Introduction To Content Marketing - Part II

Content depends on what the audience wants to know. However, the idea is to be an expert in the industry, therefore the content must be focused on value should always be the first intent or touchpoint of the content strategy. Once the customer is aware of the value we are proposing, then traffic is a matter of time.

In our first instalment, we talked about what content is and why it's important to market it.

Now let's get down to the details of how to market for different distribution channels.

Google

1) Keyword Research

First, you will want to ensure that you are creating content that is 1) in demand, 2) comparable to other existing content in the same vein, and 3) discoverable by searchers.

One easy way to do this is to use Google Keyword Research tools. Ahrefs has a keyword research tool that is very helpful, and is what we have in mind when writing this article.

In your research, you will want to search a general term that is broadly related to your topic. Continuing with the car example, let's say you search "car maintenance" and find that a lot of people search for "how to change my oil." Knowing this, you can decide that you want to create some content that contains the words "how to change oil" so that people will be able to find it. And you know people will search for this content because of your keyword research!

Long-tail Keyword Strategy to increase chances of conversions

Targeting long-tail keywords is a very popular strategy for organic search engine optimization (SEO). Marketers tailor their content creation efforts to optimize for long keyword phrases.

Long-tail keywords can be found with the help of Google Ads (search term report). As long-tail keywords are precise, they have high relevance and intent, which makes it a keyword that’s more likely to convert.

For users who are close to conversion, a long tail keyword strategy is the most useful strategy. They are known to help reduce CPA and CPC for Google ad campaigns, if you want to drive high ROI from your PPC ads, then you’ll target bottom-of-the-funnel keywords.

Targeting long tail keywords in Google Ads is a great way to optimize ad spend and attract more paid search traffic back to your business.

Long tail keywords in your content marketing strategy can help you increase conversions

By creating separate campaigns, it’s possible to measure the performance of long tail keyword targeting against broad match keywords. Monitor performance, then add and remove keywords as necessary. Building an optimized long-tail keyword targeting strategy can bring you long-term returns from relevant, targeted ads.

Put your content on the map, and people can find it easily!

2) Creating the Content

Next, you'll want to create the most helpful content you can so that people will enjoy your offering. The most helpful content is that which fulfills the search intent.

Search intent: The reason behind a searcher's query.

-Ahrefs

Search the top 10 or so results that contain your chosen keywords, and see what the qualities of that content is. Chances are that in order to rank even close to them, you'll need to pull a similar angle. Is the content tactical, practical, theoretical, beginner-level, intermediate, advanced, technical, conversational, serious, humorous, etc, etc, etc?

Remember that you are also trying to hone in on one or two methodologies of content creation to start off with. So, maybe a YouTube video of changing oil would be the most obvious way to proceed, if you are getting good at blogging right now, then you will need to create a perfect blog (and maybe some supporting content) instead.

This does not mean your blog post will be unsuccessful or unhelpful. It means you need to make sure you do a good job. In this case, "how to change your oil" would benefit from the use of concise, clear language, checklists, infographics, and offer some unique information in order to create something valuable.

And, don't forget that you also need to develop your own voice and style. Coming at something with a unique perspective, angle, tone, etc will help you to stand out.

3) Promotion

You've researched, developed, created, proofed, and published your content. Now what? You'll need to start sharing your creation with people, or else it will never gain meaningful traction.

The best way to do this is by hitting up the easiest audiences available to you first: your contacts. Share your content with friends, family, and colleagues. Then, share to your social media pages like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (be sure to follow and be followed by people who would be interested in what you have to say). If you already have a newsletter, you can send links to your content directly to people who have already expressed interest in your site.

Between all these networks, your content can be shared directly to people instead of having them search for it. Between both direct sharing and search queries, your content should be findable on Google.

YouTube

YouTube is a perfect opportunity to create more interactive content to draw people to your website. You can demo your products, talk about your offerings, and give people a more personal view of you to humanize yourself. Your content might be solely videos on YouTube, or you might encourage people to navigate to your site within your videos.

1) Organic Search Views aka Blending In

Again, we have Ahref's keyword research tool in mind here. You can use it (or another tool) to search for things people have searched for on YouTube specifically.

After you find a keyword or phrase that matches your content, you can search that exact thing in YouTube itself. Investigate the top 5 or so videos and see how these creators handled the concept. Again, pay attention to the tone and the angle. As always, you want to make sure that whatever you create meets the search intent.

2) Create Unique Content aka Standing Out

YouTube is a place people go to be both educated and entertained, often at the same time. This gives you the opportunity to create unique content that will get you recognized because it's your signature style.

"Unique" in this instance doesn't necessarily mean "never before seen"; you can join existing trends to get views. Make reels, react videos, memes, behind-the-scenes videos, and more. They are all things that people are already interested in, but you give them your own unique spin.

Alternatively, you can also ensure to fill a gap in your niche. Maybe you see that plenty of people are making videos about how to change your own oil, but nobody is talking about what to do if you're missing a tool for the process.

Use this strategic formula provided by Ahrefs to attract more views:

[main topic] + [main attractor]

You could make a video titled "How to Change Your Oil Without a Funnel" and provide a solution to this problem that people might run in to, but aren't finding any information on.

3) Create a Series

Expanding on some of the ideas mentioned above, you can even make a series that people come back to see again and again as you upload, garnering you multiple clicks from the same person and increasing your traffic.

"Mechanic Reacts...", "Behind the Scenes at the Shop....", tutorials, etc are some things you could do if you work with cars. You could also make educational series like "Basic Maintenance" covering tire care, engine care, interior and exterior care, and so on. If you put out well-made, interesting content, people will come back to see your new installments as you create more.

Tutorials are a great way to engage with your audience

Something to Know...

YouTube promotes videos without you lifting a finger... IF your views prove to be interesting to people who have already engaged in it. If your video has only 10 views, 2 likes, and 1 comment, but that outranks all the other videos that appear for a very niche search term, yours will be first.

The longer watch times you have for each viewer, the more interaction you gain, the more YouTube will promote you. Your video could pop up under more general terms, on the home page for a viewer, or might even be recommended in the sidebar.

SEO is Worth It!

This might all sound like too much work, but just remember that the time you spend now setting up your SEO will result in steady exposure over time, long after you have done the work. And, it will get easier and easier for you to master as you go.