Play the Content Marketing Game like a Pro

Over the last few years, content marketing has become a powerful tool for many businesses, but some remain reluctant to get involved in the fairly simple strategic marketing approach. SEO expert and Forbes writer Jayson DeMers attributes this aversion to three core reasons, all involving some sort of misunderstanding about content marketing.

Many professionals believe they don’t have the budget for content marketing, unaware that to start a content marketing campaign costs very little. Others are intimidated by the length of time it takes to see results from content marketing, giving up soon after they’ve begun. Finally, the most common reason professionals refuse to delve into content marketing is they don’t understand the strategy or are confused about where to begin.

If you’re new to content marketing or have struggled to find a successful strategy, think about content marketing like playing a board game. Before you begin playing, it’s important to know the rules, your opponents, and objectives. You must also remember to think ahead, and remind yourself that it’s okay to make mistakes and try something new—you’ll only improve the more that you play.

Know the Rules
Just like in a game, breaking the rules of content marketing or cheating, will usually backfire in the end. If you, for example, focus on quantity instead of quality, you will find yourself and your business worse off. Learn tried and true practices from business-minded peers and conduct your own research.

Know Your Opponents
To win a game, you need to get to know your opponents and their weaknesses. Content marketing is competitive, and while there are valuable lessons to learn from your opponents and their mistakes, you should also focus on their playing style and what tactics they are likely to use. Once you start your campaign, you can exploit those weaknesses and take advantage of the areas your competition might be overlooking,

Know Your Objectives
Ask yourself what you are trying to achieve with content marketing? Content marketing can be used to increase traffic and conversions or improve brand reputation and consumer retention, to name but a few outcomes. But, you’re likely planning to focus on a few areas; so, narrowing down your goals will help you to develop a clear strategy for accomplishing them.

Think Several Steps Ahead
To win a game of strategy, like content marketing, you must always be thinking a few steps ahead. Prepare a calendar or schedule for the weeks or months to come, but be prepared for anything to change at a moment’s notice. The world of content marketing is constantly evolving.

Expect to Lose Your First Round
Don’t be afraid to dive into content marketing, but remember with absolutely no experience, it’s very unlikely that your first attempt will be successful. No amount of research is as good as experience. But, once you begin, you’ll learn to perfect your strategy through measurement, analysis, adjustments, and refinement.

Try New Things
The longer you’re in the game, the more comfortable you’ll feel thinking on your own. Don’t be afraid to stray away from what other companies have proven works, when you feel like you see an opportunity to try out the new concept or strategy you’ve been plotting, go for it. True winners remain successful because they’re constantly developing novel tactics, and you can too. For more information regarding content marketing, [Click Here].