Creating Highly Effective Content - Basic Principles of Content Marketing

by Markup Hero

The internet is filled with tons of content. However, only a few of this content is highly effective due to the proper application of content marketing principles.

Content marketers should understand that it is never just about putting out content. Customers must be able to connect with the content, and if they don’t, then the content isn’t doing its work. Start by creating a content marketing strategy – ask what, why and when. Then build an action plan and get to it.

In this post, we will share some helpful principles to improve your content marketing campaigns. After reading and applying these thoughts, you should have better results. And you can alway hire a online marketing firm if you need additional help.

Principles of Content Marketing

For about a decade, content marketing has become the rave of the moment. While many people consider social media marketing to be content marketing, it is just a small part of it. With content marketing, you get a high return on investment.

There are several strategies that you can tap into to enjoy the benefits of digital marketing. Examples include email marketing, social media, SEO, etc. However, your major success boils down to developing quality content.

Content creators use Markup Hero daily - Try it Free!

Let’s check out some important content marketing principles below.

Consistency

There are several motivational quotes about consistency. When you look at content marketing through these quotes, you will get the best out of it. It is not just about what you post but the consistency with which you post.

You are more likely to generate traffic if you post consistently at regular intervals than posting at your convenience. This is why you need to create a publishing schedule. It is easier to rank high on search engines if you are consistent with your posts.

Consistency doesn’t mean posting just once a week or month. You should have a plan to publish daily or every other day. The more new content you put out, the more visitors will return to your platform this is highly dependent on the copywriting team.

With consistency, you will keep your audience engaged and avoid losing them to competitors. Don’t forget your aim for creating content. This way, you will produce high-quality content consistently.

Originality

This is a fundamental content marketing principle that many people seem to ignore. Creating original content already gives you a head start. You shouldn’t publish generic content; it puts people off easily.

True, creating original content can be quite stressful, but the rewards are immense. To create original content, you must be ready to put in some work. There are several ways to discover original ideas to work with for your content.

  1. Publish personal stories.
  2. Comics
  3. Books
  4. Movies
  5. Write case studies.
  6. Search top trends.
  7. Interview individuals in your niche.
  8. Run opinion polls on what your audience prefers.
  9. Create reviews of products that your audience wants to purchase.

No doubt, it may be almost impossible to achieve 100% originality in some cases. However, you should make sure that your content is as high-quality as possible. Strive to get fresh ideas all the time and think about your unique point of view.

Deliver Value

Publishing original content consistently isn’t all that matters. Your original content must deliver value to your audience. Once your content delivers no value, then it is worthless to your audience.

This will have adverse effects on your brand, which isn’t why you decided to publish content in the first place. It is your responsibility to ensure that your readers are happy that they found your content.

People will view your brand in the same manner that they perceive your content. The more value your content delivers, the more valuable your readers will place on your brands. This makes it easier for you to sell your products or services.

Promotion

Another fundamental content marketing principle is promotion. So you are consistent with publishing original content that delivers value. Great, but that isn’t enough.

You aren’t the only one doing this; lots of valuable content is published online every day. This means that you are in a very stiff competition. It is “survival of the fittest.”

You shouldn’t publish content and expect that your audience will magically see it. This is where content promotion comes in. Content promotion helps you get your content in the faces of who needs to see it.

What’s the essence of creating content if just a few people will see it? Millions can enjoy the benefits of your content. While it is good to spend time creating original valuable content, spend some time promoting the content as well.

In-Depth Content

Before now, publishing blog posts of about 400 words was great. But today, such short posts don’t cut. Thus, this very important content marketing principle of creating in-depth content.

Why should you create in-depth content? One of the reasons is that consumers prefer to make purchases online these days. Because of this, they need as much information as they can get before making purchases.

This is where you come in. You need to create in-depth content that gives them sufficient information. With this, they can make more informed decisions.

Also, it is easier for you to convince your audience to invest in a product or service using the in-depth content. When we talk about in-depth content, we mean long articles. It is impossible to convince anyone to spend $2000 on a product with just 200 words.

Become an Authority

Your audience can tell if you are an authority or not once they read your first few lines. If you don’t know about what you are selling, how do you hope to convince anyone to buy?

This means that you should know the problems that your audience face. You also need to understand the solution that you are presenting. Do as much research as you can on the subject.

Providing authoritative answers to your audience is the easiest way to gain their trust. When you publish this sort of content, your audience is more comfortable spending their money on your product.

Understand your Target Audience

For many content creators, understanding the target audience is a foundation content marketing principle. Before you even start to create content, you need to know who you are creating the content for. Here are some questions to help you out:

  • Who are your customers?
  • What appeals to them?
  • Which platforms can you find them?

Find the answers to these questions, and it becomes easier to create the right content for your target audience. Work on creating a profile for your ideal customer. The more knowledge you have about your audience, the easier it is to catch their attention.

Know the Content that Appeals to Your Niche

The more you understand your target audience, the easier it is to know the kind of content they want. There are several kinds of content, and your target audience has their preferences. Examples of content forms include:

  1. Articles
  2. Case studies
  3. E-books
  4. Interviews
  5. Podcast
  6. Research and original data
  7. Videos

An easy way to discover the kind of content your audience likes is to watch your competitors. What kind of content do they post more? This should give you a clue as to what kind of content your audience prefers.

Wrap-Up

It is important to abide by content marketing principles to get the best from your content marketing campaigns. We have shared a few principles with you in this post.

Guest post written by Maria De La Pena

Maria is a content writer for the unlimited graphic design service Delesign with a keen interest in eCommerce and internet marketing. She is a communications graduate and understands what it takes to write persuasive copy and blog posts. Outside of work, you can find her mini-blogging about her life on social media.