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4 Research-Proven Tricks To Improve Your Content Marketing

When you run a business, your content marketing strategy is […]

Content Marketing

When you run a business, your content marketing strategy is a crucial part of its success. It informs people about your products and services, positions you as a leader in your industry, and spreads the word about your brand organically. It’s crucial to create high-quality content tailored to your target audience so your business reaches its marketing objectives.

Content marketing is so important that 91 percent of B2B marketers use the strategy to reach customers. Offering value for free is the best way to build an audience for your brand and further its reach.

Let’s look at four research-backed tips you can use to improve your content marketing.

1. Focus on content promotion

You could have the best content on the market, but if you aren’t putting enough focus on its promotion, few people will see it. Too many marketers zero in on the creation process of content marketing and neglect promotion. It’s not enough to make one announcement about new content; if anything, most of your efforts should go into a promotional strategy.

Creating a promotional strategy for your content is essential. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 50 percent of marketers say that content distribution increases their overall content marketing success. This includes better targeting and identifying what works best for your brand. 

Content promotion drives organic traffic back to your website, which Google highly favors. When users visit and engage with your content on their own, it tells search engines you produce high-quality, valuable content. It can boost your search ranking so more people see your content and you build a more substantial following.

There are several ways you can promote your content, including social media, email, and word of mouth marketing. Use marketing automation to organize and regularly publish posts or send emails about your latest content to build brand awareness. This saves you time, money, and resources you could spend in more efficient ways. According to SalesForce, 63 percent of marketers currently use marketing automation, making it a highly valuable tool for businesses.

2. Optimize for SEO

Creating relevant, high-quality content doesn’t mean much if your target market can’t find it. When someone searches specific keywords on Google, you want your content to be the first result, or at least show up on the first page. This is especially crucial since 95 percent of web traffic sees only the first page of results.

To optimize your content for better search results, implement relevant, long-tail keywords by conducting keyword research. Pay attention to phrases that have a high search volume and low competition. When people perform a search, they’re looking for something specific. If your keyword is too general, you won’t gain much traction and won’t be able to grow a loyal following.

Make sure to optimize the following elements for search:

  • Title tag
  • Short URL
  • Meta description
  • Header tags
  • Image alt
  • Internal and outbound links

If there are images, optimize them by compressing their file size. This will increase your overall site speed so your webpages don’t lag. According to Google, 53 percent of users leave a website that takes more than three seconds to load and contributes to a higher bounce rate. People expect quick, efficient browsing, and if your website doesn’t provide a positive UX, likely, they won’t revisit.

3. Add visual content

It’s essential to spruce up your content to break the monotony and keep your audience’s attention. Since 65 percent of people are visual learners, adding visual content to your strategy is crucial. Few people want to consume text-only content, which is important to keep in mind if you want your readers to stick around.

Visual content is essential because it allows you to create a strong visual brand. Creating brand recognition and credibility through your content enables you to build an audience organically. Visuals also let brands express emotion so they attract the right audience. What do you want readers to feel when they consume your content? Who are you trying to attract?

Because attention spans are at an all-time low, including visuals allows users to skim through with ease and gives them something different to consume. Examples include images, videos, infographics, graphics, screenshots, and more. 

Consider the following statistics as reasons why you should incorporate visuals in your content marketing:

  • Eighty-four percent of marketers agree that video has helped them increase traffic to their website.
  • Thirty-two percent of marketers consider visual images the most important type of content for their business.
  • Harvard Business Review suggests avoiding “text-heavy information” in your content and focusing on the core takeaways instead. 

4. Use mobile-friendly practices

Did you know there are 3.9 billion unique mobile internet users worldwide? Or that 60 percent of searches come from mobile instead of a desktop? Because there’s so much emphasis on mobile use, you can’t afford to ignore mobile users. It creates a negative UX and guarantees that those users won’t return to your website.

In early 2018, Google moved to a mobile-first index, meaning the search engine places high importance on mobile-friendly content. Without it, your website won’t rank high in search and has a lower chance of being seen by your target market.

Optimize your content for mobile with these tips:

  • Keep titles short
  • Use optimized images
  • Break up paragraphs
  • Use headers and subheaders
  • Incorporate whitespace
  • Choose easy-to-read fonts and font sizes

Run your website through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to determine the type of experience it provides mobile users. 

Over to you

Your content marketing is one of the most valuable elements of your website. It drives organic traffic, attracts those in your target audience, builds brand recognition, and more. It’s the best way for your audience to discover you in search engines and learn more about your brand. There are several ways to improve your content marketing strategy. Put more focus on its promotion, optimize for search and mobile, and incorporate visuals so it has a higher chance of converting visitors. How will you improve your content?