Create a Content Strategy that Converts

What's your content strategy for next year? Do you have your narrative dialed in? Ready to roll out the new content calendar? How about this? Start by focusing on creating content that helps your readers or viewers with honest, truthful and transparent information. You'll turn them into fans and with "gotta have it" premium content, they may become new prospects for your business. Let's make a deal. Let's move away from the watered down, overly sterilized, company narrative and create information that people actually give a rip about. After all, you want a content strategy that converts, right?

"Let's move away from the watered down company narrative and create information that people actually give a rip about." 

In talking to a number of business leaders, it seems there are 5 perspectives when it comes to content marketing. Here's how I break down these marketers:

• Totally love content marketing, get it and push it with nothing to lose.
• Totally love content marketing, get it, but don't have the green light to cut loose.
• Gets content marketing in principal and dabbled in it without success.
• Tried content marketing and does not believe it works.
• Has no clue what content marketing is and doesn't care to learn.

In an effort to make good on our goal for next year, let's take a look at some things each persona can do to reach our objectives!

Love content marketing, nothing to lose

Keep pushing it, maintain transparency and don't hesitate to even write content that compares your products and services with others. Embrace vulnerability! Respond to your critics in your content and be open to learning from those who are quick to criticize you. In other words, give voice to those who you are privileged to call "customer." Once your new friends reach your website, give readers/viewers multiple opportunities to download more information that matters.

Love content marketing, don't have the green light

I feel for you. Keep swimming upstream and test new content that dances on the edge. Try polling your customers, prospects and website visitors and learn what they care about. Your blog stats should give you a good indication as to what works and what doesn't. Take calculated risks and make sure that you're creating information that makes a difference to the people you're trying to win over. Again, when people find you, give them an opportunity to download more information that matters.

Gets content marketing, believes in it but no success

Don't bail on it. Get organized - talk to peers and others that you respect who have had success in content marketing and learn how you can do it better. Here's my shameless plug - download our free guide on blogging. Whatever you do, don't bail unless you feel like you've really committed to trying. Too many people I talk to tell me they tried, but they didn't have the time, resources or support to make inbound content marketing work. It's not easy, especially in the beginning and unfortunately, traditional marketing methods are easy in comparison, yet not as effective when trying to convert website visitors to actual leads. If you don't have any helpful, downloadable content offer on your site, develop a premium content piece for visitors. Here are some clever tips to leverage content you may already have.

Tried content marketing and doesn't believe it works

You were probably the person in the section above that simply said, "yep, been there done that and nothing works like a good old-fashioned ad". No question traditional methods can be effective, even banner ads, social ads, etc. they all can work, however wouldn't you agree your marketing today should do more than just raise awareness? Especially since people are coming to your website to check you out, organically or through paid methods. Are you giving your visitors every opportunity to learn from you? Are you helping them with the best information you available? Or are you perhaps simply trying to sell to them? Give them a reason to like you and trust you by earning their trust with useful and helpful information.

Has no clue as to what content marketing is about

Well, I'm not sure how you found this blog and more impressed you made it this far into the post!

Is content marketing the answer to all your marketing challenges? Is it the silver bullet you've been searching for? Probably not. In fact, a mix of traditional and content marketing tactics can be highly effective when they're driving people to your website. Just remember, if you want your content strategy to convert visitors into new leads be helpful, be "real" and provide them an opportunity to download premium content that helps them and helps you.

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Which persona are you? Tweet us @StoryTellerMN and we'll chat!