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That’s right — you need to measure the results of your content marketing efforts. Nobody else will do it for you. You can’t rely on your instincts to know if your content marketing effort is working or not.
You must put in place tools to track user engagement, sales, leads, etc. There are several ways to go about this.
One way is through analytics programs such as Google Analytics. This gives you a glimpse into what people are doing when they visit your site and how often they return to your website.
They also monitor which pages get the most traffic and which areas seem to be forgotten more frequently than others. It helps you see where people are heading next after leaving your site.
Another way is by using lead magnets. Lead magnets are things users want that help them learn something new. They might buy a short e-book, a guide, or a ten minute video.
Lead magnets can help you from the outset because people expect to pay for information like guides and videos. With lead magnets, you only have to give away one thing (a lead) to gain two things (an email address and money).
It’s kind of like buying dishes at a restaurant. People may love your crab cakes, but they won’t shell out much for them. However, if you sell them steak fries, they’ll spend big money to keep coming back for those.
Great content should be more than just a marketing slogan. Without great writing, graphics do not matter and videos can't tell the story all too well.
Your readers (and viewers) will quickly lose interest if the content is not good. They will also forget your messages very easily, especially if they are worded nicely.
Therefore, you want to give them something that is worth reading/watching again and again. You have to offer valuable information along with pleas for justice, thank-you’s for joining, etc.
These words help get someone through the entire article or message and make them feel like what they were wanting to say was heard and understood.
The difference between content marketing and traditional advertising is that you’re offering quality information instead of asking for purchases. Your goal with content marketing is to produce high-quality materials people are interested in reading or watching, and then promote those resources through social media pages and websites.
You can start small with your content production, especially if you're new to writing. Since you'll be investing time in developing these resources, it makes sense to begin with something small and work up from there.
And though you may think your resource will be better used if you put more effort into it, we don't feel that way. In fact, studies have shown that good writers who want to improve their skills and earn money try their hand at freelancing first.
Freelancing gives you practice writing words and phrases down and getting payment out of them. It also builds confidence as you receive bids from clients.
From here, you can move onto other tasks such as completing surveys and receiving trainings. With enough hard work, you can make yourself well-paid freelance writer.
One of the things that makes blogs popular is that they allow people to write about what they want without requiring them to take part in any other way. People love commenting on articles to share their thoughts, feelings and opinions, and they like to see comments on your site too with links to your own content. When someone writes a comment on a topic you’re interested in, let them know that it has been read.
You can send them a quick reply or invite them to talk more in the comment section at the end of the article.
This creates an opportunity to connect to another person over a topic you both are engaged in discussing. It also provides you with potential future content opportunities by having a conversation with one of your readers.
By being interactive, you will make your visitors feel more connected to you and their experience here on your website. This will make them feel better about purchasing something (if you offer a free tutorial for example), trusting you more and thinking more highly of you than if you were just to have written an article then walked away.
Since you’re probably still building your business, you may not have an established brand yet that people can recognize. When you work with brands or customers to promote your content, it’s important to see how much they want to pay for advertising rights. This way, you can ensure they’ll get value for their investment.
You also need to find out whether or not they will buy what you sell. For example, if you are a blogger then you would offer them something in return for their traffic once they publish your posts.
There are many ways to do this; here are just a few :-). It’s best to think of these as working methods rather than formulas.
That is, try doing each one until you get results that help you grow your business. They include things such as sharing affiliate links through social media, signing up new subscribers to your email list, etc.
While content marketing is all about creating engaging stories that attract your audience, it’s also important to know how to engage with those you hope to inspire through content. On your website, social media profiles, and even directly to email, use different incentives to encourage conversation and commentors.
For instance, add a contest or reward program that gives people who share their content for a limited time. Or give away things like gift cards or coupons for buying a product after seeing one of your posts.
The more engagement you have and the more visible you are, the greater chance there is of someone else taking advantage of your work. Your goal should be to make others feel comfortable sharing what they find on your site, from big ideas to personal anecdotes.
And above all, always write with honesty and integrity; tell the truth in your articles, reviews, and tweets. That way, everyone can agree with what you say and will trust what you tell them.
One of the most common ways to make money from content marketing is through engagement and promotion on social media. Your next step will be to create posts that promote your business and brand, then tag others in tweets and messages to entice them to visit your site.
This works best if you have a consistent stream of traffic coming to your website via other means. Social media is not going to drive all of those visitors straight to the door!
You also need to put effort into making your content interesting to people. They can always see your name, but they might not know much about you.
By including photos or clips in your content, you can introduce yourself to new friends and followers by being engaging.
These are called “eyeballs”, and drawing someone’s eye is what graphic designers do well. It’s easier than it sounds.
Put yourself in your reader’s shoes — when was the last time you heard about a company that started because of an idea inspired by a book? A movie that made someone want to go back to school? A meal that made someone sick? Common ingredients include products like cola, processed foods, and dishes containing grains.
You can avoid these by choosing types of food more likely to inspire creativity, confidence, and enthusiasm. This includes foods high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and berries.
There are many ways to integrate content marketing into your business model, one of them being by offering products or services that complement what you’re trying to sell.
For example, if you have travel related content then perhaps there is a premium service that gives access to extra information or resources for specific topics.
You can also promote your content through affiliates. Affiliates will help spread the word about your content, in return for money they pay when it goes clicks.
If customers click through from an affiliate link to your site then you compensate the affiliate. Users who come from an affiliate link must agree not to place orders unless they opt-in via a sign up form.
Content promotion is limited only by people’s patience and need to order things immediately. The best way to achieve this is by having pre-made, high quality content with sufficient research that establishes brand value and enables targeted selling.
Utilize social media platforms to distribute content, stay abreast of new trends, and discuss issues that affect your brand. This will all contribute to creating overall web presence.
Twitter offers limited blog capabilities but good results for those able to execute a strong campaign. Google+ has better blog capabilities but requires employees to use their system which isn’t likely. Facebook currently limits website creation to applications already registered in the system. Pinterest and Instagram are very similar to each other and both offer great potential for connecting with your audience
Another way to earn money from content marketing is by referring others to read your articles or watching videos you have created. Many bloggers offer free services to help people write about things that interest them (your topic). If they like what they see, then they may pay for extra items such as advertising options or products.
The key here is to give these customers something else to buy from you; it doesn’t make sense to sell them soap if all you offer are washing instructions. Providing valuable tips in an easy-to-read style helps people who don’t know much about your subject area.
Content marketing works because people trust other people to provide information about their topics. By giving them a source they can rely on, you will build relationships with those readership.
