Posts tagged Content Marketing Strategy

When developing a content marketing strategy for your business, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to shy away from publishing so-called trade or company secrets. Although you may assume your company’s proprietary information should remain private, divulging “secret” information is in fact one key way you can effectively boost your content marketing ROI.

This is because content marketing works to serve a specific purpose – building trust between your company and target audience. When you provide a reader with unique and actionable information, that reader has little choice but to believe you are an exceptional industry expert.

You can effectively reach beyond the realm of best-deal shoppers, and enter the coveted land of customer trust and loyalty.

Walking The Line

Of course, there is a fine line to walk between sharing uniquely valuable information and giving away your edge. For example, the Bush Beans company probably shouldn’t give away that secret family recipe their TV commercials are always talking about. But when people are online, they’re looking for information, and a good content marketing strategy needs to focus on supplying that information.

Giving away secrets is the secret ingredient in the recipe for positive content marketing ROI. Bush may be protecting the secret family baked bean recipe, but the company still gives consumers what they want. The Bush Beans website offers a variety of helpful information, ranging from “Kid-Approved Recipes” to nutritional information about beans. The company has developed a solid foundation for a positive content marketing ROI. Your business can do it too.

How to Boost Content Marketing ROI with Secrets

Creating truly effective content for online marketing is no easy task. It takes time, and as the old adage goes, time is money. Consequently, in order to achieve a positive content marketing ROI, your business must invest in quality content and avoid wasting time on fluff.

Churning out words and posting them online isn’t enough to convert readers into customers. The words must be exceptionally valuable.

1. The first step when developing a content marketing strategy that shares valuable secrets is to set aside fear. Don’t be afraid your competitors will steal your mojo. They have their own secrets, and they likely have many of the same secrets that you do.

Also, don’t be afraid your customers will become do-it-yourself practitioners if you give them instructions. If they want to do something themselves, they will – with or without you. If they don’t, your transparency and expertise can help you build enough trust so that they choose your institution to do it for them.

2. The next step is to determine what your target market needs to know about your industry and/or your product/service. More importantly, find out what they need to know that hasn’t already been beaten like a dead horse by other content marketers.

Basically, you need to have the guts to answer the questions that your competitors haven’t already answered. Give away advice. Show your target market that you get it, that you care, and that you’re here to make even the most complex practices seem simple.

3. The third step is to put it all out there. Choose to answer a unique question about your industry and give it all you got. Go in-depth. Take your time. Get into the nitty gritty. A detailed how-to guide or a well-researched white paper will present more value to your potential customers than a fluffy blog post could any day. (Does this qualify as fluffy?)

Content Marketing ROI Boost for Your Industry

If you are ready to provide real value to your target market and build a solid foundation for positive content marketing ROI, consider making sure to publish these three key pieces of online marketing content:

1. Industry FAQ – Gather a list of basic questions that newcomers ask, and answer them in a FAQ page on your website or blog.
2. Education – Give your target market educational information on their essential concerns regarding your industry and your product/service.
3. Benefits of Your Service or Product – Publish a piece of content that not only explains the generic benefits a using your product or service, but also the benefits of getting them from YOUR business.

Achieving a positive content marketing ROI can be quite a challenge, but success comes more easily when you focus on creating valuable content, instead of merely lots of content. Give up secrets. Get transparent. Get real with customers, and persuade them to get real with you.

If you need help creating content for your business, Hat Trick Associates is ready for you. We specialize in content marketing, and we are prepared to show you how your own trade secrets can be utilized to boost your content marketing ROI. Contact us today by calling (314) 494-3494 or by emailing Jim Haynes at jhaynes@hattrickassociates.com.