Executed well, content can become a game changer for an organisation driving valuable traffic, generating sales and leads all while building positive brand awareness online. If it sounds too good to be true, bear in mind that there is a catch. Content marketing is not easy to do well. The problem with so many of your peers producing content is that creates a lot of noise to compete with; how can your brand’s story effectively break through to deliver beneficial results? Here are some of the most common challenges we find clients experiencing, plus how we advise them.
1. Creating sustained high-quality content
Making the leap from company to brand publisher can be a daunting one, not least because of the sheer amount of time and effort required. Finding the necessary resources for robust content creation can seem so unfeasible that many companies resist starting over concerns that it will be impossible to maintain.
Solution – Regular and consistent content output is vital to success. At a minimum, brands should be publishing blog posts twice weekly, monthly white papers, monthly email newsletters, regular videos and daily social media activity. The best way to sustain a high quality of content is to connect at a grass roots level with your front line staff in sales and customer service, as well as your own community. Engage with your key personnel and community and you will mine a regular flow of topics and themes, as well as measure the impact of all content delivered.
2. Ensuring content is socially mobile
Or to put it another way, making sure that your content is seen and shared. Often, brands put so much effort into producing content that they overlook the importance of delivering that content, or run out of budget to do so. Unless you are leveraging SEO and social media strategies, you’re failing to really ignite your content for maximum exposure.
Solution – Invest in understanding the dynamic of the communities you want to engage with and identify key influencers who can help your content to go viral. Advertising, community management, PR, social media, email and SEO activity can all help to amplify your content efforts. Certain tactics such as sequenced content can help to build buzz and anticipation of what a brand will publish next, driving engagement and shares that cost little but earn rewards.
3. Establishing the correct processes for content
It’s not just a resources issue for many organisations, but also a question of setting up the right processes, staffing and workflows. An increasing number of marketing and communications departments are jumping to hire journalists, brand editors and content strategists.
Solution – It’s a brave and sometimes baffling new world, so take the time to research before hiring or shuffling your marketing functions. Two bibles of content marketing strategy have been recommended by Lee Odden at Toprankblog.com: “Managing Content Marketing” by Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose, and Content Strategy for the Web” by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach.
Begin by tackling these challenges, and the journey towards effective content creation and a new narrative of storytelling for your brand begins. It won’t always be a straightforward journey. It requires a radical rethink of traditional marketing processes – one that prioritises adding value and building brand awareness for long-term gains over immediate returns. But with time and effort, the benefits of increased traffic and reduced customer service contact volumes will convince even the most cynical of your peers.
