4 Ways to Get More Out of Your Content Marketing Efforts

Organic content is often something that people think of month to month or even week to week. From blog topics to social media copy to starting a podcast, it’s easy to see content marketing as something you plan as you go. 

But taking the time to think through your business goals will help your content perform significantly better. Here are four critical things to have top of mind for your content marketing strategy.

1. Focus on Strategy Before Tactics

You might already have some tactical goals set in your planning, like launching a podcast, creating four videos or writing a blog post per month. Awesome! It’s important, however, to review the reason for those goals. 

Instead of starting with, “What do we want to do for content marketing?”, begin with, “What do we want our content marketing to do for us?” This small change in thinking reframes what you’re working on from output focused to how the content contributes to your business goals.

For example, if you’ve decided to produce videos for your organization, consider what you want those to do. Generate more leads? Create better brand awareness? You’ll also want to know the audience you’re targeting and where they go for information. Do they visit YouTube frequently? Are they active in specific LinkedIn groups? 

By starting all the way back at the business goal and then creating marketing goals, determining your audience and finally landing on tactics, everything you do will be more effective. You’ll have those goals as your North Star to return to any time you’re making marketing decisions.

2. Take a Holistic, Multichannel Strategy

Once you have your high-level strategy and move into tactics, think holistically about how content can work across all your marketing channels and support multiple goals.

When planning for a blog or a video, look for opportunities to repurpose that content on social media or in an email. A key advantage of planning ahead with your content is that you can see the big picture. What social media platforms are you leveraging? What email campaigns do you have? Are you targeting certain keywords or phrases for search engine optimization (SEO)?

If you have an event coming up in three months, for example, you may want to create that video your sales team has been asking for. You can then post it on LinkedIn, YouTube and your website optimized for SEO – one video used across three channels.

Also consider ways to address multiple audiences. In one blog, could you answer questions current customers ask in a way that also helps prospects? If you’ve been considering a Google Ads campaign to drive more traffic to your website, could you repurpose that content for social media posts and emails that re-engage past customers? Using a holistic content strategy helps your content more efficiently support your business.

3. Start a Podcast (Seriously, Do It!)

“You should start a podcast.” Anyone who’s worked in content marketing has heard this suggestion. Maybe it’s from a sales rep, perhaps from your friends in marketing and now from me. But honestly, you should start a podcast.

Podcasts might just be the most life-friendly content platform that exists today! You can listen to them at any time, from any place, while doing other things on a broad range of devices, all for free. They’re entirely on demand. 

What’s the advantage beyond accessibility? Well, for businesses, podcasts serve as a direct line of communication with customers and prospects – and podcasts are rapidly growing in popularity as a medium.

4. Take Advantage of Organic Social Media

Most businesses have a presence on social media, but often they’re not using the platforms to their full potential. Social media can be a powerful tool to drive new leads, build trust and even connect directly with customers and prospects. Taking time to create a strategic plan for the how, what and why of your social media will make it vastly more impactful.

Social media isn’t only a vessel for your unique brand and expertise. It’s also a multi-faceted tool that can help you search, filter, customize, organize, plan, connect and conduct business all the better. Small changes can make a big impact – for the better and, if you aren’t careful, for the worse.

Before diving into social media, take time to think through these important questions:

• What do you want your social media to accomplish?
• Who do you need to influence to accomplish those goals? 
• Which content and in what format will help you the most?

Be Prepared to Pivot and Make Changes

No matter how diligently you outline every detail, something could come along at any moment that derails your plans. Make sure your strategy reflects your priorities. If you focus on strategy before tactics, you’ll more easily be able to pivot when needed.