[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Although it’s been around for some time, the concept of content marketing continues to be a hot topic. We invited content connoisseur Stefan Jakobsson from BRV Agency and Migaloo, to guest host an eMarketeer Academy webinar. In this post, we put together some key takeaways from the webinar called “How to win at content marketing + 5 epic tips.” Enjoy![/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_column_text]First off, what does content marketing mean? Well, as Stefan sees it, “content marketing is to provide relevant and valuable content that attracts your target group’s attention.” Content marketing isn’t just one single practice or channel, but it’s a part of everything you do; social media, SEO, inbound marketing, etc.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_column_text]
How to win at content marketing
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1. Define who you are talking to
Before we start producing content, we need to know who will take part of this content. Start by creating your buyer persona, a semi-fictional profile of your customer. Give the buyer persona a name, define their demographics, job titles, what channels they’re using, and what challenges they want to overcome. You should also have a good view of what their buyer’s journey looks like. In other words, what steps a lead goes through before they buy from you. [/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”5″][vc_column_text]
2. Time to start content mapping
Once you have the profile and the different steps in their buyer’s journey, you can start with the content mapping. What it means is that you define what information/content the buyer persona is looking for in each specific stage in the journey. While you’re at it, define what relevant search terms there are for each stage as well. For example, what keywords is the lead using when just looking for inspiration, and what keywords would they use when they have decided that they want to buy?
Once you’re done with the content mapping and ready to get creative, remember that there’s no need to start from scratch with all your content. Start putting together an inventory of what content you already have and then sort them according to which stage they belong to in the buyer’s journey. Now’s the time to get creative with creating the content that’s missing in the journey – “fill in the gaps!” Some of Stefan’s tips to produce new content are to target popular and trending topics and dig into what your competitors are doing – and do it better than them.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”5″][vc_column_text]
3. Plan and set goals
To keep your content marketing well-organized, it’s important to plan your content ahead, Stefan advises at least one month ahead.
Your content marketing goals should be set according to the SMART-principle, which means that your goals are specific, measurable, and time-based. An example of a SMART goal would be “I would like to increase my number of Facebook followers to 500 in three months’ time.” In another one of our blog posts, you can learn more about how to set up goals according to the SMART-principle and track your marketing campaigns.
Content marketing is a long-term process that requires a lot of time but when you do the hustle, Stefan ensures that you will see the return on investment. Also, as Stefan puts it: “don’t forget to clink the champagne glasses when you reach your goals” to keep you motivated.
Be channel-specific. For example, if you shoot a video in landscape mode, it might not be in the best format for users that will watch your video on phones as they might look at it on portrait-mode. However, landscape format would work when they watch on youtube. In words, your target group might not look at your content in the channels where it looks the best, meaning that you have to adapt for best user experience.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”5″][vc_column_text]
4. One piece of content – 20 areas of use
Don’t be afraid to reuse your content. One piece of content can be used in several different ways. For example, a blog post with a list of 10 tips can be converted into 10 social media posts over 5 weeks. This is allowing yourself to send out a lot of content even though it’s just from one single content piece. This leads up to the million-dollar question for content marketers, should we go for quality or quantity? [/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”5″][vc_column_text]
Quality or quantity?
There’s not really a right or wrong answer here. For one thing, quality is subjective; what’s good to you might not be the same for someone else. As it’s always important that your content provides value, Stefan still emphasizes that quantity is just as important. There are many channels out there and you need to be there with a lot of content to get eyes on you.
For more insights on how to win at content marketing and Stefan’s 5 epic tips, you can watch the on-demand version of the webinar here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]