Not surprisingly, when it comes to content marketing content really is king. Finding the perfect blog or website to publish your content can be difficult and takes dedication and a bit of luck. However, there are a few tricks of the trade that make the content marketing process less complicated.
Brainstorming Article Ideas
We know content is king so getting the article topic right is crucial. Do this by getting to know your client and the work that they do, research the company and industry trends. If you have the chance, ask your client for some topic ideas or what makes their company unique and different.
Another brainstorming tactic is to identify where you are hoping the article will be published and who the audience is. Think about what questions possible customers might have and what kinds of information would be useful to them. Knowing the article audience will also help to set the style and tone of the article so you can connect more with readers.
Finally, don't be afraid to think outside of the box, in fact, DO think outside of the box. While some sites will only publish 500-700 word articles with subheadings, some of the best content that will make people actually want to look at your article will be in different forms. Think quizzes, lists, charts, infographics, slideshares, videos or podcasts.
Finding the Perfect Home
Article placement is essential to the content marketing process, finding a quality "home" for your article can be tricky game. Again, consider your audience and what websites they will be visiting. While there are many websites that will publish guest posts, not all of them are quality sites, so use your discretion when choosing where to publish your blogs. If the site is covered in advertisements and doesn't have cohesive content, you may want to give it a miss.
Here are tools for finding the perfect site for your guest post-
- Do a Google search with your term, i.e. aged care "guest contribution" or aged care "guest post"
- Use social media to find bloggers- including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even Instagram
- Sign up for resources like SourceBottle.com and HARO which will send out source requests connecting companies and reporters.
Getting articles written well
When reviewing articles think if you worked in this industry would you read this article? In this busy world people don't really just want to read fluff, (unless of course it is about the Kardashians…) most articles will need to have value. Either telling the reader something they didn't know or helping them organise information they already have is essential.
If you are not personally writing the article make sure you outline the audience, topic, tone and a few resources to the writer. Give them as much information as possible to write a quality article.
Successfully Pitching the Article
Once you have found the site where you want your article to go, you now start a little courtship process with the blog owner. Most of the time blog owners or content managers will have their contact details somewhere on the site so you can email them your pitch email directly. Keep pitches short and personal, if there was something that struck you about the blog or a specific reason why your article would fit well on the site, be sure to mention it.
Use social media to your advantage as well, connect with bloggers on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus. Even if the article you are writing isn't a perfect fit at this moment it is a good idea to make connections with potential blogs by commenting or sharing their posts. This will help you to get on their radar and to show them you are knowledgeable about the industry.
Following Up on a Successful Placement
Congratulations, your article has been posted! Now make the most of the post by sharing the article via social media. If you keep a list of your published articles on your LinkedIn profile or website be sure to add the link there. Also, remember to thank and recommend or endorse the person who helped you to post the article.
The content marketing process can be very beneficial to business and marketing and by following the tips mentioned above you are likely to be a content marketing champion!
Erin Warbrook has been writing online content for many years. These days she is a top contributor to Presswire News.
