Creating and marketing content on your custom-developed website can seem overwhelming, even scary. I know. Clients have told me this. But creating content and the process of content marketing doesn’t have to be scary. Content marketing plans can be established with a few building blocks. Here are eight things you can do to ensure success in your content marketing.

1. Make an editorial calendar

Success takes planning. To be successful in your content marketing efforts, you need a plan. Start with a content calendar, with details on what content you’ll be publishing and offering. It’s recommended to have a month-long plan (or longer), but a week plan can suffice for those on a tight timeframe budget.   

2. Keep it consistent 

The key to content marketing success is consistency. Offer regular, focused content. (This is where your editorial calendar can be most effective in helping you.) Select days where your target audience – your customers – are most engaged. Trial and error is often the best indicator of this. Begin by publishing content at different times of the day and different days of the week. Find your audience's sweet spot and then publish regularly at that time, every week. Consistency keeps engaged consumers coming back.

3. Make the content useful 

You could write a 1,000-word piece of perfection, or create the best 30-minute video possible, but if your audience does not find it useful, they won’t come. Give your customers what they want or need. Provide informative, persuasive, or even entertaining content relevant to your customer base. If they find your content useful, they’ll most likely find your products useful, as well.  

4. Have one centralized location for all your content 

Manufacturers know that when you’re storing a product, you’ll need one centralized warehouse to place it in. The same goes for your content products. Choose one specific location (a blog, for instance) as your content’s warehouse. Ideally, you’ll want to bring your customers to your site. When publishing your content, be sure to provide a link to your content on your content warehouse.  

5. Announce content on multiple platforms 

Once your content has been created, you’ll want to announce its existence across multiple platforms. Utilize those resources where your target audience can be found. Have a business-to-business piece on forming an effective sales plan? Publish that baby on a site like LinkedIn, where professionals congregate. Blogs, social media, even authentic mentions on industry-related discussion boards are fair game.  

6. Recycle and reuse 

Once you’ve taken the time and effort to research and create authentic and original content, you may notice that you have some leftover information, photographs, video clips, etc. that you’ve not yet used. But this content can still be utilized. Try sneaking the best information in as periodic extra tweets. Use leftover visuals as bonuses on your Instagram account. And a couple of months later, when a specific piece of content has been out of the minds of users for a while, republish it.  

7. Always offer a call to action 

Each piece of content you create should be made with a specific goal in mind. Keeping your goal in mind, always – ALWAYS – offer a call to action. Trying to increase brand exposure? Offer a link to more information about your products. Want to build your essential list? Direct content consumers to an email signup page.  

8. Measure results

Success is measurable. To see if your content is working for your organization, choose a specific metric and monitor the content's effectiveness. Products like Google Analytics are often free and can be an indispensable asset to your content campaigns.   

With a little planning and thought, you can create a content marketing campaign that is sure to put your marketing efforts on the road to success.

Need help with creating content for your website? Email Michael at michael@ramsburgcodes.com or call (304) 370-3067.