Brands and entrepreneurs are turning to content marketing to stand out from the crowd. But a change in strategy is only as effective as its execution and many businesses are falling short of the mark.

In an average day, consumers are exposed to more than 3,500 advertising messages. With competition so high for consumers’ attention, traditional advertising strategies are proving increasingly costly and less effective. Brands must find new ways to attract customers. Content, for many, seems to be the answer. But publishing content is not enough to deliver results. In fact, poor content can be counter-productive, costing companies time and money.

With the human attention span now just a mere eight seconds, it is more important than ever to ensure that you are producing meaningful content. Here are my top tips to help you create engaging content that gets results and connects with your customers.

1. Have a content owner

With content able to support everything from PR to SEO, many marketers struggle to decide where content marketing should sit within their existing strategy. As a result, many businesses suffer from a lack of ownership where content is concerned. According to Econsultancy, nearly a quarter of firms spread their content marketing across a combination of departments.

Though it may be difficult to decide who your content owner is, you need one. Ensure that someone is in charge of both the quality of the content and the strategy behind it, including how it is integrated across the wider marketing mix.

2. Define the purpose of content

As with any other form of marketing, it is crucial to understand what success looks like. No two businesses have exactly the same content needs. While one brand may need to strengthen customer loyalty, another may prioritise converting traffic to sales.

Content should always serve a purpose to your business so make sure you identify clear objectives, in order to measure and optimise its success.

3. Localise, don’t translate

For international companies, attention must be paid to ensure content is not merely translated but specifically tailored to each geographical market. Your brand is more than a set of words that can simply be transposed from one language to the next. It is a set of values and beliefs that must be customised to suit the culture and context of every country in which you have a presence.

Consider employing local expertise to regionalise your content for different audiences. This will guarantee your content is engaging and relevant to the demographic you are targeting.

4. Think quality, then quantity

With the explosion of social media and the constant evolution of media that technology affords us, brands have to be present across more channels, formats and topics than ever before. As you look for cost-effective ways to scale content creation to meet this challenge, don’t compromise on quality.

Focus on implementing rigid editorial controls and efficient processes from the outset and you’ll be able to continue producing quality content regardless of the quantity.

 

By Ed Bussey, Founder and CEO of Quill. 

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