Neil Patel is known for his online content marketing company, Quick Sprout which focuses on optimizing site content to fit Google Analytics’ expectations for the maximum efficiency.
For those unfamiliar with Neil Patel, he’s a self-made entrepreneur who has been responsible for taking small companies and raising them to the level of Fortune 500 companies in a relatively short period of time.
His level of expertise on content marketing is unsurpassed, and he has lots of tips for content marketers in 2017.
Below are some of his best tips that should help you get a grasp on what you should do to maximize your impact online this year.
Content Marketing Tips from Patel
1. Focus on the most important types of content.– Neil Patel doesn’t waste time. He likes to cut to the chase with the most valuable information that will help his business partners thrive. He stresses in this first tip from his site that content marketers should focus on the most important types of content.
He reminds us that there are many different types of content you could post including blog posts, social media content, video, podcasts, and many others. But focus on the ones that get you the best results. In general, that would be your video content and dynamic graphic content that catches the attention of your target audience.
2. Focus on quality over quantity.– Patel reminds content marketers to focus on quality over quantity. More is only better is it is good. In other words, don’t post junk. It is better to post one piece of quality content then endless amounts of low-value content.
He views low-quality blog material as wasted time and money and urges marketers to work on posting the best quality rather than seeing how many blog posts you can get out in a week. But make sure you are ready to put your money where your mouth is and hire quality content writers that can produce the consistent quality that pays off.
3. Find the absolute cheapest way to create great content consistently.– Patel stresses that you should get creative with how you produce your content and work on finding less expensive ways to produce high-quality content for your sites and blogs. Repurposing old content in a new way is one idea.
You can also create content in multiple forms. If you have a great article, for example that worked well in the past, consider turning it into an infographic, video, or other type of content.
He states that this is a great idea because most of your research is already done and you can just reconstruct the same basic tenets to fit a new format such as a podcast or video or infographic.
4. Spend time improving your efficiency.– Training yourself to be a better content promoter can save you time in the long run. If you do much of your content marketing, you can reduce the time you spend by having a greater understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
5. Forget the parts of content marketing that aren’t necessary.– Content marketing is a complex thing but part of that feeling of complication comes from trying to do too much. Patel urges marketing experts to stick to the most important types of marketing and not get too caught up in the parts that don’t work for your business.
6. Get extremely specific.– The more specific you can be with your content marketing strategies, the better you will do. It’s hard to compete with big budgets, Patel reminds us. So you should use SEO by targeting very specific longtailed keywords to target your audience.
7. Share valuable personal data.– Being transparent with your target audience and giving them some personal information about yourself and your brand can help win over some people who are on the fence about your products and services.
Transparency builds confidence in your brand and in your credibility. This can involve anything you choose but make it something valuable that you can share with customers that they will see as sharing on a personal level.
8. It’s possible to get free content from amazing creators.– If you accept guest posts on your blog for free from influencers in your industry, you may get more than you think as a result. Hiring writers costs money and it’s money well spent when they are creating original high-quality content. But, once in awhile, ask a blogger to post free in exchange for a link back to their site. You may be amazed at the results.
You do need to choose which posts you’ll accept carefully and don’t accept posts that are not relevant to your site or are lacking in quality.
If you want to know how to find these bloggers who will post for free, post an ad on your page or reach out to bloggers or influencers who are likely to want to do this for you in return for a free link back to their site.
9. Updating can be as good as starting from scratch.– The most challenging thing for online site owners an content marketers is keeping the content fresh. Make sure and go back and check your content to make sure it is up-to-date.
10. Learn to be extremely selective with your promotions.– Another tips that Neil Patel admonishes site owners and content marketers to do is to “trim the fat.” By this, he means that you need to watch your ROI (return on investment) and make sure you are getting back something for what you are putting out.
Promote where it does the most good, such as targeted email lists and segmented marketing efforts. Simply emailing people after you create a post can go a long way toward getting your message in the hands of the most people who care about what you have to offer.
Summary
Neil Patel definitely knows what he is talking about. He has helped numerous businesses propel their brand to higher levels and helped them to create brands that made an impact on the world.
Content marketing is a complicated matter. But it doesn’t have to be. Just plan out every strategy and make notes on how you are going to do it. Then work your plan one step at a time.
Integrate Infographics into your Marketing Plan
Another tip that can be inferred from Patel’s tips on his website is the use of infographics. Though he doesn’t mention infographics specifically, points 1, 2, and 10, especially point to the fact that he believes you should focus on the techniques and strategies that work the best for your company and your brand.
Infographics can be one of the most efficient ways to maximize your content and promote your brand. They help you create engaging content that only takes a few minutes to take in with attractive graphics and data that appeal to your target audience.
Do you have some great content lined up that you plan to share in 2017? Start with a compelling infographic that attracts the attention of your viewers and then apply some of the techniques that Neil Patel has shared on his site.
You just might find that it gives you the impetus you need to make an impact with your brand in the new year!
See us at infographicdesignteam.com. We can create a stunning infographic that will get you started.
