Great question! But before you start marketing with it, you should understand what it’s important in the first place.
So, why is content important?
Your content is your key asset for spreading your message to your audience.
- It helps you get in touch with the right people (your ideal audience).
- It helps you build relationships with these people.
- It sets you up as an authority in your niche.
- It helps serve the people in your ideal audience.
- It gives you something of value to give to them.
This is especially true for information based businesses (educational, digital resources, coaching, etc), but businesses with physical products or services can also use their content for great impact as well.
And, as the always on spot-on-the-mark Amy Porterfield says:
And you want BOTH types in your content toolbox!
So, just what is Content anyway?
When we talk about content we are talking about anything you create, provide and do online.
So, this will be the actual words on your website, but that’s far from all it is. Your content also includes:
- emails you send,
- images you create,
- videos you share,
- anything you share on social media (Facebook or Instagram posts, Twitter tweets, Google+ posts, images that you pin on Pinterest, etc),
- posters, banners or flyers you display,
- snail mail you send,
- blog posts you share on your own site or on other sites,
- your email signature,
- your voicemail message,
- advertising online or off,
- etc, etc
Which is great news because…
Every interaction you have with your customers is an opportunity for you to be: providing value + building relationship + spreading your message.
So it’s important that you maximise every single opportunity and ensure your efforts are as effective and useful as possible (for you and them!).
Ok, so again, what is content marketing?
According to the Content Marketing Institute (who are bound to know a thing or 2 on the topic) Content Marketing means:
creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers. The type of content you share is closely related to what you sell; in other words, you’re educating people so that they know, like, and trust you enough to do business with you.
Get your House in Order
We advocate a simple approach that involves getting your own house in order first, and then setting about arranging things outside your house accordingly.
Your website is your online house. You own it. You can do what you want with it. It only changes when you say so.
(Spoiler Alert: this is important because this is not true with every place you work online. Sad but true, you do not own Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Periscope, Google+…you get the picture. They can change how they work in a heartbeat and frequently do!)
So, your website should be the place where you spend the time building up your message, producing quality content, and organising things so that when people come to your house they can easily find how and where to take the next step with you. (This next step will depend on you, and on where each visitor is in their relationship with you.)
Then, when your house is in order, you can then focus your time and effort on keeping it growing AND on getting people to visit it!!
Now this is where your efforts on social media, interacting in communities and other sites, and engaging with people wherever they are hanging out online come into play.
This is when it’s time to unleash your inner social butterfly and let the world see you shine!! Your social content now comes into focus, and the efforts you make here should build on the efforts you have made at home.
So, what steps do you need to take?
- Know your guests (ideal customer avatar).
- Know your business goals (what are you trying to do with your business?).
- Spring clean + redecorate your house as necessary (review, update and optimise your site for your ideal customer & your business goals).
- Invite guests to your home (Facebook ads, social interactions, guest blogging, etc).
- Help them (lead magnet, free content, tools and resources).
- Show off your skills (testimonials, webinars, tutorials, epic blog posts, etc).
- Make them feel welcome, valued and important (nurture community, and email auto-responder series).
- Continue to provide value and help to them (webinars, tutorials, epic blog posts, etc).
- Offer them something (sell to them).
- Continue to make them feel welcome, valued and important, while providing even more value and assistance.
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 (+ 4 – 9)!
Ready to take action towards being more intentional and strategic with your content, so you can attract your ideal crowd?
I have a gift for you!
Come on over and grab your FREE checklist – Content Marketing – House in Order Checklist – and get yourself set up to take the next step towards success!