Content marketing has tremendous potential to drive traffic to your business’s website and landing pages. However, the key to maximizing your content marketing is sustainability. Without the right strategies in place, eventually, your efforts are likely to fall short, drop off, or miss the mark.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s a closer look at three proven techniques for driving traffic through sustainable content marketing.
Choose Your Platform Wisely
Creating compelling messages is only one part of the content marketing equation. Making sure it’s seen by your target audience is vital. All content is not created equal. Blogs, whitepapers, social media, videos, podcasts, and press releases may serve different stakeholders looking for different types of information.
In addition to creating valuable content that converts into sales and leads, you must also identify the best platform for delivering this content to your target audience. Choosing the right platform can ensure that every piece of content you create aligns with the most opportune audience. According to Marketing Week, “recognizing how and where a target audience wants to view content is key to maximizing its impact.”
And, of course, some platforms are more universally engaging than others. Take video, for example. Given the consumer preference for video as well as evidence pointing to its potential to improve the learning experience, it can be an invaluable tool for boosting awareness and making an impact (especially when you utilize a platform like YouTube with an audience of billions).
Comparatively, white papers are very different than video, but they are popular with potential customers looking for solutions to their problems. This begs the question: where are customers most likely to look for them? The answer is with a search that will — ideally — lead them straight to your website.
Plan a Sustainable Workflow
While content marketing may appear effortless to someone who just happens upon a blog or social media post, the reality is that a lot of time and effort goes into building out that sustainable marketing plan.
In order to plan a scaled, streamlined, and sustainable workflow, you must understand and delineate your content production process. This includes determining the goals you’re working for, the tasks (such as topic and keyword research), writing, production, editing, posting, and promoting; timelines and deadlines; and the team members involved throughout the various stages.
Keep in mind that most things take longer than you think, so allowing ample time and building an adequate pipeline can help ensure a sustainable workflow. Also, because workflows are dynamic, commit to frequently editing and refining the process.
Measure Your Gains
Determining the ROI on content marketing can be a slippery process — not everything translates directly to revenue. This is why it’s important to track a spectrum of data metrics, such as new traffic, clicks, time on page, bounce rate, and conversions.
While vanity metrics like followers and likes are promising in terms of brand awareness, they’re not as meaningful as other measurements. Still, they can indicate whether your efforts are moving you forward or holding you back.
Another way of looking at your data is to compare sales numbers and returns from similar tactics across each of your marketing strategies. These metrics help you set personalized ROI goals that work for your company.
Sustainable Marketing Solutions
One last thing to keep in mind about content marketing: while it may sound complex, it’s here to stay. If your competitors don’t already have content strategies in place, they will soon. There is no longer a question of whether you can afford to embrace content marketing, but rather a question of whether you can afford not to. If it’s not clear, the answer to that question is “no.”
In the event you’re already using content marketing don’t pat yourself on the back just yet. Instead, take a minute to consider whether you’re doing everything you can to drive website traffic, generate revenue, and grow your business. If not, staying ahead of the curve may depend on leveling up your game. While it’s possible for some businesses to manage their own marketing plans, in most cases this is inherently unsustainable. After all, you’re busy excelling in your area of expertise: the products and services you sell. Content marketing is not only an immediate competing priority, but it’s almost always destined to either divert time and resources from where they’re needed most or to come in last.
That’s where we come in. To learn more about how we can support your business with comprehensive and sustainable content marketing strategies, including content creation, SEO, collaboration, distribution, promotion, and analytics, contact the experts at Pollock Marketing Group today.