Important Considerations Before Adopting Content Marketing

INTRODUCTION:

You wouldn’t trust just anyone with your business marketing- nor should you. Even if you know what kind of content you want to provide- even if you have decided who will create that content and who will manage it internally? But before you fully immerse yourself in the world of content marketing, you’ll want to take some time to think about three factors that will be vital to your future ROI and content marketing success.

• Think Long Term 
  
• Think consistency
• Think ahead 

Step 1: Think Long Term 

Content marketing is not a get rich quick scheme! Rather, it’s a sophisticated total package of marketing tools and digital strategy that will give you a robust and reliable marketing campaign.  You’ll feel the benefits for the lifetime of your business marketing- but you won’t start to see them for a good six months. Don’t worry- this is totally normal! What should you do during those first six months as your content marketing campaign ramps up? Utilize the full slate of marketing tools at your disposal to evaluate statistics, gather insights on your target demographic, and adjust your strategy accordingly. 

Step 1: Think consistency

As your audience of potential and current buyers increases, so will the demand for your content. You absolutely must provide content constantly.  How? Maybe you’re responsible for blogging, while a marketing agency handles your social media, PR and advertising. Schedule your blog posts well in advance so that you can be sure they’re posted at the right time for the right audience. Create a holistic calendar including every aspect of your content marketing strategy, and stick to it unfailingly.  Put your content marketing duties on top of your daily to-do list so that you never miss a deliverable. Hold your agency accountable for deliverables on a regular basis.  And keep assessing your content output to ensure it is relevant, informative, and fresh. All of this content- each and every piece- is going to drive your bottom line, you simply cannot afford to be inconsistent.

Step 3: Think ahead 

Do you need to get your content approved in advance? This is a common scenario- maybe you’re part of a wealth advisory firm, and your content must be vetted for federal compliance. Or maybe your CEO requests the final say on anything that you put into the public sphere. Be aware of these approval processes and make sure that you allot time accordingly. Build it into your content calendar, so that you don’t get stuck missing a deadline while you await a crucial approval.

The flip side of this is that you might have the opportunity to generate current content quickly- for instance, if you specialize in shoreline clean up and an oil spill happens, you’ll want to position yourself at the forefront of social media that day. Be sure that you have a method in place to expedite the approval process. That way you can capitalise on opportunities without derailing your entire calendar and strategy.

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