If you own your own company, you know what it means to work hard for new customers and clients. Fortunately, content marketing can help you bring in new groups of prospective buyers for your goods and services. Why? Because even in the digital, high-tech, information age, people love to read. For many who scour the internet every day looking for news, product information, romantic partners, investment opportunities, and dozens of other things, reading is an essential part of the journey.
Adding curated, specific, topical content to your business site can draw visitors. The trick is knowing not just what kinds of articles to post but how often to do so. The other part of the effort is leveraging SEO, search-engine optimization, in the right way, using forums to interact with potential customers, and building your reputation as a trusted source of information.
Post Content Every Day
There’s a secret about content marketing in that your effectiveness is directly related to how often you post fresh content. Far too many business owners go to the trouble of setting up multiple social media accounts but then let all their work go to die because they don’t post often enough. Readers, prospective customers, and casual visitors to your website and social media sites want something interesting and new to look at. Even avid fans and followers will drop you like a hot potato if you only post once or twice per week. Ramp up your posting efforts and try to add at least four new items, articles, photos, or comments per week, preferably one per day.
Know How to Use SEO
There’s much more to using keywords than meets the eye. In today’s sophisticated environment of smart search engines and endlessly complex algorithms, entrepreneurs have to focus on intent SEO, or using keywords based on the intentions of users. Keep in mind that every user is a potential customer. So, for example, if you sell paralegal services, don’t rely on bare-bones, non-intentional keywords like “legal services,” “paralegal,” and “law suit preparation.” Those are good, but not quite optimized, which is what you’re aiming for.
Taking into account your target customers’ intentions, consider keywords like “hire a paralegal,” “going rates for paralegals,” “find a paralegal.” The last three incorporate the user’s goals, namely hiring, finding, and finding out about prices. It’s easy to schedule your consultation and find out how intent SEO can supercharge your marketing efforts.
Get Active in Forums
Content marketing isn’t just about writing and publicizing your pieces. It’s about doing everything necessary to get eyes on your stuff. That means engaging directly with prospective clients, many of whom populate chat rooms, comment sections of topical sites, and subject forums. Go where those people congregate and join in the discussions. Avoid being controversial or argumentative, but be honest about what you know and how you can help people. Gently add your business name and contact information at the end of each comment as a signature, if the site allows it.
Become an Expert and Offer a Free E-Book
Write a short, informative, helpful e-book on your product or service. Post pieces of it to various relevant sites and offer the entire book as a freebie for anyone who signs up for your mailing list. This is an excellent way to gather opt-in list members for future marketing efforts.
