What is Content Marketing? Every blogger, marketer, and businessperson should be asking that question. It’s an umbrella term that focuses on providing the right content (informational, inspirational, or entertainment) to the customer, depending on their stage in the customer journey or buying cycle. If you consider the radio a channel, you’ll see they’re trying to push content to a captive audience. Content marketing, on the contrary, pulls people in since the audience is already looking for information. Content marketing is not only about creation but also about distribution.
This way, you ensure your content doesn’t sit idle, waiting to be seen.
Types of content
As you read this blog post, you may have the concept that content is a synonym for the written word. This is partially true since you can add images and videos to the list. Each delivery method can be divided further. A popular content type is the blog post; you have long-form content. You can add case studies, also whitepapers. An eBook is another type of content. Graphics can be pictures and infographics. You can have checklists, templates, and of course, video content. Content can be considered a digital asset.
This means it’s a valuable part of your online strategy.
What is an algorithm?
Content doesn’t live in a vacuum; it’s usually sorted and ranked. This can happen inside your blog or be measured in some way through third-party applications. An example of an algorithm is the Search Engine Result Pages SERPs on search engines. This results from a statistical, computational, or mathematical method that considers several variables and provides a quantifiable result, including the mix of all variables. You can find algorithms as a practical computer programming concept on many large and small websites. An algorithm can become a competitive advantage.
What is a content audit?
Are you reaching your blogging or digital marketing goals? If your answer implies your results can be improved, then you are a candidate to perform a content audit. It’s an analysis and evaluation of your existing content. This means that you should be publishing content that represents your brand and follows your objectives. This is a strategic concern since, most of the time, execution focuses on the delivery of assets. Execution is a positive side of a project and should be directed towards a worthwhile result. This is where a content audit proves its value.
What is the role of an editor?
The Internet created many new job positions. Some of these positions resemble their offline counterparts. For example, an editor traditionally works in a magazine, newspaper, or publishing industry context. Using a more modern point of view, an editor today determines the content of a publication. A blog can be a one-person job, or it can become a multi-person venture. This means that the workflow becomes more specialized, and individuals holding the editor position add immense value to fulfill the website’s goals. Editors decide what will be published in a particular section, edition, or publication.
What is information architecture?
There are several concepts related to content marketing, and one of them is information architecture, also known as IA. Its main goal is to structure, organize, and label content effectively and sustainably. You could ask yourself: does this add another level of complexity? The answer is no, since helping users to complete their tasks and find the information they’re looking for is considered a top priority. In addition, it clarifies a project since it delineates the project scope for developers. This helps create accurate estimates for product owners, clients, and project managers.
What is a Persona?
Now that you know what content is and what types of content you can create, should you begin creating it? The answer is that there is a process to follow, and elements such as personas help you to make the most out of your efforts. A persona is a representation, in the form of a character, of a user, or a group of users. The goal is to speak to personas like a single user. It’s a hypothetical character made up of a set of traits.
By clearing what type of customers you aim to woo, creating content tailored to them will be easier.
What is usability?
Another related concept to content marketing is usability. You can create the best possible content possible, and you may wonder, is my job done? You may want to check if your content is available for your designated audience. In this case, usability measures how easy a website is to navigate. Search engines rank a site with excellent usability higher than another that doesn’t consider it. It’s a technical way to acknowledge that you’re placing your customer in the driver’s seat.
Although most popular platforms and templates include usability as part of their core offer, it’s always a good idea to analyze how it can be improved.
Different content fulfills different objectives.
It’s critical to understand that different types of content serve other goals. Matching content to objectives is crucial to making the most of content marketing. For example, if you’re creating awareness, you’ll find quizzes, informational blog posts, branded videos, games, widgets, and general viral content that fit the bill. On the other hand, if you’re encouraging inspiration, you may find that reviews, celebrity endorsements, and community forums are the correct answer. As you can see, you should analyze the experience of your customer and create content that fits their position in the purchasing process.
You can learn from publishers.
Marketers wear many hats. In this case, I’m asking you to learn from publishers. Of course, you don’t have to do a publisher’s work, but you can know how they plan their resources. If you’re running a blog for your business, content creation takes input from sales, marketing, corporate communications, human resources, and website management. These departments should understand the content marketing agenda. You can plan your content to ensure you run a process without friction if you’re running a one-person operation. The befits are more available time and achieving a professional posture.
