Popular Content can build your brand. So you’ve created a website for your business. Now how do you get visitors to your site? As hard as it is to imagine, the hard part isn’t building your site, it’s growing your audience. One tried-and-true method is to create a blog. With a blog, you can showcase your expertise, differentiate your business from your competitors, while driving traffic to your site. As valuable as a blog may be, it’s not the only way to create the content you can use to build your brand.
While continuing to generate targeted content with a blog, also consider other popular content. Consider content that can generate more traffic and highlight your proficiency. Now, you may wonder why not just a blog? By distributing a variety of popular content, you can expect these benefits:
Enhanced SEO strategy
It’s undeniable, Google expect quality content to rank your site. Creating varied content will show Google that your site delivers superior content worthy of being ranked for the search engine giant.
Increased engagement
When visitors come to your site, some will prefer one way of viewing your content (i.e. your blog). Others will prefer ways such as YouTube, or other format.
Increased credibility
Deliver a variety of content to your audience, and use online platforms such as the ones mentioned below. This will build trust, which create the opportunity to approach potential customers and sell your product or service.
The goal is to use one or all of these popular content to offer your visitors a variety of ways to learn more about your business. Below is a list showcasing other types of popular content you can deliver. These content can increase traffic to your site, while helping to build your business brand. Choose the ones that best fit your business goals, or all to maximize your reach.
EBooks
When a business create an eBook, it’s because they have useful information they wish to share. While sharing information is a good reason to create one, there are other benefits to consider. An eBook like most content tool isn’t just about sharing information, it’s about cultivating relationships by building trust. With trust, your potential client or customer will remember the insight you’ve provided and will probably return to take advantage of the service or product you offer.
When you create an eBook and focus on delivering value-driven content, you’ve developed a mechanism for collecting information from your audience. Create a gateway to the eBook by offering access for information such as an Email address or any data deemed useful.
Keep in mind, creating an eBook can take considerable more time than a blog or social media post, and could involve an investment of your time if you create one yourself. As intimidating as the creation process may seem, or the investment you may make, consider benefits such as lead generation, increased revenue, and better brand awareness. The money and time you invest will worth the effort.
White Papers
Like an eBook, this is a dynamic lead generation tool. It’s yet another form of content delivery that can build brand awareness and cultivate relationships. However, creating a white paper is more involved than an eBook. More involved, because the content comprised is data driven. A white paper is an excellent tool for B2B and other small businesses used to garner trust and respect.
When a business write a white paper, the goal is to attract an audience outside of their typical reach. With a white paper you can offer industry-driven content that will help to build new audiences. While a white paper’s purpose is to provide actual evidence, it’s not used to tell your potential readers why they should buy or use your products or services. As mentioned above, it’s about expanding your reach.
Like an eBook, white papers are usually behind a gateway. It’s the perfect lead generation tool and a means to collect information from your readers. Data you can use to create audience engagement through another medium such as email marketing.
Social Media Posts
Social media is a great way to get the word out about your business. In fact, you can consider social media to be the 21st century answer to press releases. While using press releases is not obsolete, if you want to generate buzz about your business, using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any of the other popular platform is an excellent strategy.
Getting the word out about your business isn’t the only benefit you can expect from using social media. When used strategically, it can help to build brand awareness again by cultivating relationships with your target audience. Each social media fan or follower you gain will probably become a loyal customer, willing to tell their friends about your product or service.
Whether you use Facebook or any of the very popular platforms available, you can expect an extensive reach. Facebook alone has over two billion active users. These users visit the site to gather information about their interests, which could be to learn more about products, services, or a particular business. Because of social media, businesses have changed the way they market to customers.
When using social media to grow your business, consistency is the aim. To take full advantage of the reach social media can deliver, you need to post often, preferably daily. To do anything less is to risk losing exposure.
Video
Videos are becoming the norm to share content online and here is why. Because of the massive growth of YouTube, the second largest search engine online. Not far behind is Twitter and Facebook, two very popular mediums that’s becoming the fastest growing visual platforms on the internet.
These days, it makes sense to integrate video into your content strategy, considering that over 95% of visitors to sites such as Facebook will remember a message when engaged with a video post, before they would if they read a text post.
A smart strategy for any business is to use videos to stay ahead of their competitors by sharing their brand story. While the use of videos are becoming a mainstay for businesses, it shouldn’t be used to sell products or services. Instead, use this platform to connect emotionally with current and potential customers.
Like social media posts, the key to video distribution is consistency. It’s better to distribute ten short videos about your company than to spend months on one. Create short videos to introduce yourself and your employees, or to share testimonials from your clients or customers.
Email Marketing
Remember the gateway mentioned above to gain access to an eBook or white paper? This is where the data collected will be valuable. Armed with the email addresses gathered from those interested in your eBook or white paper, you can start an email marketing strategy that can continue to grow your business and build trust between future and current customers.
If you’ve read the post, Using Email Marketing To Grow Your Business, then you know Email marketing is one of the best marketing strategies used by big and small businesses. In fact, email is more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined. By using this online strategy, you are not only solidifying the relationships you’ve cultivated with your blog or white paper readers; you are building credibility.
Like an eBook or a white paper you can use email to establish authority in your field. Use it to demonstrate your knowledge and share relevant information about your company. The best way to do this is to offer value in every email you broadcast.
Email marketing is yet another popular content that can be a reliable form of communication between your brand and current and prospective customers. Also, it’s a cost-effective solution to reach customers through their inbox.
Infographics
Infographics is exactly what its name implies. It’s the use of graphics to present information or data. It gained popularity because the visual image which is usually a chart or diagram, take complex data and present them clearly.
Used across the web, most infographics are used to convey complex information by not only grabbing the attention of its viewer, but to present the information persuasively.
Big and small businesses use infographics. They are yet another tool used to build brand awareness and create credibility. And thanks to the internet and mediums such as Facebook and Twitter you can use infographics to expand your reach.
Infographics are not just an excellent way to depict data, they are the perfect vehicle to present evergreen content to your audience. Choose a topic that’s relevant and they can share your graphic for months even years.
While infographics are a useful business tool, it also takes effort to create a graphic that’s not only top notch, but will convey your message. With some graphic design skills you can create one yourself. However, if this isn’t an option, consider outsourcing to get an infographic that will convey your message.
Finally
These options are not the only ones you can use, but they are the ones most businesses implement to create an impact while attaining goals such as brand awareness, credibility and the ability to drive traffic to a site.
Whether you choose to use one or all of the suggestions above, it’s important to be strategic in your efforts. Start by creating a plan or a content strategy that will guide your efforts, and could help to generate the results you want.
