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A content marketing campaign is a vital part of your overall marketing strategy. When you create relevant information to inform, educate and solve problems for your audience, you start to build brand trust. However, it's not enough to simply create content, place it on your website and hope the right people find it.
The information may be valuable, but unless you’re applying inbound marketing strategies to attract your target audience, they may not come as easily. SEO is important, but you shouldn't rely soley on that to bring your campaign to life.
The key is to be proactive and roll out a plan to distribute your content on an array of different platforms. As you get to work, consider how you'd answer these questions:
What are You Doing to Make the Most of Existing Content?
A single piece of content can be shared in a number of ways. Posting it on social media is a no-brainer, but there is more you can do to stretch your content's value and get it in front of more customers and influencers. Here are three tactics to try.
1. Publish on Third-Party Websites
After publishing original content on your company's own website look for guest-blogger opportunities. Some online publications will publish your existing content as is or with slight revisions and link back to your site as the original source. This kind of exposure not only adds credibility to your brand, it offers a new way for your content to be found and gives you something new to promote.
2. Share Content with Your Sales Team
Your sales team can be a great vehicle for getting your marketing materials directly into the hands of potential customers. Did you create a marketing ebook filled with valuable tips and advice? Let your sales team use it as collateral when they have meetings with prospects.
3. Include Your Content in Email Campaigns
Email marketing campaigns can be an effective way to distribute materials filled with helpful content the recipients will appreciate. Be thoughtful about what you send and be careful not to appear too promotional. Segment your contact lists so you're sending information that is targeted for each contact group.
Related: How Good Business Leaders Inspire Great Ideas
Where Does Your Audience Spend Most of its Time?
Knowing where your customers typically get their news and how they interact with their peers, can help determine where your content and marketing dollars are best used. It doesn't make sense to invest in a Facebook social ad campaign if your prospects spend more of their time on LinkedIn.
How Do You Measure Success?
Get the most out of your distribution strategy by measuring how well your content is performing on various channels. It may seem daunting, but understanding the data is crucial. Focus on metrics that relate to the goals of the campaign. What is the open rate for your emails? Where are you receiving the most ebook downloads? The more you're able to pinpoint what's working and what's not, the easier it will be to reach your audience and stay top of mind.
Remember, creating great content is only the first step. The thing that really matters is what you do next.