Content Marketing Best Practices That Will Change Your Lead Generation
Heard the rumor that content marketing best practices don't do it anymore? Too much noise, they say: stories, reels, blog posts, blah blah blah… Well, yeah, but there are 5.44 billion internet users out there! And a bunch of them are surely waiting for your content as if it's the encore of a rock concert.
Nailing the best practices for content marketing strategy is like preparing the stage for the show: you have to know what to do and how to do it right. After all, the main guitarist is nothing but your brand’s personality. So, we are here with the backstage pass to give you all the tools you need to hit the stage. Ready to start?
Why Classics Are Your Go-To Content Marketing Best Practices
Yeah, everything’s been done a million times before, but here’s the thing: if you use tried-and-true approaches, your chances of coming up with another chart-smashing masterpiece are increasing. Ha? How come?
You see – trying super-duper fancy-schmancy techniques is cool, go for it. But all those new, creative approaches CAN’T be at the core of your content marketing.
It’s like investing; you can’t put 100% of your funds into risky assets. Yes, returns can be mind-blowing. But they won’t be like that every single time.
What should you do instead?
We aren’t saying that you should use outdated content marketing tactics. Not at all! What you need instead is to build a solid basis for your content marketing.
Start with the classy fundamentals (80% of everything you do) and then add around 20% of those fresh approaches when creating content.
At the end of the day, content resonates with people, not because you jump on some trend or because you have a super cool business model. It resonates with them simply because they feel like you understand them and YOU can solve THEIR problem.
Content Marketing Goals: How to Set Objectives That Work
We all seem to know about the ‘basics’ of a good content marketing strategy, but do we actually apply it? Hehe! Well, it depends…
There are some fundamentals you can’t skip, like goal setting. Because how can you build a content marketing strategy without having any goals, right?
To rock the best practices in content marketing, you need to set goals that are SMART and CLEAR, like a guitar riff that cuts through the noise online and gets search engines to notice your site.
Now, let’s see what these frameworks actually mean and how you can apply them in your real-life content marketing.
The Difference Between SMART and CLEAR Goals
They are quite similar, but the CLEAR framework focuses on collaboration. Its main idea is to create a shared vision and goals within a team.
Which one should you use? We recommend using a combo of both. Here is an example of how you can set SMART and CLEAR goals in content marketing.
Example of SMART and CLEAR Goals in Content Marketing
Let’s say you want to increase organic traffic to your website. Here is how we can refine it by using both frameworks.
SMART:
- Specific: Increase organic traffic to your website by 20%.
- Measurable: These are the analytics tools we’ll use to track our website traffic.
- Achievable: A 20% increase is an achievable goal if we implement SEO, content optimization, and link building.
- Relevant: Increasing organic traffic is a relevant goal for our business because our website is one of our main sources of lead generation.
- Time-bound: We are planning to achieve this 20% increase in organic traffic within the next six months.
CLEAR:
- Collaborative: These are the teams and people who will be involved in the process of increasing our organic traffic.
- Limited in volume and duration: We have to increase traffic by 20% within six months. Note: This one is a combination of Specific and Time-bound in the SMART framework.
- Emotional: This is how each team member will benefit from this strategy (e.g., they can polish their skills in something). Plus, it is important to make sure that the goal is realistic and that no one is burning down.
- Appreciable: Every month, we can highlight our progress and celebrate successes along the way. That’s why it is useful to split your big 6-months goal into smaller milestones.
- Refinable: If we see that we don’t meet our smaller milestones, we see how we can tweak our tactics based on analytics and market trends.
See, both frameworks work perfectly together. Of course, some parts of them might be repetitive, but both are useful.
You might think that it’s obvious. But you know what? If you don’t meet your goals, try setting SMART and CLEAR objectives next time. We were skeptical, too…
Remember, whether you’re playing to a crowd or in a cozy coffee shop, these goals are your ticket to creating content that resonates with any target audience. Think about it as planning a world tour where every location is sold out.
How to Document Your Content Marketing Strategy
Okay, now, when your goals are all set, make sure you document your marketing strategy. Of course, you might have a content plan you need to produce content (e.g., a blog post, a case study, an infographic, etc.).
But if you want content marketing that boosts organic channels and makes people come for more, you need more than just a posting plan.
A content marketing strategy doesn’t have to be a lengthy PDF with tons of fluff. But it has to have answers to these 5 questions:
- WHERE are you heading? – This includes your SMART and CLEAR goals. The best solution is to have both long- and short-term plans (i.e., a 2-5-year strategy and monthly/quarterly “sprints”).
- HOW can you get there? – Here, you need to include the exact tactics and methodologies you are going to use to achieve each goal set before.
- WHAT do you need for that? – Always think about what you lack to achieve your objectives. Is it talent, budget, tools, or capacity? You name it. List all of those and consider how you can fill those gaps.
- WHEN do you need it done? – No marketing plan can work without a clear deadline. So make sure you set deadlines for every small step of the process.
- WHO is responsible for what? – Every goal needs to have a person responsible for it. Of course, at the end of the day, your CMO will be there reporting about everything. But the process itself has to be split between different team members. This way, you can maximize your efficiency. And, of course, set understandable and realistic KPIs for clear accountability.
Source: SemrushHow to Make All Your Content Marketing Channels Work: 101 Guide
Now, to make your content a headliner of a rock concert, you're going to need a bit of a chorus: all your channels should be singing in harmony. This is what marketers call – an omnichannel approach.
Now, how do you deal with content gaps without working yourself into the ground? Let’s pull back the curtain and set the stage:
Mission: Content Possible
Getting your content published seems to be the main goal today. We get it – all your content plans and deadlines are important. But is every post you create actually aligned with your marketing strategy?
Forget about posting anything just to fill the void: your messages need a mission. Look, we live in a world where 7.5 million blog posts get published EVERY single day.
Yes, most of it is just plagiarized nonsense.
Yes, most of it is useless AI-generated stuff.
But you know what? When you create content that is just meh, you fall into the same trap of publishing for the sake of publishing.
And in today’s oversaturated digital space, each piece is supposed to have a purpose, not just take up that virtual spot and blindly follow the industry trends.
In other words, you should be creating relevant content. Even if you have to scale back on the volumes you produce.
Your content should align with your audience's search intent (aka why people google what they google). Not sure how that works? It is a topic for another blog, but here is a guide from Semrush that gives you an overall idea of how to handle this.
Spotlight on Your Audience
Source: @fershadu on XEver seen a band playing in an empty room? That's what bad content does. It goes nowhere and pleases no one. It won’t boost your sales funnel or improve your clients’ buying process. And it certainly won’t help you achieve your business goals.
To make your digital marketing content more tangible, do a little jam session:
- Ask your current customers what tunes they want to hear (aka what is the information they would want to learn).
- Check out what's trending in your industry (you will know better what to add to your blog content, what visual content to use, and what marketing efforts to undertake).
- Decide who you’re not playing for. Sometimes, knowing who’s not your target audience is as important as knowing who is.
- See who your competitors are aiming for – maybe there is an untapped group of potential target audience for you there as well.
Content marketers know that a buyer persona should be as detailed as a rock legend's biography. That’s why be as precise as possible. Don’t just include demographics, pain points, and real-life quotes. Ask yourself about your buyer personas preferences – what would they choose? Where would they go? What would they expect?
Now it feels like you’re talking to real people, right? When it comes to the customer journey, well, you want to build it for humans, not SEO or your content marketing plan.
Get this right and sooner or later, you will see your organic traffic grow as well. In addition, you will get an audience who actually cares about your content.
Self-Reflection for Brands: Better Content Marketing Strategy
Source: @caleboluwole on XGreat brands are not just great product creators; they have powerful stories to tell. Some fiction writing will do here (well, almost). Here’s how to write your brand’s bestseller:
- Customer as a protagonist. The main character in your brand’s story is your customer. Successful content marketing strategy revolves around a client, always. In other words, make your story about THEM, not you.
- Brand personality sets the tone and atmosphere. Is your brand a mysterious thriller or a light-hearted comedy? It will affect your content creation process and influence the content marketing tools you use.
- Vision and values. These are your main themes. What big ideas and values does your brand stand for? Creating content without knowing this is, well, stupid (sorry, not sorry). If you don’t have a vision and you don’t know your values, how can you tell whether your content is relevant or not?
- Product and content as narratives. How do your product and content bring your story to life? Are they a good match? If not, it’s time to redefine your content marketing strategy and see how you can make your brand stand out.
These four are obviously at the top of the list of content best practices. Because your brand story is like a rollercoaster of emotions: authentic, relatable, and full of empathy.
Of course, we aren’t telling you to ignore target keywords, meta tags, and other purely technical things. But they alone won’t make your content special. While SEO is important, your story and brand personality is absolutely critical.
Focused Content Marketing Efforts: Make Connection, Not Noise
One of the proven content marketing best practices is an almost informal, chatty approach to content creation. Rest assured, this is exactly what most target audiences are waiting for.
Don't make them shout and hear only echoes. A content strategy that turns content production into a one-way street is already set to fail.
We have just three words for you when it comes to talking to your audience: engage, engage, and once more, engage!
Address your audience’s comments on social media platforms, and create clear, eye-catching CTAs and visuals to make them stop scrolling. It’s about making a connection rather than making noise.
Online marketing is all about the dialogue; simply distributing content is not enough. And the best content marketers know that you also have to… right, engage!
Yeah, we might sound like a broken record, but that’s our sacrifice to get you to finally engage with your people.
SEO: Making Friends With Google
Google is that cool kid in school you want to be friends with to make your content visible. This means whispering sweet keywords into the search engine ears.
Sounds too cheesy? That’s what we thought as well, but we left it there anyway. Why? To highlight the point that your writing shouldn’t be about keyword stuffing.
The truth is that Google can tell when you’re trying too hard. So, make sure your SEO is easy – don’t try too hard. At the end of the day, friendship with Google is a fine art, not a keyword sausage factory.
Search engine results pages (SERPs) are sensitive to high-quality content. By the way, your potential customers are drawn to that as well. Curious, huh?
Content Calendar: Make It Easy
Source: @trel_joonas on XSo, you have all your wonderful, creative content ideas out there. Now what? You have to be strategic and consistent. How?
Pack all those ideas into your content calendar. A good editorial calendar makes all the difference in your efficiency. Apart from simply scheduling your posts, don’t forget to include these:
- Target dates. When should you drop the big hits? Talk it through with different teams, not just your content marketers. You might be surprised, but there are some cool things happening in almost every division. Isn’t it worth sharing?
- Headlines. What's your hook? Include keyword research to boost a heading and stand out in the search engine results pages.
- Content formats. Whether it's a tweet, video, email marketing piece, or a LinkedIn post, plan each type of content as a part of your big world tour. Look at the best content marketing examples and create engaging content that makes your audience care.
- Target personas. Who are you serenading? Learn where your most traffic comes from so you can better grow your organic traffic.
- Main metrics. How will you measure the applause? There should be at least a few ways to calculate the impact of your content strategy. But don’t get too obsessed with the ROI. Those numbers in your reports are real people, and this should be your main focus.
Design Your Funnel, Lead Your Hero
Hero's path is a must. Your content marketing should align with each stage of the funnel. Otherwise, a buyer's journey will be a mess. Here's how to map it:
- Awareness. Tell your brand story, educate, or entertain your followers. User experience starts here. You can drive organic traffic right from this point.
- Consideration. Got problems? Let’s solve them and answer the questions with blog posts, social content, and how-to guides. User-generated content (USG) is king here.
- Decision. Bring the big guns out: the best practices require you to plan your lead generation with case studies, client reviews, and lead magnets. You can create separate web pages for this part. Remember that targeted landing pages can often attract more organic traffic.
- Retention. Time to put an emphasis on product benefits: create helpful content that tells about new features and add some heavy stuff like long-reads. Use authoritative content. It could be from influencers, industry leaders of thought, or just experts who say something like, “Hey, I have tried that, and it is excellent.” (Well, not this blunt, but you get it).
Native Approach: The Key to the Audience’s Hearts
The native approach is the opposite of aggressive ads and one of the content marketing best practices you should apply right away.
At some point, we all know ads are just a trick to get our attention, but when it’s done with care, humor, and creativity, we can’t help but be charmed.
Perform a content audit to see what you can make more native. Is your tone of voice unnecessarily institutional? Is your social media boring? Is your external content (ads, guest blogs, integrations, etc.) worthy?
Make sure your content marketing team is paying attention to these.
How Many Audiences Do You Have?
Source: @TolaEwuolaSEOThink you know your target audience? Think again! There are at least four different crowds tuning into your brand's show.
Surprised? Well, hear this: you can actually create these audiences for your brand!
- General audience. These guys are interested in your niche or topic, not just your brand. Your content marketing efforts should be focused on creating content that engages with them and provides value. Plus, of course, you have to stand out and build your authority.
- Followers. This is your fan base. They love and support your brand. They like your style and content. They deserve special treatment!
- Buyers. Those are your clients. Out of love or need, but they buy your products/services. They drive your business. To grow this part of your audience, you have to focus on converting copy. No matter what content marketing channels you use, think about how you can ensure your content drives action. Your copy has to address your clients’ pain points (i.e., their problems) and desired outcomes (i.e., your solutions).
- Advocates. Your #1 fans, often influencers, who spread the word about your brand. They could be an alternative to paid media, and they will easily boost your search volume. The key here is to choose your advocates wisely. They have to be credible for all your other audience segments.
Content Creation Made Easy: Hit Repeat on Your Content
Source: @iansells on XHave you ever felt like you're stuck in the same old song and dance, churning out fresh content week after week? It can leave you feeling like a one-hit wonder. In the end, all you get is just a lot of background noise.
But there is a way to get fresh content without burning out. How? Just two words: repurpose content. Best part? You don’t need to get a content marketing degree to know how to do this.
Let’s say you have a blog post. Turn it into an infographic or bite-sized social media snippets. Adapt your existing content to different formats. There are many options to choose from. Why not try them all?
Let’s take a look at more ways you can try:
- Change the tempo. Shorten a long video content into a quick teaser, or expand a short post into a detailed ebook. Adjust the length and depth of your content to cater to different audience preferences, just like a band can play a slow ballad or a high-energy anthem. This is how you get into new content formats and speed up your content creation process.
- Hit the road. Don't just play the same gig in the same venue. After you repurpose content, the next move is to share it on different platforms, reaching new audiences who might not have heard your original song (or, you know, read your blog post).
- Feature special guests. Collaborate with other content creators in your field. It makes the whole repurpose content thing way easier! Partner with them to reach their audience and expand your own. You can do joint webinars, post guest posts, or even co-create entirely new content based on your existing work.
Remember that for a good content marketing strategy, repurposing isn't just about saving time and energy (although those are awesome perks!). It's about giving your existing content new life, reaching a wider audience, and keeping your brand fresh and engaging.
Summing Up: Be Loud, Be Clear
Let’s be honest: all of us are content junkies. It's like our daily caffeine. But how do you stand out in this crowded café? Easily. Take care of your content marketing and you will never have to worry about lead generation ever again.
Most of the content marketing best practices are all about being there for your audience, sharing some emotions with them. Make sure you aren’t just selling when you appear in their feed on social media or in their inboxes. Be genuine and fun.
Now what? Use what you’ve learned today (like actually go and apply at least one of the best practices). Otherwise, it's like having a guitar and never playing it:)
