May 30, 2013 Staff

Content Marketing Lessons

 

The Content Marketing Institute offers ten content marketing strategy lessons gleaned from the last 15 years.

"There is no silver bullet."
Every content marketing plan is different and unique, because the mixture of communicating what your business offers, delivering on your customers’ informational needs, and sharing your own corporate story is impossible to duplicate.

"You can play offense or defense."
You can "impose your will" as CMI did by repeatedly using the term "content marketing" or Hubspot did with the term "inbound marketing". Or, you can choose to ride the waves of others and pick your sweet spot.

"Content marketing is the great equalizer."
Large budgets don’t always win. The smaller players usually come out on top because they are equipped to move more agilely and quickly than their larger competition.

"You don’t have to be on all platforms."
Sometimes, it's a good idea to weave your story onto multiple platforms. However, you may decide to focus and work to dominate one platform. Don’t feel obligated to be active on every channel that your customer uses.

"Subscribers rule."
Once someone is a subscriber, they do different things than non-subscribers that lead to more revenue.

"The smaller the niche the better, but being distinct is a must."
Content marketing works best when you target a very specific group of people with a very specific story. Focus on telling a different story, rather than just telling the same one in an incrementally better way.

"Public speaking fans the flames."
Few tactics spread your message as effectively and powerfully as having a compelling speaker share inspirational stories about your brand.

"With a solid strategy, content can be as easy as shooting big fish in a small barrel."
If you develop even a simple strategy for your content marketing, and give some thought to how that strategy should integrate with the rest of your marketing plan, you can, and probably will, dominate.

"Coordination is critical."
Coordinate content activity with social media content creation. A little coordination on the front end will save you a ton of time and resources.

"Content marketing works with, not against, other initiatives."
Content marketing works best when it’s conceived as an integral part of your marketing initiatives, rather than having to function in isolation.


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Published by Staff May 30, 2013