Content Marketing Success: 6 Critical Factors

Embrace These 6 Key Components For Content Marketing Success

 

We have all been hearing for years that “Content is King!” – and whether that is the case or not, there is more to content marketing than just the content! Successful content marketers know that there are several key elements that make for a solid content marketing strategy. We think these 6 factors are the most critical components of content marketing success.

 

The 6 “Cs” of Content Marketing Success

 

1. CONTENT

Yes, this one is obvious! But, not simply any content. Content marketing is all about providing value. It’s not about selling your products or services. It’s not about you or your brand or your company. It’s all about providing value to your target audience. Content marketing is all about the give (whereas traditional marketing is all about the ask). Give your audience answers to their questions, solutions to their problems and information to satisfy their needs… through dynamic and value-based content. Period.  

 

2. CUSTOMERS

Knowing who you are trying to reach with your content will help determine what that content looks like. Be very specific with your targeting. You ultimately want to generate leads with your content… so your content marketing efforts should be geared towards an audience comprised of prospects (whether that is potential customers, partners, funders, etc.). The key is to understand as much about your target audience (or customers of your content) as you possibly can. Know their pain points, their triggers, where they consume content, how they consume content, etc. Creating personas for your audience can help better define the key elements that will make up your content strategy.  

 

3. CONTEXT

While we have established that your content must provide value to your intended audience, it is also critical to highlight the importance of the context of your content. What form and format works best for the content you are delivering? Where are the best places to share your content? Your content can take many forms (from white papers and ebooks to visual content and videos) and can be evergreen or based on current news and happenings. However you craft and deliver your content, it needs to make sense to your audience.  

 

4. CREATIVITY

There is a lot of noise in our digital world. Every day we are bombarded with thousands of messages. Your content has to stand out to be noticed. It then has to be interesting enough to hold the attention of your intended audience. Grabbing the attention of your audience with relevant headlines, stream-stopping visuals and compelling calls to action will all help break through the noise. Being creative with your delivery and the format of your content will keep things fresh and exciting for your audience, so don’t be afraid to try new things. It’s important to continually test new elements of your content marketing campaigns to optimize for the best results.  

 

5. COMMUNITY

Going viral is not a content marketing strategy. It’s an outcome of a well planned and executed content marketing campaign (or a little bit of luck for some!). The great thing about content marketing is the ability to engage with your audience on a whole new level. You aren’t trying to sell them on something. You are supporting them by giving them something of value. Building your community around your content marketing efforts is a great way to not only generate leads, but also to glean additional insights about your potential customers, understand their trigger points better, and to connect with them on a deeper level. When you build loyalty and trust with your audience through content marketing, you foster a community that will want to engage with you and who will want to share your valuable content with others.  

 

6. CONSISTENCY

The biggest reason most businesses fail at content marketing is lack of consistency. When you don’t have a strategy and don’t have a drumbeat for your content marketing campaigns, your efforts (and results) will be sporadic. You can’t build a community overnight. It takes time and effort. As does your content marketing. It’s a bit of a snowball effect. The more consistent your content marketing is, the more success you will see from those efforts. Creating a content calendar is great for accountability and consistency. Having a well planned strategy will make creating that calendar a breeze. [Get our free Content Strategy 12-Point Checklist here!]  

 

SUMMARY

When you focus on these 6 core factors, you are on your way to content marketing success. None of these factors alone will get you there. You must focus on each of these elements for every content marketing campaign you deploy. Consistently provide valuable content to a highly targeted audience with the right mix of context and creativity to build your community. With enough “gives” you will then earn the right to make an “ask” when the time is right.  

If you liked this article, we encourage you to sign up for our  bi-weekly Newsletter for all our updates!  Thanks for reading our blog!

Want more Content Marketing and Strategy tips and insights?  Download our FREE Guide: Mastering Content Marketing and get tons of pro-tips, actionable insights, and recommendations on creating a killer content marketing strategy.