Today, marketers need to produce a constant flow of new content. These blogs, tweets, posts, webinars, etc. add value in a number of important ways. Content improves search engine rankings, drives traffic to websites, and helps to nurture existing leads. But, it can’t be just any content. You can’t post articles about your cat’s favorite toys and expect them to drive the traffic your looking for. Content, as part of a strategic marketing plan, has to be relevant and remarkable. 

Developing the right kind of content might require a wide range of creative, editorial, technical and project management disciplines, such as:

• Copy Editing
• Design & Illustration
• Videography & Post Production
• Animation
• Digital and Print Management
• And, let’s not forget, Writing.

Maintain Your Target Audiences’ Attention with Relevant Content  

Your target audience must perceive the content you produce as relevant, and valuable. For example if your selling mobile app development, your content should probably about mobile apps, or at least something related to mobile apps. But beyond this you need to also know how your audience communicates. What terms do they use? Are they old fashioned or on the cutting edge? It’s essential to understand their behavioral and demographic information. Then, generate and target content based on buyer personas, decision-making authority, interests and needs.  

Once you are creating effective content you can drill down further and segment your content by the pieces that bring in traffic and the pieces that convert traffic. This segmentation will help you understand the buying cycle of your customers, as well as produce more content in the areas where you are lacking. This ensures that you’re creating content that works best for your prospects, and that everyone who comes to your site finds something relevant to their current stage in the process.
Some examples of good early stage content includes:

• Blogs
• "How To" Guides
• Webinars

Typically you want your early stage content to answer more general questions, and appeal to those people looking for information rather than an immediate purchase.
Once you’ve got them hooked you can develop the lead with more targeted mid to latter stage pieces.

• Case Studies
• White Papers
• Interviews

These pieces will answer the questions about why they should pick you instead of your competitors.

Almost every piece of content you create can be adapted, reused, modified and republished in another format. For example, this blog is also being cross posted to Facebook, Twitter and Linked in, and will probably make an appearance in an upcoming eBook on marketing strategies (keep any eye out for that one).

Of course, content alone can’t generate inbound marketing success all by itself. The pieces you create have to fit into an overall marketing strategy of SEO, social media engagement, lead nurturing, measurement, and optimization.

Learn more about how to improve your traffic, conversions and leads through content with our free ebook: The Inbound Marketing Adventure.