Becoming an effective content marketer means creating quality content on a regular basis. Once a week won’t cut it when it comes to brand development, and content creation needs to become a priority. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to strengthen your content marketing routine.
Practice Makes Perfect!
It doesn’t matter how much content you produce if it isn’t valuable to your target audience. Content marketing materials are very different than the reports you wrote back in college. The internet demands its own particular style, and the format and language need to be more accessible. Stiff and formal material should only be used when addressing research papers and expert level professionals. Write content that’s relatable, and write every single day. Writing isn’t like riding a bike. If you don’t use the skill, you will lose it!
Hang on to Ideas
Most of us have had that million dollar idea that hits us in the middle of the shower or right before we drift off to sleep. Unfortunately, we also know what it’s like to completely lose it when we try to recall it later. Don’t let those amazing topics and content ideas go to waste. Create a journal or file where you can quickly jot down ideas no matter where you’re at. Keeping this accessible on your phone is a great way to keep a portable and compact idea directory at your fingertips. Good content marketing is all about using unique ideas to bring something new to your readers.
Templates Save Time
Outlines, fonts, and consistency all matter when it comes to different types of content. Whether you write for different clients or are focusing on developing your own content marketing strategy, creating templates saves time. Erase the approved or finished topics and bodies of work, and replace them with fonts, margins, and expectations for each type of content. Save these in a central location like Google Drive or someplace where they won’t get buried under other projects. For each new client or content marketing project, save a new and improved template. Then, all you’ll need to do is grab one of your ideas, open the right template, and start creating content right away.
Experiment with Different Mediums
Written content is the bread and butter of content marketing, but it isn’t effective by itself. The concept of content marketing centers on creating materials that can engage the largest number of people from your target audience. This means diversifying to include media, infographics, podcasts, videos, and visual aids that can bring additional value to your marketing game. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Experience, practice, and a steady flow of material can improve your marketing performance and your productivity.
