When it comes to content marketing, it goes without saying that successful brands are those that invest in a more coordinated, more collaborative, and more cutting-edge approach to keep their fingers on the pulse of an ever-evolving industry. It’s inevitable that things change, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made this even more palpable in monumental lifestyle changes, workplace behavioral shifts, and of obviously, digital customer experience.
You need to know about and understand advanced insights, modern best practices, and unbeatable content marketing tips and tricks so your brand stays ahead of the curve and doesn’t get left behind. Fortunately, what you don’t learn on your own can be taught by leading content marketers, brand custodians, and industry experts. Here are the top reasons people succeed in the content marketing industry.
1. Authenticity
Creators need to be consistent at producing content, according to Ankur Warikoo, Co-Founder of Nearby. But one of the most important aspect of content creation is authenticity, he said. “Content by definition is a long-term game. What sets you apart and will ultimately give you an edge over competitors is authentic content to drive the creator’s economy and catch the consumers’ eyeballs.”
2. Relevancy
“Our goal is to try and determine what it is that Google appears to be rewarding or perhaps punishing with each update. We then look at the clues that Google has given us in terms of what they consider to be high quality,” explained Marie Haynes, Founder of Marie Haynes Consulting. She said that webpages that lost rankings were ones that were evaluated for white hat link building. “We feel Google got better at determining whether a link was truly a recommendation for a page or whether it was just there for SEO reasons,” she explained.
3. Collaboration
The focus on building communities and driving deeper relationships is at the core of any successful content marketing campaign, according to Sairee Chahal, Founder and CEO of Sheroes. “With the growth in marketing opportunities, there is a need to invest in communities that enable growth. Such a strategy ropes in everyone – from customers to business associates and partners. Simultaneously, there is a need to understand the real pulse of the communities around us,” she explained.
4. Good UX Principles
Ross Hudgens, CEO of Siege Media, said: Impressive design and UX in content writing is hard to replicate and scale – and brands that invest it in will continue to outshine those that don’t. “Go beyond conventional blog templates. Find ways to elevate them beyond just the standard bold or color-coded copy. You need the most important aspects of your content to stand out — on both desktop and mobile,” he explained.
5. Inclusivity
According to Microsoft’s Head of SEM Christi Olson, if you want to stay relevant with your target audience, satisfy the expectations of your stakeholders, and secure the business bottom line is to have a brand engagement that is meaningful to the customers and their specific values. “In our Marketing with Purpose Playbook, Microsoft Advertising unique research found 64% of people are more trusting of brands that represent diversity in ads and 85% of consumers said they will consider a brand they trust.” Successful content marketers are those that create inclusive, purpose-driven, and more diverse content marketing strategies for their brand consumers.”
6. Regional Content
According to Josh Talks Director Supriya Paul, content marketers who thrive in the new normal are those that harness the power of over-the-top (OTT) media service and video content such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, or Netflix. “Having a particular content made available in a particular language or dialect makes it so much more relatable. In terms of engagement, the more the content is available in different dialects, the more it hits home to the audience,” she explained.
7. Forget Normal
In a post-pandemic world, nothing is ‘normal’ anymore and content professionals who acknowledge it and work around it are the ones who achieve their goals better and faster. “Take all the old models, best practices, and “normal” strategies and throw them into a blender. Hit the pulse button a few times, then bin the whole thing. Now, laugh. You’re free. The faster we adjust and embrace it, the stronger our work is going to be,” explained Ben H. Rome, AIHA’s Content Marketing Specialist.
8. Model ROI
Content marketers who have taken their businesses to new heights are those that are focused on ROI and attribution. As budgets tighten and scrutiny increases, there is an urgent need to justify the existence of every role, every resource, and every strategy. “Effective attribution modeling will be essential to prove the value of our marketing down to the individual content piece,” said Christopher Penn, Chief Data Scientist at Trust Insights.
9. Subscriber Growth
“Pause all sales messaging, take out the unnecessary content, and just focus on building an audience,” said Content Marketing Institute founder Joe Pulizzi. “Every once in a while, try not to extract value from customers and prospects. Obsession should be on providing true value in our content products – and that’s what will guarantee success of your content marketing efforts.”
10. Amplification Strategy
Rand Fishkin, co-author of Art of SEO and Wizard of Moz said that there is point investing time to create content in the first place if people won’t actually share it. “One out of 10 content creators and brand marketers only ever succeed in achieving their goals thanks to amplification strategy. It’s all about ensuring that content will be shared, talked about, reach people, rank in search engines, and attract the visitors you’re hoping to reach,” he explained.
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