Content marketing can be a really satisfying job, that’s the good news. But the bad news? Well, nothing comes easily. Even the most experienced and the most famous content marketers had to start somehow.
However, beginners should also act like professionals. If you have just started your content marketing journey, here are some tips for you to follow. They are crucial to your job, as they will help you prepare successful and engaging content for the proper audience.
#1 Content is not a Fast Food….
Content marketing is a tricky field. At the first glance it may seem to be quite a narrow discipline. However, it is much more than just writing another article on email marketing, social media, or new tech. Your content has to be valuable, which means it should be based on personal/brand experience or specific data that would enrich the reader’s knowledge.
The more involved you will be in the facts behind your content piece, the more your texts should evolve –when it comes to both topics and form. Reading a post about good practices in specific branch may be interesting for the beginners, that’s definitely a fact. But what about experienced marketers who follow your profile? Even the greatest of fans of your talent will be disappointed if you would serve them the same text for the 15th time.
Try to compare your content to a kind of nourishment for the brain. Everyone likes going to fancy restaurants, preparing new dishes, and enjoying new tastes. Of course, sometimes you might visit fast food chains – usually only when you’re too hungry to wait for a properly served meal.
So, how does repetitive fast food… food compare to content? Well, you need to make sure that your audience is served with the best quality content – let them find something new and inspiring in your text, like in experimental cafés. Remember it is not only about reading or skipping the paragraphs just to lie to your brain that it’s full; the underlining context, or main idea if you will, is of much importance. Be fresh, don’t repeat yourself, and try to surprise the audience with brand-new ideas in each piece of content you share.
#2 … and the Text is not Your Baby!
By far the most difficult part for beginners. Imagine such the following scenario: you came up with a brilliant idea, your boss accepted the topic, therefore you spent 3 nights in a row writing the perfect article. Just one quick final read through… and then it happens! Your text comes back to you, but you feel like it is not yours anymore. It is all crossed, nothing is in the right place, syntax and commas are completely changed. The thesis of your work just disappeared beneath the surface of all those makeups.
The text should be approachable and understandable for your audience. Remember – you’re not the only reader of your content. Get your colleagues to check the text, especially your grammar and spelling. It will ensure you that each sentence is written in a way that helps readers get through the article smoothly.
Don’t get too attached to your text, it should serve your audience. Keep in mind the tone of voice as you write. Who are you writing for? What are your audience’s expectations? Prepare as many drafts as necessary and be prepared for the fact that your text may be changed dozens of times.
A professional content marketer is one who is able to present thoughts and ideas in a really simple way. Some ways to achieve simplicity are:
- Present the thesis upfront
- Be inspirational in your tone of voice.
- Develop your skills constantly. – read (even more than you write), join webinars, and courses on creative writing.
A sophisticated syntax won’t impress anyone but your ego. However, a complex idea explained in a straightforward manner will inspire your audience.
#3 Share, Talk, and Communicate
Content marketing is all about sharing knowledge and inspiring others. Therefore, before you start motivating your audience, think about how to inspire yourself.
- When was the last time you took part in a brainstorming session?
- What was the topic of the last article you read?
- Have you attended any webinars recently?
Try to find 30 minutes during the week to share ideas with your friends. Start with something simple, choose one field of focus for an article and share opinions on the presented thesis. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. During such a meeting you will find out that your friends have different points of view on the same article. The same goes with your audience. Brainstorming can provoke you to prepare a better developed and more motivating piece of content.
#4 Likes vs. Shares
What should be more important to a successful content marketer? The amount of likes or social media shares of your content? Obviously both are considered to be engagement, but which is ‘more’ engaging?
The answer here is pretty obvious, but try to think of a typical fanpage. Imagine that a friend of yours is really into cats – their breeds, habits, etc. and he invites you to like his fanpage. You want to help – doesn’t matter that you are allergic to fur. And so he gets 2000 likes in 3 days. That’s impressive, isn’t it? But no matter how interesting his articles are, he gets only 2-5 likes per post., not to mention not very shares or email sign-ups.
But building his list takes more than just creating a blog, fanpage, or newsletter – he should find people who’d like to read posts related to feline nature through ad promotion, create a responsive landing page to entice people into subscribing or sharing, or promote his posts among true kitty fans via hi social media (as an authority in this field).
It doesn’t matter how numerous the audience is. It is proves to be beneficial to have few comments or shares from engaged users that will inspire others to check out your content rather than many random likes, if any at all, that people may not see. Also, be careful where you promote your content. Sharing articles on the wrong platform will not bring you any followers; your time and energy would be wasted and you’ll be seen as a spammer.
Don’t forget to use an enticing call to action, phrases, and trigger words in order to hike up your SEO and engagement. It will not only improve your statistics, but will also increase your customer loyalty – who will spread your content and strengthen your brand image.
#5 Read Twice, Think Thrice
Don’t forget how important the quality of your content is. As it has been mentioned above, there is nothing worse than spelling or grammar mistakes. Failing to read through is a sign that you didn’t thoroughly think through your content and it may not be worth reading – because it’s not valuable.
Another common mistake is not checking the technical aspects of the final draft of a piece of content:
- Are the links working?
- Do the pictures load properly?
- Is the data clear enough to read it effortlessly?
These are the simple yet very important rules. Ensure your audience that you treat them with full respect and they will treat you the same. Read your text at least 3 times and take notice of different aspects of it – check the grammar, punctuation, and the logical structure of your content.
From Beginner to Master
Content marketing is a tricky yet very satisfying activity that can easily turn into a true passion – just ask the GetResponse content team J. Nothing brings more satisfaction than the feeling of a well-performed job. The key to success in content marketing is being active and patient at the same time.
You should read and check your own text as many times as possible, be disciplined, open to suggestions, and keep an objective eye out for the content you produced. Preparing valuable content is a gradual process. Some of the above mentioned tips may come for you easily, some of them may be difficult to overcome at first – but remember that all your effort will pay back in engagement and loyalty of your audience!
Are you a content marketing beginner? What are your biggest challenges? Perhaps you want to share your tips or experience with us? Leave a comment below!
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