When many people think of marketing, they think of advertising. However, business leaders want their potential customer base to know more about who they are and what they do—more information than can be explained in a simple ad. Entrepreneurs want to be seen as experts in their field, and this can be achieved through content marketing.
For tips on how to make content marketing a key part of your business, we asked members from FounderSociety this question:
Q. What’s one way I can successfully and seamlessly promote my brand through content marketing?
1. Add value
Provide added value to your customers throughout the marketing process and you will be well on your way to successfully building your brand. You can offer information, tips, tricks, humor—whatever fits your market and provides customers with a solution. This is what we’re all in business for: to provide a solution. Adding value builds credibility, trust, and brand awareness. —Angela Delmedico, Elev8 Consulting Group
2. Schedule, syndicate, analyze, improve
It’s an iterative process. Start with scheduling content on a weekly basis for your blog. Next, syndicate it out to social media and content networks. Check your analytics, such as bounce rate, page views, behavior flows, and leads generated. Keep it up as you’ll only get better at understanding your audience, conversion ratios, and where you can improve. —O. Liam Wright, True Interaction
3. Influencers are your friends
Find out who the major influencers are in your industry, and try reaching out to them. Foster working relationships with them, and when you publish a new piece of content, pass it their way to share with their followers. Approach them as a fan and colleague rather than someone who’s trying to sell a product. They already get flooded with sales pitches on a daily basis, so you need to stand out. —Steven Buchwald, Buchwald & Associates
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4. Create ambassadors through referral and affiliate programs
With so many consumers being actively involved within social networks and other platforms where they can contribute content, giving your existing (happy) customer base incentive to become ambassadors for your brand is an easy way to exponentially reach more people through a trusted source as opposed to a paid media channel. —Justin Moodley, LASANAN
5. Value long-term relationships
Make your brand strategy a by-product of engaging your customers while building a relationship. Be consistent in the value you provide with your content, its delivery, and persona—defining your brand voice. People are inundated with advertisements on a daily basis; the goal of content marketing is not to sell (although indirectly you will) but to become a trusted brand in your competitive space. —Ryan Meghdies, Tastic Marketing
6. Show you know your customers
The best way to promote your brand with content marketing is by knowing your customers’ interests and needs. Make a list of the questions they ask and conversations they have around the problems you solve. Use these questions as the topics of your blog posts and then connect with your audience on social media; when it’s appropriate (don’t spam), share links to your content to give your audience value. —Todd Giannattasio, Tresnic Media
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