Content Marketing Tactics to Boost Your Engagement
Want to maximize the impact of your content marketing efforts? In a digital world where there is more content published than our ability to consume it, standing out is critical for your content marketing efforts to be successful. Follow these 5 go-to content marketing tactics every time you publish new content for your best chance at success.
Content Marketing Tactic #1:
Stick to a Editorial Content Calendar
Planning out your content in an editorial calendar is a smart content marketing tactic that will help make your content creation, publishing and distribution easier and more efficient. When you post haphazardly, there is no rhythm or drumbeat to your content. It’s also challenging to ensure consistency in terms of topics and timing. When you map out your content across a timeline, you can better determine what platforms to post on, how to repurpose your content and the type of promotion tied to each. Start with a yearly calendar at a very high level, with major holidays, themes and seasonal nuances earmarked. You can then create a loosely structured 3 month editorial calendar, with general topics, timing and platforms identified. Finally, map out the immediate month or two in great detail, focusing on exact content type, format, repurposing, promotion, etc.
Content Marketing Tactic #2:
Be an Engaging Storyteller
While probably more of a strategy than a content marketing tactic, the point is that every piece of content you put out there should tell a store. It should be purposeful, relevant, authentic and engaging. When you tell a powerful story with your content, you effectively draw your audience in and keep them coming back for more. Great storytelling can deepen the connection you make with your audience. When you make your content interesting to your audience… you have their attention (which is a very challenging thing in this noisy digital world). Know who’s sitting around your campfire and be sure to deliver your stories in the ways they will respond to.
Content Marketing Tactic #3:
Make it Visually Appealing
Create awesome graphics, images and/or videos with or as your content if you really want to stand out and be noticed. When your content marketing includes “thumb-stopping” visuals… something so visually eye-catching that it causes someone to stop scrolling through social media or email… then you have overcome the first obstacle of reach. Then, with compelling content and storytelling, you keep them engaged. The key is to ensure your visuals are created specifically for the platform you are posting to in order to maximize effectiveness. Check out our article on 10 Visual Content Marketing Factors to get some additional examples of visual content marketing tactics you can employ.
Content Marketing Tactic #4:
Focus on Compelling Headlines
Besides great visuals, an awesome click-worthy (read: not click-baity) headline is an absolute must-have! Again, as we see more and more content flood our social channels and email, headlines become a critical component in not only catching the attention of your audience, but exploring them to continue to engage with your content. Test headlines (A/B testing can be powerful here!) to see what resonates with your audience (this is especially true for ads as well!). And finally, keep your headlines short and concise to ensure they are easily shareable.
Content Marketing Tactic #5:
Remember the Rule of 3 R’s
The most beneficial content marketing tactic to employ is the Rule of 3 R’s: Be Remarkable, Be Relatable and Be Relentless in creating, publishing and promoting your content. It is absolutely essential to provide value to your indented audience. When you excel at giving your audience something they find value in, your content becomes remarkable. What’s it mean to be remarkable? It means it’s worthy of someone making a remark about it… and this is the ultimate reward of great content. People find it so valuable that they comment on it, like it, share it and/or take action on it. Also of importance is having your content be relevant and relatable to your target audience. This helps you build deeper relationships with your audience and shows you understand their pain points. And finally, be relentless about publishing and promoting your content across multiple channels and in a variety of ways. Repurpose your content in smart ways to extend its life and get more bang for your buck.
What are your must-have content marketing tactics? Please share your thoughts below.
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Darcy Schuller is the Chief Digital Marketing and Brand Strategist at Suvonni, an innovative boutique digital marketing agency based out of St Petersburg, FL. As a leader in the digital marketing space, Darcy is passionate about helping clients build stronger brands through elevated customer engagement, social media marketing, content marketing and dynamic web experiences. Darcy is a respected marketing thought leader, speaker and consultant.
