Content marketing involves using online content like blog posts, social media, and videos to engage your target audience and achieve the goals of the content strategy.
Here are some effective tactics:
Analyze and Satisfy Search Intent
Create content that targets relevant keywords and meets the user’s search intent.
Increase the brand’s organic visibility in search engines like Google, attracting potential customers to the website. Start by performing keyword research to find the best keywords for the brand.
Perform Keyword Research
Use keyword research tools to discover search terms the audience is using.
Pay attention to “Keyword Difficulty” (KD%) to determine how easy it will be to rank highly for a given keyword.
For beginners, targeting keywords with a difficulty range of 0% to 30% is recommended.
Lower-difficulty keywords may have lower search volumes, but ranking higher on these terms is often more beneficial because users rarely scroll far in search results.
Additionally, consider the Search Intent behind each keyword:
Informational (I): User seeks information.
Commercial (C): User researches a product or service.
Navigational (N): User looks for a specific webpage.
Transactional (T): User wants to make a purchase.
Informational and commercial keywords are ideal for content marketing.
Create Optimized Content
To optimize the content, ensure it satisfies search intent and is search engine-friendly.
Use SEO tools like Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant to get recommendations, structure the content with clear headings, and use a tone of voice that resonates with the audience.
Keep the content accurate, engaging, and easy to read, incorporating visuals where necessary.
Leverage Primary Data
Primary data—unique to the business—can help create engaging, distinctive content.
For example, Spotify’s annual Spotify Wrapped campaign summarizes users’ listening habits and trends, driving widespread social media activity.
Use the own data (like survey responses or sales data) to answer questions that interest the audience.
Use Topic Clusters
A topic cluster is a set of interlinked pages that comprehensively cover a topic.
It includes a pillar page (offering an overview) and several cluster pages (focused on subtopics).
Interlinking these pages helps build topical authority, improving search visibility and user engagement.
Repurpose Existing Content
Repurposing content by adapting it into different formats is a cost-effective way to reach a wider audience.
Start by transforming the best-performing content into formats like videos, podcasts, webinars, or infographics.
This allows to cater to different user preferences and maximize reach across various platforms.
Build a Content Marketing Funnel
A content marketing funnel guides prospects from awareness to purchase.
It includes:
Top of the funnel (ToFu): Prospects become aware of the solution.
Middle of the funnel (MoFu): Prospects consider options.
Bottom of the funnel (BoFu): Prospects make a purchasing decision.
A strong content funnel engages prospects at every stage, nurturing them toward conversion.
Launch Gated Content
Gated content requires users to provide their contact information to access high-quality resources like white papers, research reports, or webinars.
It’s an excellent way to generate leads and collect data on the audience.
When creating gated content, design user-friendly landing pages and forms that balance data collection with user convenience.
Engage in Thought Leadership
Thought leadership involves sharing original insights and opinions to build the reputation as an industry expert. This is especially useful in B2B marketing, where buyers value expertise.
Publish thought leadership content on blogs and social media to showcase the brand’s authority.
Create Skyscraper Content
Skyscraper content aims to improve upon a popular resource.
By creating superior content, attract backlinks from sites linking to the original, boosting both referral traffic and SEO.
Reach out to these sites to encourage them to link to the updated version.
Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC)
UGC involves content created by the audience, such as reviews, testimonials, or social media posts.
UGC boosts authenticity, strengthens customer relationships, and enhances trust in the brand.
It’s also a cost-effective way to increase content production.
Try Storytelling
Storytelling humanizes the brand by sharing real stories about people in the community.
This approach builds emotional connections with the audience, allowing to communicate the brand values more effectively.
Measuring the Success of Content Marketing
To understand which content marketing tactics work best, track the resources invested and the benefits gained. Monitor key performance metrics like engagement, conversion rates, and ROI to assess the impact of the content marketing strategy.