Customers have gone online and have continuously moved away from traditional marketing methods. They own devices that skip television ads; they often ignore newspapers and magazine ads; and now, they have become so skillful at online ‘surfing’ that they can take in information without much care for banner ads or buttons.

Realizing this trend, business owners are beginning to understand that traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective by the minute and that there is a better way.

The buzz and ‘better way’ is, Content Marketing.

Content Marketing is a marketing technique that consists of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

The purpose of Content Marketing is to attract and retain customers by changing or influencing customer behavior. It is an ongoing process, not an event, that needs to be integrated into your overall marketing strategy.

Content Marketing is an art – the art of communicating without selling. In order to be successful content needs to be ongoing, consistent, frequent, and without interruption. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that informs and educates potential customers. The core of this content strategy is the principle that if businesses deliver constant and continuing valuable information to potential customers, they will ultimately reward them with their business and loyalty.

Studies reveal that Content Marketing works – it is effective in lead generation and conversion. Content Marketing is being used by some of the greatest marketing organizations in the world. It’s also being developed and executed by small businesses and one-person shops.

Content Marketing provides limitless possibilities for a business’ lead generation, conversion, and retention efforts. It is one of the most basic and most cost-efficient modern marketing tools. Developing and implementing a thorough strategy involves nearly every department, from marketing to design to social media to website management – gaining company-wide participation, contribution and engagement.

Here are some ways to effectively set up your Content Marketing goal to ensure success:

  • Develop and Share your Vision

Everything worthwhile starts with a vision – and your Content Marketing project will definitely need one too. You will first need to begin your project by envisioning how you want it to end. Imagine your ultimate goal and envision the success you want to achieve. A goal, while providing a clear perspective of what you need and want to achieve, will help drive toward the successful completion of your project.

  • Break down into Manageable Steps

With a picture of your end goal, you need to reduce its realization into small, manageable steps – not wanting to overwhelm yourself and your team. Establish a step-by-step guide that allows you to break down your goal into smaller ones and plan how you wish to achieve each.

  • Envision the Future

In setting your goals and envisioning the future of your Content Marketing project, you are positioning for success. When you envision the future of your project, envision what it would be. For instance, envision that for the next year you must accomplish two of your set goals.

  • List your Priorities

Organize the set of small goals you need to achieve into a prioritized list by their urgency – arranging them according to their time sensitivity. Start with the ones that need to be accomplished immediately. This list will lead you and your team in forecasting the tasks and timeline needed to accomplish them.

  • Track Progress

It is important to track how your project is developing so you can account for how much you’ve achieved. Make tracking a consistent part of your goal-setting to develop it as a tool and resource which allows you to both monitor and reward for your achievements.

  • Engage a Team

You may have staff that could write content. Interns are a resource for content development, but they often require quite a bit of management. Then, Content Marketing agencies, like Everbearing, can provide both support and guidance with little management. But most importantly, you need content from people you trust and believe in.

  • Stay on Task

Success not only requires making the plan, but sticking to it. Whatever your goals are they will be useless if you do not follow them. It can be easy to get off track and say that you will come back to your plan soon, but this mindset can very easily derail your efforts and goal. Stay focused on the end.

  • Be Adaptable

Content Marketing trends change. For your plans and goals to stay relevant, be flexible – but never lose sight of what you want to achieve. Content Marketing, like so many things, will not always be smooth sailing. Keep a vision of success in sight and use it to stay on the path to success.

My Closing Thoughts

The growing popularity and success of Content Marketing make it natural for one to engage in this rising trend. One may envision the same kind of success numerous others have already experienced with Content Marketing. Then again, it is never as easy as it seems. Business’ need to start goal setting so useful content can be at the core of their marketing efforts!

The Everbearing team is available to support your Content Marketing efforts.

Share below your Content Marketing challenges or successes!

photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/mufidahkassalias/10519774073/”>Mufidah Kassalias</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/”>cc</a>

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