I’ve been writing about using content marketing for about 5 years now, and in all that time it hasn’t really changed much. What has changed is the tools that are available for making content marketing work for you. Tools like blogs, social media, email autoresponders, streaming video, and more are developed all the time.

Where before there were few platforms for getting the word out about your content, now there are multiple options depending on what you create and who your audience is.  This is why knowing your audience is so important.

Here are 10 tips for using content marketing that can help you get better results.

Tip #1 – Start with your own site

The main reason for using content marketing is to bring more traffic to your website. The more people who see your hits on your blog, landing pages, products, and services, the better chance you have to share your knowledge and make sales. For this reason, content, for the most part, should start on your website, and then you should take action to promote it by using the other channels and platforms at your disposal – like email and social media platforms.

Tip #2 – Develop your own unique voice

If you want to really stand out from the crown, you really need to develop your own unique voice (sometimes called your brand voice). This includes the selection of words you choose, the attitude and values you display while addressing your audience or others, and how you make the audience feel about you and themselves. Some business owners like to make a brand persona to help them remember their mission and reason for being.

Tip #3 – Develop buyer profiles

One way to really help you target content to the right person at the right time is to develop buyer profiles for your ideal community members that you want to target where they are in their buying journey. When you create specific content, you can use your buyer profiles as a guide on who you’re trying to target with the information.

Tip #4 – Do not skimp on the keyword research

Yes, I know it’s tedious. And yes, I have been known to throw all the SEO stuff like keyword research aside and create what I want to, but please… do not do what I did. Take the time to do proper keyword research and do it right. You can start by brainstorming a basic list of keywords about your product, services, and audience. Use these keywords to help you find others using tools like Google Trends, Ubersuggest, WordStream.com, and others.

Tip #5 – Know what type of content your audience prefers

Knowing what type of content your audience prefers is key to creating content that will get results. Does your community like videos, or are they readers?  Live calls or pre-recorded training? Do they like getting educational and informative material on your blog? Determining the types of content that you need will require you to understand how and where your audience likes to receive information. Take some time to explore and even test the formats of content and types of content they prefer.

And, as we mentioned in an earlier article, once you know this you can create content in different formats to cater to your audience’s different learning styles.

Tip #6 – Know which platforms to share your content on

Audience understanding always helps you with all aspects of content creation, including distribution. When it comes to using content marketing, it’s important to make sure you post your content where your audience likes to hang out to find the information that they need. This will help in creating an overall content delivery strategy to maximize your results.

Tip #7 – Create a content delivery strategy

It’s imperative that you create a strategy and then use it consistently for the best chance of success. Content marketing works. Using content marketing is the most effective ways you have of getting your message heard. If you publish and promote content regularly – as long as it’s valuable and relevant – the more opportunities your audience has of finding you and for your content marketing to pay off.

Tip # 8 – Track and analyze your results

No matter what you do, you always need to know and understand your numbers. The metrics and data you look at come from the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are tied to the goals of each piece of content. For example, if a blog post is designed to pull in traffic, look at the traffic numbers before, during, and after promotion to find out if it was effective or not.

Tip #9 – Optimize based on your results

Using the data that you gather when you study your analytics, you can choose to make changes in order to optimize your content for better results. Sometimes you may decide to do more of something, and sometimes you may decide to do less of something based on what the data tells you. This is the smartest way to ensure you don’t work hard for no reason. Focus on results and impact.

Tip #10 – Be open to change

Don’t let yourself get into a content marketing rut. It’s great to have tried-and-true methods for creating and delivering content, but things change quickly in this world.  Stay informed about the trends and what’s popular so that you can try new methods if you think they’ll work for your audience.  That doesn’t mean you should throw out your tested methods, just that it’s important to be open to new ideas and platforms.

Final Thoughts

Taking the time to develop your content marketing strategy before you get started is a huge piece of determining your success. Knowing why and how you’re doing any action is imperative so that you meet your audiences needs and reach the goals you set at the same time.

*Note: This post includes affiliate links, for which I will receive a small commission should you make a purchase.