Master 4 steps for content marketing that will lead to a sale
Content marketing is one of our favorite topics to discuss at the Mequoda Daily.
Content marketing is the current face of online, organic marketing. It’s engaging, educational and informative and can be relevant to an array of mediums, from written content to audio podcasts and video pieces.
When participating in content marketing, it’s important to keep your overall goals in mind.
For instance, when it comes to online publishers that create written content, a typical goal for them is to have their content found by search engine users. In order to achieve this goal, keyword research has to be done before the written content is created. After compiling a massive list of relevant keywords, the written content needs to be optimized with that content at a proper keyword density.
That example is well known by successful online publishers already, so let’s get into some other tips that may be overlooked on a more regular basis.
Practical tips for content marketing
Imagine you have a subscription product that contains a boatload of valuable, informative content at an incredibly reasonable yearly price (like our Mequoda Pro subscription product).
Now, your goal is to get potential subscribers to fully make the decision of paying for the content. In order to do this you need to achieve five things.
First, you need to make them aware of your content. This is where content marketing is valuable. If your subscription product contains information on healthy living, direct your audience to as much of your free content as you can and express that additional content can be found within your subscription service.
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Next, create interest in your product. If the added content found within your subscription service is media-rich, but your free content is not, make this a key talking point. Furthermore, discuss all topics your product covers so that the buyer can get an all-encompassing idea of the product they have interest in. The addition of one subject may be the difference between getting a sale and losing it.
After creating interest with the potential buyer, help them learn something. Your content will hopefully achieve this goal. If it doesn’t currently, work on creating articles that include “how-to” or “tip” content. If you are a retailer, help the potential buyer learn how the product they are interested in fits their needs.
As another example of this, let’s consider television retailers. Successful online retailers selling TVs should explain the difference between HD TVs and Plasma TVs so that the consumers can get exactly what they want.
The shopping experience comes next. While attempting to make the sale with your website, be sure to not ask for unnecessary information. Added work on an order flow may lead potential buyers to abandon it. Also make sure that your intent is clear by not cluttering the pages. Testimonials in the left or right nav can be beneficial, but do not include random links or other information that can be too distracting while leading your audience astray.
Finally, if all of these components align correctly, and the potential buyer is still engaged, the sale will likely follow.
Content marketing extends through the entire decision making process for online publishers and Internet marketers. To gain a better understanding of content marketing, join us for our Content Marketing 2010 Seminars. There are two more seminars planned for 2010: one tomorrow, December 2nd in Denver, CO and one on December 16th in the Boston area. Register now in order to attend.
