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4 Ways to Expand Your Content Marketing Strategy Beyond Your Blog Section

As what should be common knowledge by now, a strong content marketing strategy is an essential ingredient for a successful business. In fact, 92% of marketers agree that content is a highly valuable business asset, and 91% have made it a cornerstone in their campaigns. But, some businesses mistakenly think that content marketing is made up of a branded blog only.

True, your company’s blog certainly plays an integral part in your content strategy, but it should not be your only weapon. Chances are, even if you have the strongest SEO strategy for content out there, many people may never find it from an organic search.

Expanding your content marketing beyond your blog section is the best way to build an audience and magnify your reach.

Here are four easy ways to do it.

1. Repurpose Your Posts

Companies often find it a challenge to consistently create new, exciting content for their target audience. A collection of studies concluded that businesses receive the highest engagement levels and reach when they posted to Facebook five to ten times a week, Tweeted five times a day, and blogged four times a week. That’s a whole lot of content to keep fresh!

Thankfully, recycling and reusing stuff you already have is not just a tactic for helping the environment. It’s actually an old trick that marketers use to fill up their content library while still receiving excellent returns from their pieces.

If one of your old posts had great information and engagement when it was first published, but the numbers have slowed down, it could be an excellent opportunity to transform it into something new. The best approach here is to take a text-heavy piece and turn it into a more engaging format, such as an infographic or slideshow. Or, you can combine several related pieces into a quick highlight reel, of which can also yield great returns. When repurposing your blog posts, try to make your new formats visual with graphics and images – as this will make the content much more engaging.

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2. Contribute to High-Authority Niche Blogs

If you are looking to expand your reach and build up a good reputation, it’s time to think beyond your own channels. Contributing to other high-value blogs or online magazines is a smart way to establish a stronger presence, as well as develop a personal brand. Posting consistently on high-value blogs is a fantastic way to establish credibility as a thought leader.

This practice is commonly known as guest posting, and the results can be astounding. When companies or senior employees are considered leaders in their niche, potential customers are much more likely to trust that brand, and ultimately, purchase their product or service.

By associating your brand name with high-authority blogs that attract audiences similar to yours, you and your website will gain credibility – from both a content and SEO perspective. Think of it like this: if your brand is good enough to get content published on a site considered a leader in the industry, it says a lot about your own integrity. Of course, if you are going to contribute to these kinds of authoritative sites, your messaging must be very high quality and tailored to the channel’s audience, not just your own. Be sure to take a look at the types of topics they cover, do some research to make sure that it fits into both party’s marketing strategies. Lastly, always be sure that you thoroughly understand the site’s writing guidelines before you start creating content.

3. Start a Company Podcast

Podcasting is a timeless and interesting way for companies to get their content out there and define a brand voice. The popularity of podcasts has been trending upwards for a while now. The number of people who listen to podcasts on a regular basis has increased by 20% year after year, and 48% of podcast listeners also follow that brand on social media.

Podcasts are an excellent platform for businesses to share stories and instigate conversations about their industry. Business-focused podcasts have grown tremendously, and are currently the third most popular category among listeners.

Closeup of a camera viewfinder capturing a woman holding up a mobile product.

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The idea of recording a podcast may seem intimidating, but you can easily transform your past content topics into highly valuable segments. Invite some experts within your own industry for interviews or discussions. The most important part of a podcast is keeping it interesting, so try to stay focused on topics that would be pertinent and important to your audience and provide unique insights – just like you would through your regular content.

Now, no one likes hearing their own voice recorded. However, you will get used to it pretty quick!

Closeup of a camera viewfinder capturing a woman holding up a mobile product.

4. Invest in High-Quality Video

Of course, it’s not exactly breaking news that video marketing is a great way to capture your audience’s attention. It’s currently one of the most popular forms of content on the web. Mark Zuckerberg himself went on record a couple years ago saying he believes most online content will be video in the future.

While including branded videos may have been a marketing experiment for brands in the past, it is an absolute necessity nowadays. With the latest changes to social media algorithms, (especially Facebook’s) traditional branded content is pushed further down on people’s feeds, while highly engaging content (like video) is ranked higher.

Another important factor to keep in mind is the quality of the video’s content and its length. 67% of viewers will disengage with a video that is poor quality, and a fewer number will actually watch a video the whole way through. The best rule of thumb here is to keep videos short, sweet, and top-notch in terms of quality. Videos with higher view completions will actually rank higher on social media sites, so try to grab your audience’s attention as quickly as possible for better engagement rates.

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Conclusion

In today’s hyper-connected world, there is no need to feel limited to just your brand’s blog section as a content marketing channel. Audiences today are more likely to engage with other creative avenues, such as podcasts and videos, which can do wonders to ramp up your content library. Additionally, by posting on other well-known industry websites, you can start to establish higher credibility for your own brand and grow your reach much further than you could with just your company blog.

So get out there, get creative, and search for some new ways to expand and grow your content strategy.

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