All too often marketers get caught up in the tactical execution of items on our to-do list, lacking the focus and time required to think through marketing efforts on a more strategic level. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone. I used to spend a great deal of time writing content with no real strategy in mind – simply writing to get a blog post or landing page off my plate, another item crossed off my lengthy list of stuff to get done. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that content for content’s sake doesn’t really move the dial for any organization. So if you’re looking to maximize your content, here are some tips I’ve come to embrace that lead to content marketing success.
Right person, right time
Your content must be targeted to a specific audience. Then, you have to make sure that audience sees the content. That means you need to understand what they are interested in and where they go for advice and information.
HINT: Lifecycle marketing assists marketers in reaching contacts at the right time based upon their position in a brand’s lifecycle stages.
You’re human – act like one
The trouble with marketing automation is that it can create lazy marketers. Just because campaigns are automated doesn’t mean the work is complete. In today’s ultra-competitive business world, original and personalized content customized to the prospect’s position in their journey with a brand is critical. Don’t use the same campaigns again and again. Test new subject lines, images, layout, and content on a regular basis. And, most importantly, engage your contacts with content they can consume and use in their business and/or position.
Chill out
Concerned you can’t do it all? Then don’t. Focus on your most important goals first. Rome wasn’t built in a day and while marketing is responsible for numerous initiatives and goals related to an organization’s bottom line, usually one or two rise to the top as the most critical to accomplish during the quarter or year.
Content marketing success hinges on understanding and truly knowing your audience. The more educated you can be as a marketer on who you are trying to reach, where you can find them, and what they are interested in, the more successful you will be in accomplishing your goals and objectives.
Lifecycle marketing provides the insights needed for marketers to take content marketing strategy to the next level. To learn how lifecycle marketing can improve your content marketing success, check out this ebook: What is Lifecycle Marketing?
