SEO 101: A Guide to Creating the Perfect Content Marketing Strategy
Bruce Rymshaw, April 3, 2013
In many of my previous posts here on WebiMax.com, I’ve discussed the importance of content. Blog posts, press releases, videos, images and other forms of media on the Web can not only drive traffic to your site; but enhance your brand’s overall reputation, visibility and earning potential as well.
Speaking of blogs, I read a great post on Search Engine Journal earlier today (thanks for sharing, Patty!) which offered some useful insights on how to maximize the value of content. Of course, social sharing is essential, but content optimization goes far beyond that. By repurposing text-based content as videos, podcasts or even PowerPoint presentations, you are able to reach a broader audience while simultaneously improving SEO performance.
While I do agree that it is critical to get the most from your content; my own strategy varies slightly from the one Marcela outlined in the aforementioned SEJ article. The fundamentals remain the same; however, my emphasis on original (yet, supplemental) content provides a more comprehensive experience which incentivizes the user/reader/viewer to remain engaged.
In order to simplify my approach to content marketing, I’ve streamlined it into two phases – Creation and Promotion:
Creation
Begin with mapping out one BIG content blueprint. What story or topic is relevant to your brand, interesting to your audience and easily expanded upon? This framework will tell a complete story, but in a somewhat “segmented” fashion.
Start with the basics – a blog post. Although every blog should tell a complete story, it’s important to always leave an opportunity for your audience to interact and remain flexible enough to create unique supplemental content to continue the conversation of the blog across other mediums.
Follow the blog post with a video, podcast or an infographic. While the subject matter should be related, these should also work as standalone content. This will ensure that your audience remains engaged regardless of which “piece” of the content they discover first. Naturally, all of this content can be utilized cohesively, but originality is a must!
After you’ve created several pieces of unique content around a central topic, it’s time to get them online and promote!
Promotion
Social media is a powerful promotional tool, but there are other options which marketers and business owners have been utilizing recently. Sponsored content placement, PR and digital video advertising are proving to be effective ways to market content across multiple platforms and reach a more diverse audience, as well.
By developing a tiered approach to content creation and marketing, you’re not only able to increase the long-term viability of the content itself, but generate greater brand awareness and an improved user experience for your consumers or clients.
Share your content marketing success stories in the comments below and be sure to follow us on Twitter for more content tips: @WebiMax