Why did businesses search the topic “content marketing plan” over 673,000 times in 2021?
Because the landscape has changed: the world has become a buyer’s market.
The internet has given buyers unprecedented power. They can find out everything they need to know about your product without even talking to you.
They can read reviews, compare prices, and get advice from total strangers.
So how do you stand out in this new world?
How do you make sure that your business is the one that customers seek when they’re “browsing” the Internet?
Content Marketing 101
In order to be successful in content marketing, it’s vital to first understand the basics. And that always starts with understanding people, their aspirations, and what triggers curiosity to find your content.
If you’re unfamiliar with content marketing, it is the process of creating and distributing valuable content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and establish yourself or your business as the go-to authority in your space.
In other words, it’s the roadmap to connect with your target market and be seen as the expert connoisseur, thereby creating the kind of relationship with them that offers certainty, answers, and guidance in a world with way too many options.
In this article, I discuss 5 important factors every business must master to build and implement the perfect content marketing plan.
But first, here are some stats you need to know.
Content Marketing Stats You Need to Know
As covered by the folks at SEMrush in their “State of Content Marketing, 2022 Global Report”:
- In 2020, the term “content marketing strategy” averaged 9,900 searches per month dropping to 6,600 per month in 2021.
- In 2020, the term “content marketing definition” went from 3,600 searches per month to 4,400 in 2021.
- And the term “content marketing examples” went from 5,400 in 2020 increasing to 6,600 in 2021.
The most searched-for query on Google concerning content marketing was a whopping 14,800 per month with this question: “What is content marketing?”
And #contentmarketing was one of the most used hashtags in 2021 — 3,981 times compared to the next most popular ones: #digitalmarketing 1,862 times and #seo 1,605 times.
5 Points to Growing Your Business with Content Marketing
Here are 5 ways to craft the perfect content marketing plan for amazing content customers and prospects will love.
#1: Humanize your content
Many will say point one is to understand your audience. Of course. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many businesses don’t take the time to get to know their target market. When you do, you humanize what you are saying which is vital, not as a company but as a person. Humanize or die.
#2 Avoid redundancy (“The Echo Chamber Effect”)
In a world where we are constantly bombarded with content, it’s easy to get stuck in an echo chamber. You know what I’m talking about: you see the same thing happening over and over again because it’s being talked about so much in your industry.
And in today’s world, redundancy equals low value. Low value equates to having to compete on price. And that equates to being easily replaceable by another.
It’s vital to break out of this echo chamber so you’re known for providing original ideas that offer consistent value.
#3 Provide insights that crush expectations (What is nobody else talking about?)
When you’re reading content, do you ever feel like you’ve seen it all before?
The best way to stand out is by providing insights that nobody else is talking about.
The best method I know is to connect dots others simply take for granted or don’t bother to connect.
#4 Make it actionable (So people win from what you share)
When you’ve stopped to read a post or article that interests you, do you ever feel like it’s a waste of time?
The best way to make sure you don’t do the same to others is by making your content actionable.
Include specific tips, tools, and resources people can use to implement what they’ve learned. This will make sure people feel like they’ve won from consuming your content.
Which will give people the confidence to consume your content the next time they see it in their feed.
#5 Be known as the disruptor (Be willing to upset sacred cows)
If you’re not shaking things up, you’re falling behind.
People get bored easily, and if they see the same old thing coming from you day in and day out, they’ll tune you out.
The attention spans are short and you need to deliver. And the fastest and best way to do this is to disrupt, challenge the Goliath, help the underdog, or the underserved.
To avoid this mistake, be willing to take risks with your content. Be controversial. Be edgy. Most of all, stand for something.
Now That You Know the Anatomy of the Perfect Content Marketing Plan, What’s Next?
It’s a matter of execution and discipline.
You need to sit down and produce high-quality content on a regular basis.
When you do that, you’ll be well on your way to content marketing success.
But if you’re still not sure where to start, don’t worry.
We can help you develop a content marketing strategy that will exceed expectations and be scalable because the proper foundational pieces of your brand will be in place and not mask truly standing for something.