Content marketing is vital to the success of your marketing efforts, but developing content can be a challenge. Use this guide to get tips on how to get started and ways to take advantage of your existing resources to minimize expenses and maximize reach.

2. Content is king. And for marketers, it can be platinum.
Good content can serve as the foundation for your marketing efforts. This content is a
valuable resource you can mine for email messages, blog posts, social media messaging
and many other forms of communication. Content is how you engage, educate and
entertain your prospects and customers. And of course, content is now critical for
search engine optimization (SEO).
Content can also be a challenge for marketers – especially if your company hasn’t focused
much time or energy on developing content up to this point. Starting from scratch, or
trying to launch or expand a content marketing strategy on a limited budget, can seem be
difficult. But, there are ways to get started quickly, even if you have a limited budget.
This guide will give you:
• Tips on how to get started
• Ways to take advantage of your existing resources
• Why repurposing is so helpful
1 - Start With The Basics
It’s imperative to setup the basics and start generating content. You can start small with
some easy-to-create basic content, and then gradually build on that foundation.
There are generally three types of content production scenarios
1. A group of people in management and marketing creates content. They are measured
on the content they create, and they have a quota.
2. A company hires digital natives and considers content creation a core requirement in the
hiring process.
3. A content team takes orders from different marketing functions, identifies content gaps
and is responsible for filling them. They act as an in-house agency.
How get started quickly:
- Evaluate where you are and where you want to be
- Provide A Service
One of the biggest mistakes marketers make in creating effective content marketing is
they market. Bragging is the quickest way to turn off readers before they can find any real
value in your content that would convert them into buyers.
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3. Content as a service is a better way to sell than content as a sales medium … your content
should be in service of your audience.
- Turn Problems Into Solutions
The goal is to set up a content system that helps your audience. Share your knowledge
and expertise, and quickly provide real solutions so you can facilitate a dialogue and begin
building a relationship.
Help your audience, establish yourself as an industry thought leader, and then you can
start making money.
- Tap Into Your In-House Resources For Content
- Create a Content Calendar
Once content goals and ideas are laid out, an organized content schedule to execute them
is vital. Content must be produced on a regular basis on which readers can rely.
- Carefully Choose Platforms To Promote Content
Keep it basic and stay on your main channels such as email. Let other platforms evolve over
time by utilizing forums and other hangouts (e.g. LinkedIn groups) where your audience
is active, and involve them in a dialogue to understand where you are best going to reach
them.
- Evaluate
2 - Focus on What Your Customers Want
Figure out the best ways to connect with and engage your audience in a way that fits their
needs. Learn what your audience is searching for, where they are coming from and where
they were going after visiting your website, blog, and/or content networks.
3 - Use Data To Determine Your Strategy
Study your analytics and use that data to decide how to proceed.
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4. 4 - Use All Available Resources
Think about the resources you already have.
Create a library on your blog or website to house your whitepapers, long form content,
webinars, graphics, videos, etc.
Reach out to peers, guest bloggers, and partners to help create content and increase
your volume.
Produce multiple pieces from your original content, such as:
- Blog posts
- Press releases
- Videos
- Infographics
- Tweets and posts linking back to the original content
5 - Repurpose Existing Content
Don’t just duplicate content, restyle it and/or expand it to add value.
6 - Leverage Your Assets
Create profiles of your sales people and product experts. Include photos, videos, blog
posts, etc.
7 - Be Creative
Even if you lack resources, you can differentiate yourself from your competition with
nontraditional and interactive content.
8 - Always Test and Evaluate
Even with an established content marketing strategy, you always need to evaluate your
existing tactics – and test new ones.
Need help developing your content marketing strategy?
Contact Lori 877-447-0134, x111.