What is Content Marketing?

Well, my definition is: “Content marketing is the creation, publication and distribution of relevant and engaging content in a structured and strategic manner, as a way of attracting and engaging with your target audience”.

That is a bit of a mouthful, but unless every aspect of your content strategy is used, then the chances of your efforts actually gaining customers, will be very low.

Your content must be part of a structure that every business should create, as a channel for attracting customers towards them.

In this world of ‘push marketing’, we must learn the techniques for bringing the customer towards us, allowing them to discover our expertise, as opposed to just  ‘pushing’ our message at them…

How can articles help you generate business?

Even a well-written article may not be enough to actually ‘generate’ business on its’own.
When you write an article or create any sort of ‘content’, it needs to sit as part of the ‘route’ that you create for your prospective customers to follow.

This route must be designed to actually lead your web visitors, or readers, right to your front door.

I sometimes refer to this route as the ‘customer corridor’ and your articles will only work for you when they form part of this route.

Very simply, you need to create a number of simple steps for your prospects to take to reach you…

I’m already paying for SEO, why bother with Content Marketing?

That’s a good question; Both SEO and Content Marketing are important

Nowadays the two functions are integral. But they both need to be done correctly.

Content Marketing is now so critical to you attracting new customers or visitors to your website, that you really need to speak to content marketing experts to get it done well.

Even better, if you can deal directly with a publisher or ‘content curator’ like M3 Media Publishing, there are further advantages in them being able to position your content in more relevant and influential places on the internet.

Have you a story from ‘within’ your business?

Fantastic meeting with David @Video_Marketing @VersatileLiftCo book this man for your marketing

— Paul Green (@pgreen17) November 13, 2014

I would like to say thanks to Paul Green at The Versatile Lift Company  for the prompt and very flattering tweet that he sent me after our ‘marketing discussion’ meeting yesterday.

He listened to my ideas and explanations of how to attract customers, and I hope, recognised my passion for great content and communication.

We certainly had a good laugh during our chat, which I believe is the essence of good business – that you enjoy working with people should be enthusiastic about helping them.

Too many people seem to  have no passion for the work they do and it makes it much harder for anyone to engage with them…

Why you should treat Linkedin as your Garden

Linkedin Groups are a great way to discover people working in specific sectors or maybe who have an interest in a particular subject.

They are also a great place to attract a targeted audience of prospects for your business.

The members of these different and sometimes specifically-targeted groups, have usually joined them, both to share knowledge and learn from others working in the same sector.

Some of them may also have joined a group because of their allegiance to a regional networking group or perhaps a local business organisation.

Whichever the case, it is the place where THEY have chosen to ‘hang out’.

So why not consider Linkedin like your personal garden?

Linkedin is somewhere that you can find your ideal prospects and then carefully feed and nurture them until they are ready to be harvested. A great place to illustrate to these prospective customers, how you would care for them over the long term if they were to become your customers…

Content Marketing – What is the Winning Formula?

The idea for the title of this post came from a connection of mine Brian Gregory, from Safety Management Ltd as part of an online discussion we were having about content marketing on Linkedin.

It made me think about the phrase he used in his comment on my article, which was entitled ‘What makes good content?’. The phrase he used was ‘Winning Formula’.

To be successful with ‘content marketing’, or ‘Valued Communication’ which I would prefer to describe it, we have to ensure that we do follow a set formula or strategy…