There is no silver bullet in content marketing. Just as there is no universally best approach to fat loss, you would be hard-pressed to find one content marketing strategy that works for every business.
However, that doesn’t mean your efforts are futile. Far from it. For 85% of businesses that use it, content marketing performs from moderately to exceedingly well. Part of that success comes from understanding and following the industry’s best practices.
Now, before we dive into best practices for 2023, let’s quickly run through foundational content marketing principles you need to follow regardless of the year on your calendar.
The Core Principles of Content Marketing
Even if you follow best practices discussed later in the article, your content marketing strategies are bound to crumble without good foundations.
Understand Your Target Audience
Behind every successful marketing campaign there is a marketer that carefully analyzed their target audience. The exceptions are mostly blind luck and not something you should bet on.
Having an intimate knowledge of you target audience helps you:
- focus on the right content distribution channels
- adjust style and tone of voice to create greater emotional connection
- create content that helps solve actual problems your target audience has
- zero in on customers pain points and increase conversions rates
Furthermore, you need to keep in mind that your target audience aren’t just the people that are using your product or services. The pool is often much wider, forcing you to also target people who your customers take advice from (influencers), as well as the people they need to get approval from (decision makers).
Set Realistic Goals and Plan of Action
The same research mentioned in the intro states that 73% of B2B marketers have a marketing strategy, with 40% having the strategy written down.
I would argue that this research actually shows how only 40% of marketers have a marketing strategy. Because if it is not written down, there is little accountability, and it is generally too complex to just sit in one person’s head.
Defining realistic marketing goals and metrics is challenging. When you are doing it for the first time, you are going to miss with your estimates. Probably by a lot.
My advice is to get down and dirty.
First, watch who you are comparing yourself with. Your marketing budget is likely to be much smaller than top dogs in your niche. Instead of picking a fight with them right off the bat, aim to surpass companies that are just one or two levels above your weight category.
Secondly, be sure to outline the steps you need to take to reach your goals. Increasing organic traffic by 50% in 12 months is a fine goal. However, don’t stop there. Break it down. Define how many content pieces you need to publish and how many backlinks do you need to build to get there.
Do that for all of your goals and you will already be a step ahead of most content marketers.
Master the Basics
I like to think of content marketing as using content to build trust and awareness and generate traffic, leads, and customers. Usually in that order.
When you look at it that way, they only way to be successful at it is to understand the basics of:
- Content planning (target audience research, keyword research)
- Content production (selecting the right content type, consistently producing well-structured content with actionable advice)
- Content optimization (on-page seo)
- Content promotion and distribution (off-page SEO, PPC, influencer outreach, social media marketing)
This is a tall task for any business that isn’t big enough to set up an in-house marketing team. However, even if you outsource it, it pays to understand the basics to ensure that the agency you are working with is spending your money wisely.
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Content Marketing Best Practices in 2023
With firmly established foundations, it’s time to explore what are the best content marketing practices you need to start implementing in your business in 2023.
1. Create Keyword-Based Content Strategies
In personal experience, one of the most common mistakes businesses make is not having a clear, keyword-based content strategy. They think that just creating quality content is enough. Unfortunately, this is not the case of “if you build it, they will come”.
If you want to grow by converting organic traffic into leads and customers, you need to have a content strategy based on in-depth keyword research.
We have a few clients in industrial B2B niches and even there we are seeing competition seriously ramping up. Just throwing content at the wall and hoping something sticks rarely worked so far, and is definitely not the way to go in 2023.
2. Find Ways to Provide Additional Value with Your Content
More and more brands are understanding the value of quality content. If you want to compete for the top spots in SERPs for challenging keywords, look for new ways to provide additional value by making your content more convenient to consume and easier to apply.
That can mean a lot of different things in practice:
- Making sure that long form pieces are logically structured and come with an easy to use content table.
- That broad and general advice gives place to actionable tips and relevant real-life examples.
- Supporting complex concepts with custom animations or (info)graphics that include steps, diagrams, and other visual representations that increase the understanding of the topic.
- Reaching out to experts in the field and sharing their thoughts on specific issues.
- Adding polls, quizzes, and calculators to make content more interactive.
This is not a definite list, but it should be enough to get your creative juices flowing.
3. Be Consistent
Doing quality content marketing is a lot like trying to achieve a fitness goal. The key ingredient is consistency.
You should:
- produce and publish content consistently
- have a minimum level of quality every content piece should satisfy before it goes live
- try to keep a consistent style and tone of voice across all channels
- have a set of visual brand guidelines to create a recognizable visual style
If you are just starting out, don’t be afraid to test things out. It might take a while until you find your brand voice. When you do that, create your brand style guide – and stick to it!
4. Build What You Can, Outsource What You Can’t
Scaling up content production without any drop in quality is hard. If you do not have a dedicated marketing department, I would recommend turning to a content marketing agency for help.
Now, that doesn’t mean you should abdicate all of your responsibility to an agency. Nor does it mean that you should give them all of the reins.
For example, we work with a few businesses that have excellent content writers with in-depth knowledge of the subject area. In this case, we take the role of an editor – prepare content briefs, review outlines, add custom graphics, and make sure the content follows best on-page SEO practices.
In other words, those businesses use us to plug holes in terms of their marketing skills and knowledge.
Another reason to stay involved to some degree is to make sure the content follows your brand tone and voice and really connects with your brand, as well as to coordinate lead generation and other promotional activities you might be doing in parallel.
5) Leverage Your Analytics
As more and more businesses compete for customer’s attention, only those with a strategic approach to content marketing are going to see a fat ROI.
Recently, we talked with a semi-known brand in the interior design niche. They have over 500k monthly organic traffic but fairly low conversion rates as most of that traffic is generated by awareness phase-level content.
They wanted to spend most of their budget on building links to pages that are already performing well. While that would probably work ok, the more cost-effective idea was to split that budget in 3 parts.
The first part would be used to continue boosting pages that are already generating some leads. The second part would be used to increase overall conversion rates on the site.
Most interestingly, the third part of the budget would be used to boost pages that have the best conversion rates in terms of percentages, but currently generate a very small amount of leads because they are ranking poorly and do not get a lot of traffic – in other words, potential gems.
Source: Scoop.it
The key takeaway from this story is that creating such a concrete and cost-effective strategy was only possible because the client meticulously tracked the performance (traffic,conversion to lead, conversion to paying customer…) of all of his pages.
6) Be Transparent and Authentic
9 out of 10 consumers say that authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support.
In an age where every brand message is designed to sell something and where every social media post is meticulously planned, people are sick of that uncomfortable feeling of being manipulated and told what to think. They crave transparency and authenticity.
It is one of the reasons behind the huge success of Joe Rogan’s podcasts.
So, if there are causes you want to support and talk about, find those you really care about. Be honest about your product and service, and what you can offer.
Last but not least, when the context allows it, try to have some fun with the content you’re creating. Do your part to make the Internet a better place.
Trust the Process
It is not easy to measure the success of your overall content marketing efforts, especially as VPNs, GDPR, and other tools and laws reduce your tracking capabilities.
On top of that, content marketing campaigns with a modest budget can take 6+ months of consistent work to show provable results.
Putting in earnest work for a few months and not seeing results can quickly become discouraging. You might even be tempted to pivot and make significant changes. Think twice before doing that.
If you are following industry best practices and have polished internal processes that can catch and eliminate quality issues, it is time to exercise patience and put some trust in the process.
The post Best Practices for Content Marketing in 2023 appeared first on DigitalMarketer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What motivates entrepreneurs?
Passion drives us. However, our passion drives us to do meaningful work that makes a positive difference. To make a lasting difference for our loved one and ourselves.
To give back. To give back. To leave behind a legacy.
We love it. Because we feel compelled by God to live our lives fully and succeed in things that matter.
We are driven by a sense of purpose and mission that can never be fulfilled through money alone.
Find a way for business to be enjoyable. This is where entrepreneurship becomes more than just a job; it is a lifestyle.
Because of this, I am passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed. My goal is to empower them to achieve their financial freedom and leave a lasting impact on the world.
It's the only way to create value. I am living proof of this. It's sharing your knowledge with the rest.
It's more than enough to make a product or service great. You must first understand what drives your customers, and what they need. What they are looking.
It will make you a better marketer and help you improve your product. This will ensure that you always offer more value.
Customers will be more satisfied if you offer more value. You will also sell more products and more services if you have more customers. And if you sell more products and services, you will generate more revenue. You will eventually be financially independent if you have more revenue.
Money is not everything. It is the means to an ending. It is not the end in and of itself.
You cannot only focus on your money if you want to have a happy life. It is important to make a positive difference. Contributing. Leaving a legacy. Creating something valuable. You create something unique. You can add meaning to others' lives and your own.
Entrepreneurship requires risk-taking. But it doesn't mean having any rules. Flexibility is what it means. Adapting. Adjusting. Improving.
As long as you stay true to yourself, keep your values intact and maintain integrity, you won't fail.
Entrepreneurship is a calling. A vocation. A chance to make a difference. To create wealth. To shape history.
All of these are key to being the best version possible of yourself.
You will be unstoppable.
What keeps you motivated as an entrepreneur
The freedom to achieve my goals is what motivates me the most. We live in a world that limits how much we can earn, save money, invest and buy, as well as our ability to borrow, rent, drive or fly. However, these limits do not apply for us. We have the freedom to follow our dreams and make them a reality.
We must not allow these limitations to dictate our lives. We lose sight of the fact we are in control of our destiny if we do. We are the captains and crew of our ships. We are the architects of our lives.
I am driven by the desire for wealth that is beyond my wildest dreams. To create businesses that have a greater impact than life itself. To build businesses that will change the way people live for ever.
To create stronger businesses than any governments, more influential as any religion, and longer lasting than time.
That's why you're here. I am determined to help entrepreneurs grow businesses faster than anyone else. Because everyone wins when you succeed.
What are the 6 most important questions that motivate an entrepreneur?
Motivation is the foundation of any business. You won't get out of bed each morning if you don't have motivation. You won't be able to complete projects if you don't have motivation. You can't reach your goals without motivation. How do we find motivation?
You may wonder, "What motivates my mind?" You might be surprised at the answer. You may have been asking yourself the same question for years. If you haven't asked yourself this question, you're missing out on one of life's greatest rewards--the opportunity to discover your motivation.
There's nothing more motivating than discovering why you exist. It's then that you will finally understand what drives and motivates you. You are more clear about your purpose and it becomes more meaningful. Why are you caring? When you figure that out, you'll find it much easier to stay motivated.
The key to finding your motivation is to look within. Ask yourself these questions:
- What are my passions?
- What makes your heart beat faster?
- What lightens me up in my soul?
- What gives me butterflies in the stomach?
- What makes me feel alive?
- What is it that makes you want to return to your project over and over again?
Once you know the answers to your questions, you will be able identify your true motivations.
Your motivation will help you get through those tough times. It will give strength when you need. It will help you work harder. It will inspire you to be successful.
You'll never stop wondering what your motivation is if you are like me.
You might be surprised at what you find. You may be surprised at the results.
How to motivate yourself as an entrepreneurial leader?
Finding someone who is motivated to do the same thing as you is the best way to motivate yourself. Ask someone who's working hard to reach his goals for how he achieved them.
Listen, ask for advice and, most importantly, follow through. If you find someone who is successful, emulate them.
Be the person you want to be. Take their advice. Learn from them. Follow their example.
Keep pushing forward. Keep moving. Never stop learning. Never give up.
Don't let anyone tell your that you aren’t capable. Never let anyone tell or suggest that there's no path.
You might fail but that doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Failure can be an opportunity to learn and grow. To find out more. To push harder.
Failure is just one step on the path to success.
Let's get started! Do something today that will help you get closer to your dream.
Why wait?
How can entrepreneurs motivate their employees.
Motivation can come from anywhere. Motivation doesn't have to come from a specific place. All that matters is that it motivates them. Motivation is key for any business, whether it's a carrot or stick approach.
Employees who feel motivated are more likely to do well. To make your team more productive, empower and engage them.
You need to create an environment where they feel valued. It should be a place they can learn and grow. It is a place where they can express their ideas without fear of being punished.
They need a company culture that encourages them to succeed. That's how you keep your best talent happy, loyal and productive.
You need to recognize the behaviors that make you successful in order to maintain a culture. This includes giving bonuses to those who achieve goals, providing training opportunities, increasing your pay rises, and offering perks such as insurance.
Clear communication and direction are also essential. Make sure everyone understands what is expected and why.
You must ensure that policies and procedures are clearly written and communicated. You should ensure that they are observed by someone.
Communication is essential. Keep your team up to date about what's happening within the company. Let your team know about what's happening.
Communication is vital. Looking after your team is the best way for you to stay ahead of the game. They will take great care of you.
It could cost you big time if you don't have a good relationship with your employees. Studies have shown that high employee engagement results in higher productivity and profitability for companies than those that struggle to retain top performers.
It is important to realize that not all employees want to work at the same speed. Some prefer working independently, while others like to collaborate. There are many ways to motivate individuals, and you can choose your own.
One example is that some people respond better to recognition, while others may prefer incentives. You can do what works for you but make sure it is in line with the company's goals.
As the leader, you are responsible for setting the tone. Keep your mind open. Listen to your teammates. And remember, if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself.
What makes an entrepreneur succeed?
There are two types of entrepreneurs; those who make money and those who make time.
They approach their business differently. That is what makes them different. Those who make money focus on making more money while those who make time focus on making more time.
Those who make money are driven by the desire for financial freedom. Their goal, and their only goal, is to get rich and stay wealthy.
They are motivated by fear and greed. They care little about the long term because they know that they will be set for life once they reach their goals.
This type of person is commonly referred to by the term "hustler". They place emphasis on the bottom line, and they find ways to increase income without regard for quality.
Some people make their own time. These entrepreneurs are motivated by passion. They desire to create something meaningful and lasting.
Their motivation is altruistic. They are driven to achieve great things. They are passionate about creating services and products that make a difference.
These people are often called dreamers. They are driven to achieve their goals through vision and inspiration. They understand that success takes hard work, perseverance, and dedication.
However, the most important quality of these entrepreneurs? They are creative. These entrepreneurs are always searching for new opportunities.
They thrive in the unknown. They are open to spending hours researching new topics. Because they love learning new things, they are always open to trying new ideas.
It's also why they can easily adapt to change. They're not afraid of getting dirty and will do anything necessary to win. The only thing they won't tolerate is mediocrity.
What type of entrepreneur would you be? Are you driven by making money or seeking meaning?
Congratulations if you answered both questions. You are an entrepreneur who is successful.
I've had the pleasure of meeting many successful entrepreneurs over my career and one thing struck me was their passion.
Entrepreneurs are not defined solely by their monetary wealth. They are defined by the impact they make.
Steve Jobs was a great example of philanthropic work, even though he wasn’t wealthy. He did not own a home until his 40s.
His wealth came from his ability to create products that changed the world. And this is what makes him unique.
It's not your job to build wealth. It's not to amass power or build empires.
Your job is to establish relationships with customers, partners, and other people. To build trust. To assist others in achieving their goals.
To have a positive effect. Your legacy. This is your legacy, not your bank accounts.
We'd love to talk with you if we can help you build a lasting legacy.
Social Media University will teach you how to generate passive income online. We'll teach you how to market your business, so it grows automatically.
Statistics
- According to analysts, Johnson has high appeal in all four quadrants tracked at the multiplex: male, female, over-25 and under-25. (forbes.com)
- “Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know. (americanexpress.com)
- Our 10 years of research also shows that 75% of mentored entrepreneurs increased their revenue, and 82% of their businesses survived the first two years. (carolroth.com)
- Invest at least 30% managing those with authority over you and 15% managing your peers.” (americanexpress.com)
- I shifted my motivational point from something huge (and undefined) to improve by just 1% each day. (carolroth.com)
External Links
entrepreneur.com
twitter.com
oberlo.com
due.com
How To
What are five motivating factors for entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurs are driven by financial independence. This is because they want to have control over their destiny. They also want to have enough money to provide for their families.
They are motivated by the desire and need to help others. Many people who run successful businesses don't do it to make a lot of money, but rather for charitable reasons.
In addition to these factors, there are other motivations, such as
- Passion is essential to success. You must love what it takes to be passionate. Why would anyone else do what they are doing if you don't love it?
- Vision - A vision can be described as a visual representation of the place you want to go. Dreams are a way to imagine what it would be like to live there. Dreaming can make us feel fulfilled because we know that our dreams are possible.
- Courage - Don't fear failure, face it head-on. Failure is inevitable, but failure doesn't have to define you. You can achieve success by pushing yourself forward, even though it's not always possible.
- Belief – Believe in yourself. Don't let doubt stop you from achieving your goals. Fear is often the cause of doubt. Fear keeps us stuck in our comfort zone. Move out of your comfort zones and work towards your goals.
- Persistence – Keep going, even when things seem impossible. Everyone fails sometimes. However, if perseverance is your key to success, you will achieve your goals.
