Enter your text here We’ve previously discussed the fact that producing garbage content for your website will, at best, not help build traffic or an audience, but what is effective for those goals has changed over the last few years, so we need to talk about better content marketing in the present – in 2016.
First of all what’s changed? Well, everything. Social media morphs and evolves at light speed compared to changes in print or television media. While the audience your business is looking to target may still be using Facebook, chances are they aren’t using it in the same way they used to, and your competitors are also using it, so the landscape your audience is participating in is different as well. Have you changed your content or marketing to reflect that?
Also, the way Google has reacted to these changing landscape and use patterns makes what you do online critical as well. Over time Google has become much less tolerant of lazy marketing and black hat SEO tactics. Remember, Google’s goal is to force the internet to be more interesting and informative, and the way it does that is by rewarding what they feel is good and value adding content, and penalizing the bad. So if social media has changed, your business’s customer base has changed, and Google has changed, how does your company change to take advantage of it?
The first step is to reevaluate your customer base. Are you still directing your content and marketing towards the people who you want to buy your goods and services? Spend time determining exactly who your ideal customer is and what motivates him. Get to know his needs and wants and where he spends his time.
Once you know whose attention you’re trying to attract, figure out a strategy for attracting it. This will require you to familiarize yourself with the current online landscape and its use patterns. There is plenty of research out there on various demographics and how they occupy their time. What media is best used to catch your user’s attention? Once you determine which platform or platforms would be most useful, you will need to learn how to navigate them. It’s easy to make mistakes on social media that will be off putting to your intended audience.
Also, you will need to check to see that your website is up-to-date and compatible with general use patterns. For instance, if your website cannot be viewed by mobile users, not only will you lose access to your customers, but Google will actively penalize you.
When you feel comfortable with both your audience and the most appropriate social media to use to target it, that’s when you need to sit down and get organized. Plan your content ahead of time and how it will affect the goals your business has set for its current sales targets and projections. There is no point in paying someone to produce content that will be read if this will not convert into sales. If your efforts do not translate into actual sales, you need to reevaluate any and all of the above.
Does this sound overwhelming? That’s why SEO and marketing experts exist – to guide small business owners through the ins and outs of an environment that is changing at warp speed. If you are concerned with how your business will do with it’s content marketing or social media strategy in 2016, please contact us at Corporate Conversions. We would love to help you find and talk to your online customers better. That is our area of expertise...
