Creating content is one of the unique challenges of inbound marketing, one that separates it from other marketing strategies. While most marketing strategies tend to focus on the actual product being sold or the merits of the company selling it, inbound marketing makes content into the star. Your content is what will bring visitors to your site, which is what makes it such a crucial component of successful inbound marketing.
After helping several clients successfully set up their own inbound marketing campaigns, we’ve learned a few things about creating content; read on to find out four lessons we’d like to share with you.
It’s a never-ending process
I believe in congratulations for a job well done; unfortunately, this job isn’t ever really done! You don’t get to just write a few blog articles and call it a career. You’ll have to keep writing new blog articles every week for the foreseeable future. Google places a priority on websites that update regularly, and if your website is stuck with old content, it will lose relevancy fast.
It requires constant research
Here at Rhino, we know quite a bit about marketing, but we don’t know everything. In fact, that’s impossible, because inbound marketing (and marketing in general) is constantly evolving. In the tech world, nothing can stay the same for long. Consumers want new innovations and new ideas; they want everything smaller, faster and/or sleeker. Just look at cell phones – we’re on the sixth versions of both the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy.
The bottom line is, you have to stay abreast of the latest in your industry to appeal to your customers. If customers see that your information is outdated, they’ll be wary about trusting you; and if a consumer doesn’t trust you, it’s going to be tough to get their money.
Buyer personas drive everything
No inbound marketing campaign would be complete without buyer personas. These personas describe the ideal customer for our business, and they are what dictate the type of content you produce.
Regardless of what kind of topics you write about, they must appeal to your personas. Since these are the people most likely to purchase your products/services, their opinion takes precedent over everything else. If you find that your content isn’t getting the job done, the first thing you should do is evaluate your buyer personas. Either one of yours personas needs to be adjusted, or you have to do a better job of meeting that persona’s needs and interests.
A bit of creativity is good for everyone
Take it from someone who writes blog articles every day – nobody wants to read or write about the same topics all the time. You have to learn to mix it up a bit, not just for the benefit of the readers, but also for your sanity.
If you’re not being creative and trying new things with your content, you’re limiting its possible exposure. Not every reader will be swayed by the same type of content: some of your readers will want heavily-sourced, informative articles, while others may want more entertaining articles, such as one of our Buzzfeed-style posts (always fun to put together).
From the writer’s perspective, trying new things will keep your writing fresh and interesting. Mixing it up can also provide interesting new challenges, which will help you learn and grow as a content creator.
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