The Right Content Strategy to Maximize Traffic

This is part 2/2 of our Frugal Guide to Content Marketing.

In this next article, we’re going to spell out how to create content that achieves your desired business outcomes, rather than just sitting in a corner of your blog looking pretty.

The holy grail of content marketing is developing a piece of content that grows wings, takes flight and “goes viral”. This is not easy, but there is some science to developing content that will be shared and will drive activity back to your website.

Read on for 5 content development frameworks every content manager should evaluate for their content strategy.

In a hurry, here are all the content types that you need to try:

[Content type #1] Curation - Be the Hustle of...

Creating original content is HARD. It takes time and can get expensive.

But you don't need to do it all yourself! Insightful curation of content can add plenty of value for your audience.

There is an art and skill to 'borrowing' the work of others and by filtering and organizing information relevant to your audience, you are delivering a useful service.

Even if you are generating a lot of your own original content, sharing the work of others (ie. curation) is a handy technique for building community and letting your readers know that it’s not all about you, all the time.

Two of the biggest content marketing success stories of our generation are probably The Morning Brew and the Hustle - The most famous newsletters around. Both have amassed a fascinating number fo loyal followers and have grown to double-digits million dollars companies.

They make us, content marketers, think about the power of novelty and curation. They have revived a channel that everybody gave up on - emails. By breaking all the rules but deeply understanding what their target audience is looking for: long format emails, minimal pictures, curated picks for a busy millennial.

For more tips, check out -  https://influencermarketinghub.com/content-curation/

[Content type #2] Visual content

Instagram and Pinterest are the ultimate visual platforms and their success is very telling about our own weakness in from of visual content. Humans are visually stimulated beings. We process visual data better than any other type of information.

The fact is, we process images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. But visual content marketing is more than just sharing pictures and videos, it really can help you strengthen your branding, rank higher with SEO and create emotional connections with your customers.

There are several types of visual content: pictures, videos, gifs, infographics... You can create stand-alone visual content or supplement any blog or landing page to make them more engaging. Keep this in mind during your content creation!

Source:
https://visme.co/

[Content type #3] Multiply your ‘share triggers’ with interactive content

Interactive content generates 2X more conversions and drives consumers through the pipeline!

Whether we are talking infographics, quizzes or gamification, the principle for this type of content is the same: make the user take action and interact with your brand.

While no one can be more famous than Kim Kardashian, Buzzfeed crazy quizzes are great contenders. If you never took one click here to see what we are talking about:

----> Take the quiz: Choose Some Potato Foods And We'll Reveal If You're An Introvert Or Extrovert

Interactive content is a must for effective content marketing efforts whether it is for b2c or b2b. Here are some tips on how to make your content more interactive:

1. Use images, infographics, and videos to make your content more engaging.
2. Use quizzes and polls to get people interacting with your content and to collect valuable data.
3. Use social media to share your content and create an omnichannel strategy to connect with your audience where they are.
4. Use gamification to drive action. While it is no longer a novelty, its appeal is still as relevant. Whether it is AR like the Wayfair "View in Room" button or a simple spin wheel for a discount, users are more likely to take action with these options.

[Content type #4] CTA - Call to action

Content is king and we all know that but the problem starts with how to effectively call to action to seal the deal.

Calls to action are an essential part of any online content strategy and allow you to measure the success of your marketing efforts. Below are 4 characteristics of highly converting CTA's to help you optimize yours.

• Make your CTA's buttons

This may seem like a given but it is always good to be reminded that the more visible the better. Visible and big are different words; your call to action should stand out against your website background but doesn't need to be big. Making the CTA a button helps the user know what to do next and where to click for the next step.

• Provide value

By now, everyone knows that by clicking a CTA, they will have to share their information. We are not fooling anyone so providing value is extremely important to make the trade worth it for user. For example, if they are downloading an e-book, you can add a preview of the pages, or a summary of what they will read.

• Use action text

You don't have to use fancy words to drive conversion, you only need to tell the user what action they need to take. The most converting CTA texts are the most used ones: Download now, buy now, read more, sign-up for free, try-it for free...

• Include a secondary muted CTA

The secondary CTA is designed to be less prominent and offers an alternative to users who are not ready to fully commit to your main CTA. It can be a valuable asset for you to control the customer journey and direct then towards content designed to give more information and convince.

[Content type #5] B2B content marketing strategy

While all the discussed above can apply to b2b, there are slight nuances when it comes to interactions between two businesses. B2B customers are looking for more tailored and detailed content.

Your content strategy as B2B marketer can be split in two:

1. Narrow audience - sales oriented: Focus on the problem is your company solving
2. Broad audience - brand building: Help you target audience do their jobs better

Let's take Core dna as an example. This is how we split our content strategy:

1 - Narrow audience: Headless Content Management System (CMS), eCommerce platform

In this first category, we focus educating about our product and services. Our blog posts talk about what a headless platform is, how we combine content and commerce and offer a hybrid platform etc. We also created an FAQ section to help our current and potential customer fully comprehend our offerings and answer any questions they may have.

This content aims at persuading our target audience that Core dna is the right product for their needs.

2 - Broad audience: Content Management, eCommerce Management, Platform strategies ...

In this second category, we focus on helping our target audience do their jobs by offering valuable insight, tactics and strategies to implement to reach their business goals. For example, this piece of content marketing articles will help marketers and marketing teams execute a successful marketing strategy.

This content aims at engaging our target at the top of the funnel. We relate to their pain-points and offer solutions for all aspects of their jobs. We are not selling, we are creating valuable relationships.

Conclusion

No matter your target audience, providing value should be at the center of your content strategy.

You can always rely on the AIDA principle when creating your content: Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action. If you follow this structure, you will create compelling content for your audience.

Want to learn more about content marketing? Download our Free Guide 👇