Sales in 2016 is a tricky business. In years past, salespeople had many endless avenues of marketing.
Driving Sales Through Content Marketing. Nearly all of these resulted in higher revenues. Fast forward and these same means of driving sales are old, bloated and almost impossible to break into using traditional sales methods.
There is, however, a solution. The phrase “content marketing” gets thrown around a lot on the internet, but it’s not just conjecture or speculation. The days of standard advertising schemes are gone. Whilst major advertising companies with masses of capital would like small businesses to believe that using these expensive and outdated methods will result in long term clients, the truth is that maintaining an online presence that is active and results in content for users to view and learn from is the only way that a long-term relationship can be established between clients and businesses.
The fact that you are even reading this as opposed to doing anything else is proof of the above statements. Content-driven marketing is no longer concerned “jargon”. In fact, it has become a crucial element in the strategic marketing process of most brands. If there was any doubt, these very entities have too adopted an online presence that interacts with customers in a meaningful way.
If you are currently unaware of which corporate blogs have been keeping up to date with the times, check out the last blog post on which corporate blogs to follow this year.
Here are a three things to consider if you are thinking of owning and maintaining a blog and subsequent online presence.
1. Lead with your expertise
Before creating content, you need to know what you are talking about. Content Marketing in itself is not enough, it needs to be informative and fulfil a purpose. Lead with the area in which you or your company knows more about than others. A blog with a strong niche following will be more successful than one which simply follows others as they lead the pack.
2. Focus on the audience’s needs
Identifying and catering to an unmet need is one of the most effective ways to stand out. Find ways in which your audience will remember you. Approach every part of your online campaign from the viewpoint of the consumer.
3. Foundation first
A blog needs a solid foundation to survive. Content creation is only the beginning; post distribution is equally as important. When figuring out these aspects of your blog, remember that consistency is key to creating and managing your online portfolio.
