All of us are familiar with the online cliché – “Content is king,” for years. Though there’s a substantial truth in this, but content after all, no matter how terrific, is just content.
You might have come up with a stellar content with fresh material, full of life, educational purpose, merged into one brilliant content. But no matter how much artistic flair you show in your content, it might be that you are not giving to your audience exactly what they want.
It goes well beyond research, writing, and publishing. If you want a sustained success of your content marketing, then you must have some set goals. Just as we discussed Social Media Goals a few days back, today we are going to discuss the must-have goals for Content Marketing. Because only by setting goals, you can measure the impact your content marketing has on your target audience.
A remarkable content has no magical powers to mold your audience into steady loyal customers. If there is no clearly-defined goal, what you are doing is just a little more than noise, which has hardly any return value. Whether you are striving to get more leads or retain the existing customers, you have to give your audience what they require. We have come up with a list of goals that you must pay heed to before planning out your next content marketing campaign. Go through the list and see which one of these suits you, or you may avail all of them. 🙂
Goal #1: Be Trustworthy towards your Audience
By giving them what they want, you simply earn their trust and admiration. Your audience starts thinking you as a subject matter expert in your domain and will look up to you for valuable information. They even get an idea of your personality and the work experience they can have by teaming up with you. What could be better than this?
A steady flow of valuable content builds trust like nothing else does. This also helps you to build a rapport with your audience. A connection develops between you and your audience which is a great sign of blooming partnership.
Goal #2: Aim for new Prospects
Well, no matter how delightful and charming your existing customer are, you have to be little practical when it comes to spreading your business. To expand the reach of your business, you must be pro-active and aim for a steady stream of brand new prospects to keep it going.
And with astounding contents that you share across multiple channels, lets your potential customers find you and leads them to your website. Your content must be enticing enough to attract links and social media sharings.
Goal #3: Explore the Pain-points of your Audience
Try to fathom the pain points of your audience. Because most of the sustaining businesses thrive only by solving problems. When your audience knows you would solve their problems, they put tremendous faith on you, and hence your marketing message indeed gets recognition.
Examples of problems? What annoys them? What are they trying to find? What are their fears? Leave room for your audience to come up to you with their difficulties. Be it through email, comments on your blog posts, social media channels, podcasts or webinars. Focus on these problems, and analyze those to form your future content.
Goal #4: Highlight your ability to Solve Problems
Don’t just tell them you are skilled enough to lessen their problems. Show them. Create posts that say “10 Easy Hacks to Solve Your x Problem”. Make it definite. Don’t keep your audience guessing as to how you can help them. If you want a sustained business, show them matter-of-fact proofs of your mettle. And this is the prime mainstay of your humble coercion.
Talk about solutions, just after mentioning a problem!
Goal #5: Think about Potential Problems
You discussed the problems and the solutions after that. Now what? Can the potential troubles be subdued? Example of such potential problem, your audience is not keen to spend money.
Well, this is your opportunity. Write a blog post that elaborates how can your services save your audience’s money and pay off in the long run.
Is your audience too confused about the usage of your product? Write a content that simplifies it.
Just try to understand these potential problems and give it a creative thought. So that you are ready with your justification when your audience hesitates to click the call-to-action button.
Goal #6: Focus on the User Experience through storytelling Technique
If your content just not describe your product, but also the user experience, you know not, how much impact you are creating in the minds of your audience. If your product is shampoo, then describe the user experience after applying the shampoo. Elaborate how bouncy and voluminous the hair will become, how the tangles will be detangled, leaving a fresh fragrance for the user to enjoy throughout the day.
This will click on the psychology of your audience in not time. Because storytelling is probably one of the best content marketing strategies. It is a superb way of play with the psyche of your audience even before they actually try it.
Goal #7: Attract strategic partners
To sustain your business for long term, you need to find more strategic partners who would team up with you, exchange ideas, cooperate and build up a fraternity. When you create brilliant contents, you ought to attract more partners to your business, and you must strive for it. Because partnership brings skills, and two or more intelligent brains when work together for a mutual vested interest, the end result is breathtaking.
Endeavor to create contents of that level which attracts potential partners.
Goal #8: Increase communication with existing customers
Though in Goal #2 we have discussed aiming for potential prospects, I must admit the bigger chunk of revenue will come form these existing customers only. The biggest potential to grow and widen your business can only happen if your relationship with your customers is amiable and friendly.
Because customers are your brand ambassadors. From their word of mouth, potential customers think about your name when they have any requirement. And who can deny that referral and repeat business is the backbone of a flourishing business? Try to improve the communication with your existing customers by responding them timely on social media, blog posts, and producing user-friendly content more and more.
Goal #9: Consider your Content Marketing campaign as a Laboratory
You see, contents happen to be an amazing media of trying out your innovative ideas before impelmenting them officially. Content marketing is the easiest and low-risk platform whereupon you can fire off something that comes to your mind. Be it a new product/service venture, defining your USP, or a totally new business strategy, you can get your audience’s reaction or feedback right there. Which idea appeals to them and which don’t, you would get a clear picture overall.
You can do all these trials and testings done through your content marketing, just as a laboratory is for. 🙂
Goal #10: Consider SEO and Search Engines earnestly
Maybe you are already well aware of it, but it is always better to preach good things on a continuous basis. 😉
So it goes like this, you are valuable in the eyes of Google, only when your target audience finds value in you. If you are producing quality contents that satiate the readers’ needs, then you would automatically be placed at the top of the search results. That way, your SEO struggle is accomplished 80%.
So, all said and done. What are the goals that you have for your next Content Marketing campaign? If you are short of ideas, hope this blog post helps you. Do you think we have missed out any goal? Then feel free to write back to us in the below comment section and keep the conversation going!
