​Creating a content marketing strategy

As 2022 draws to a close, many business owners are reflecting on their activity from the past 12 months and considering how they may accelerate their growth in 2023. At 3-Eight Communications we know that content marketing is central to delivering business growth and revenue targets, however executing an effective strategy requires significant resource, consistency and specialist knowledge.
 
Here, we explore how appointing an experienced marketing and communications professional to support you with your content marketing strategy could transform your business in 2023.
 
What is content marketing?
 
Content marketing is the cornerstone of digital marketing and is essential in developing a connection between a brand and its customers. Content marketing involves creating high quality content that offers value to the reader by informing, inspiring or educating them while also sharing the brand’s story.
 
Content marketing leverages a wide array of mediums, including blogs, email campaigns, videos and direct mail, to deliver content that is relevant and useful to the target audience. Through consistently creating content that resonates with the reader, businesses can nurture customer loyalty while simultaneously increasing brand visibility, improving engagement and driving sales.
 
 
Building a content marketing strategy
 
Great content starts with a robust content marketing strategy that details the purpose of the content, who it is aimed at and how it will help them. 3-Eight Communications can support your business to create a strategy that aligns with your targets and supports your overall business goals.
 
Set your goals
Whether you wish to improve your business’s search visibility through SEO, establish yourself as a thought leader or engage with a new audience, content goals are key to creating a strategy that delivers tangible results. The 3-Eight team can support you to formalise your aims so that you can build a strategy that is targeted, measurable and purposeful.
 
Know your audience
Your target audience should be at the forefront of your mind when building your content marketing strategy. The 3-Eight team can help you construct accurate buying personas that will ensure every piece of content is tailored to the needs of those you wish to reach. Understanding who you’re communicating with, their pain points, desires and preferred channels is central to developing content that resonates with your audience and showcases how your business can benefit them.
 
It is also important to consider the path to purchase so that you can create content that is relevant to your audience at each stage of their buying journey. For example, you may offer a suite of blogs that will help potential customers in the research phase of their journey, in-depth reviews for those considering which product to choose and how-to videos for customers in need of help with their new purchase. By offering value to your customers at every touchpoint, you can help to build loyalty, trust and a long-lasting relationship.
 
Develop your story
Your brand story is an important component of your content marketing strategy as it outlines the messaging and ideas that your business wishes to convey. Your brand story should offer potential customers an insight into your business and its values while highlighting what is unique about your offering. The 3-Eight team can help you to communicate a compelling brand story that differentiates you from your competitors and sets the tone for your customer relationships.
 
How we work with you
Once we have agreed a content marketing strategy, the 3-Eight Communications team will work with you to build a complete plan of evergreen, planned and topical content using the PESO method. The PESO model includes:

• Paid content such as advertorials, sponsored blog posts, awards and exhibition attendance
• Earned content including press placements, bylined articles, organic influencer inclusions and customer statements
• Shared content such as social media shares and inclusion by other online communities
• Owned content such as blog posts, infographics, white papers, thought-leadership articles and videos

We collaborate with our clients to create content plans that are both highly effective and achievable. Each piece of content is specifically designed to be repurposed across multiple channels to ensure that you get the most out of the content we create and that your key messages are shared consistently.
 
To find out more about our content marketing services and how we can help you to grow your audience and increase sales, contact the 3-Eight team for a full consultation.