etc.);
• Create valuable and unique content specific to your target market;
• Track progress, test and change content when needed;
• Review activities and update accordingly for the best results.

All of these steps need to be in place in order to see sales skyrocket with content marketing.

Yes, it’s a lot of work, but if you go for the “easy-and-cheap” route with shortcuts, you just waste time and money on bad copy that doesn’t do anything but make a negative impression.

Instead, create a complete, content-marketing-strategy plan that starts with good research so you know what your competition is doing and more important, exactly what your customers want. Then, plan the content you will write relevant to that research. Develop various topics for blogs and social-media posts, Website landing pages, newsletters, press releases, e-mail campaigns, articles, tip sheets, videos, and more. And be sure that this content is unique to your business.

Avoid posting content just to post it. Instead, know what to expect from each tactic, monitor the results and make changes as needed. This way, you can see what is working and change what’s not.

Content Marketing Strategy Works When Done Correctly.

If you have tried posting content in the past with little results, I suggest you give it another try.

Spend the time and money to work with an experienced, content strategist who will create a detailed plan that works, and use good copywriters (they make a huge difference!). Provide unique, well-written information to your customers that they will actually look forward to reading and share with others, and you will see sales increase. Then, you can enjoy a competitive edge and the best year ever!

Not sure where to begin? Check out these free tips on content strategy.

Author Melanie Rembrandt helps business owners boost sales, awareness and credibility with targeted, content strategy, SEO copywriting and social media. For valuable articles and assistance, contact her and her team at Rembrandt Communications®, LLC, www.rembrandtwrites.com.