Content is the heart of any Inbound Marketing effort. Without relevant, targeted, valuable content to share the entire program can die quickly. Many organizations have a tough time looking at their existing content and deciding what to use, what can be repurposed or what new items need to be created.
These 5 steps can make the process much simpler and quicker!
1. Start with your target – Instead of evaluating your entire content library and looking at every brochure, presentation, web page, white paper, etc., start by thinking about what your target will be searching for. What are their pain points? What challenges are they trying to overcome? What has driven them to their computer to look for answers? Asking yourself those questions should quickly result in several topic categories to use for your offers and campaigns.
2. Segment your topics – Now that you have your list of topic silos and campaigns, think about the logical information to share based on your prospect’s level of interest. For example, if one of your silos is buying a car, what sub categories make sense to expand on? You’d probably consider additional content related to researching the right type of vehicle, what to look for during a test drive, financing options and maybe even potential maintenance plans. Creating content around sub topics helps further educate your prospects, demonstrates your thought-leadership and shows that you’re the one they should be talking to because you have the information they need.
3. Review existing content – With a good understanding of the types of content you want to share, now’s the time to take a look at what you already have. What have you created that fits those defined topics? Is there anything that could/should be edited or produced in a different format? Reviewing your content with a clear picture of what you’re looking for makes the process far more efficient.
4. “Funnelize” your material – With your usable material in hand, create a matrix of your campaign content based on where your prospects might be in the sales funnel. If they’re in the top of the funnel, choose pieces like blog articles, tip sheets, videos and general overview pieces that offer education on the topic. For those in the middle of the funnel, more in-depth education, like eBooks and white papers, that demonstrate your expertise are best. Leave high-value offers like evaluations, worksheets, discounts, etc., for prospects in the bottom of the funnel who are ready to buy.
5. Create missing items – Take a look at your matrix. Identify gaps where there's missing content items for the stages of the funnel and in your nurturing campaigns. These are the items you’ll need to create in order to round out your content inventory.
It's important to have your content library full of the information prospects are looking for, whatever their stage in the buying cycle is. Need a little help getting started? Download our content creation templates to jumpstart your activities.
Topics: Inbound Marketing, Content Marketing
