How To Increase Your Revenue Through Superb Content Marketing

Every entrepreneur faces the same tough decision about content marketing: What to write about on your blog. These top 25 content marketing bloggers have it down.

It’s not sufficient to blog about how customers can make better use of your product. People seek practical information, of course, but they’re especially drawn to content that makes them smile and even laugh.

Content marketing is more than just an advertising tool; it furnishes the reader with an experience. This type of content, if you can come up with it on an ongoing basis, will expand your readership and inevitably increase your sales.

Advertising vs. content marketing … what’s the difference?

When you run an ecommerce site, the goal is to sell your products or services. Online advertising employs a message to grab the consumer’s attention and get him or her to visit your website where the person has an opportunity to make an immediate purchase.

Content marketing involves a somewhat different approach. The actual content is the product you want your visitors to consume.

It’s not an approach to fast sales; it’s a portion of a broader, more long-term marketing strategy. When it’s done correctly, content marketing educates consumers, develops brand loyalty, and encourages people to return for more.

Whether you’re new to content marketing and want to start doing it, or you hope to improve existing efforts, here’s how to make it work for you.

1. Understand that content marketing isn’t “blogging”

Content marketing is the art of consciously producing and distributing high-quality content toward a specific purpose. Though you might choose to market the content from your blog, blogging alone isn’t content marketing; it’s more of a structure for your content.

A blog is a structure, not a strategy

A blog is simply one possible structure for releasing your content on a periodic basis so readers may access it through calendar style and category navigation.

According to ProBlogger.com, a blog (short for “weblog”) is a “hierarchy of text, images, media objects and data, arranged chronologically that can be viewed in an HTML browser.” It’s also a “frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.”

Your website might be constructed on a popular blogging platform such as WordPress, but that doesn’t mean your content necessarily has to function within the structure of a traditional blog.

If you can generate ongoing content for publication, a blog can be an appropriate strategy for your content. If not, stick to a traditional webpage and main navigation structure.

 2. Create wonderful content … especially when it’s a blog

The type of content you create will depend on your industry, but don’t get stuck in assuming your content has to be limited to “tips and tricks” or how-to guides. Try to think a little beyond the normal boundaries of your market: ask yourself if a broader topic might complement your existing products or services.

The Canvas Factory ( an ecommerce business) blog is a successful example of content that stretches beyond the obvious boundaries of the market. The firm’s main focus is customized canvas photo prints, but its blog goes over a wide variety of related topics, such as interior design ideas, gift giving ideas, wedding checklists, and more. Elissa, the inhouse content and social expert for TheCanvasFactory.com.au, gave us a little look into their content process. “We spend a good amount of time looking into how our audience reacts to each piece of content and use that to tailor our next content efforts. Metrics such as engagement, likes/retweets, traffic and of course revenue all play a large part in deciding what we do next.”

It makes sense that people who are interested in having their memories printed on canvas might also be interested in learning about other interior design ideas.

Take a step back from your actual product line(s), and think about the overall (or underlying) themes that relate to these products. For instance, if you sell clothing for outdoor adventures, you might consider composing content that addresses the subjects of staying safe or warm outdoors. Of course, that’s already been done.

Instead, think beyond the practical uses and publish interviews with inspiring people about their outdoor adventures, such as their mishaps and close calls. That sort of thing will grab and hold people’s attention.

3. Advertise your content, not just your products

Perhaps by now, you’ve explored Google and Facebook PPC ads, and maybe they brought in some additional traffic. If your ads have only been linked to your products thus far, though, you should start linking to your best content as well.

Remember, your content is the product. Use PPC ads to get people interested in consuming the ideas and stories you have to share. This is a professional marketing strategy that often gets lost.

PPC ads drive the strategy of retargeting

Have you ever looked briefly at a product on eBay or Amazon and later noticed that product following you around online? That’s known as retargeting.

You visited a specific webpage, and as a result, instead of seeing random ads you’re receiving targeted ads. If you can do it, retargeting will give you an opportunity to reel in all those visitors who left your site without making a purchase.

According to MarketingProfs.com, “retargeting allows you to serve ads to people who have visited your website…. you can stay in touch with people who have left your site without converting.”

It’s your strategy that counts the most

Large national corporations create clever marketing campaigns in order to reach people around the world. Try to emulate the big brands: guide your content marketing efforts according to a strategy. Once you have that, no piece of content should be circulated unless it serves a purpose within your strategy.

Blogtrepreneur
 

Blogtrepreneur is a website where busy entrepreneurs learn to strategically use blogging as a way to exponentially grow our business and make more money.