Section 5

Content Marketing Strategy: Steps, Tips & Best Practices

Content is something that stands at the apex of online marketing. What was traditionally a method used by companies to set yourself apart from competitors is now an absolute part of their branding efforts. Content marketing is at the crux of every digital marketing campaign. With all said and done, you might still be wondering why content is so important?

To help you gain a better perspective, we have put together a list of the top advantages that content marketing can bring to your business. .

Content Leads to Conversions

If you are still wondering why content is so important then you need to go no further than the conversions good content brings to a site. If you are looking to up your game with conversions, then you need to have good content.

Content helps you to connect with your leads. Not only are you working to build trust, but you are also gaining conversions by giving consumers the information they require to make an educated decision with regard to their purchase.

In order to optimize for maximum conversions, you need to include a clear call-to-action that tells the reader what to do next after they are finished reading your content. Converting customers can mean making a purchase, getting more information, or subscribing to your e-mail newsletter, you want to make it clear to the reader what to do next, depending on the nature of your business.

Better Content, Better SEO

The role of content becomes clearer when you look at its influence on the bigger picture: Search Engine Optimization. SEO’s primary aim is to improve the online visibility of your business. That is about the gist of it. If you want to improve your SEO, you need to create optimized content.

Google prefers quality over quantity when it comes to content.

The more content that you have on your site, the better the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) will rank you. This does not mean that you create blog post after blog post of content that is irrelevant to your business. What you need to be doing is focusing more on your target audience.

This means that the more relevant content that you have on your site, the more reason your visitors stick around. This means a higher on-site time, which positively impacts SEO. The time spent on one page is also an indicator that your site provides valuable content.

Content is Cost-Effective

If you are wondering why content marketing is important, you need to understand the ways in which businesses bring in leads. Lead generation helps build customers and get more traffic. Content marketing is a cost-effective tool for lead generation.

Content costs about 62% less and generates about 3 times as many leads, according to a statistic by DemandMetric.

The affordability of content marketing makes it an effective tactic that helps both small and large businesses utilize their budget in the most efficient manner. Creating content is a time-intensive process, and it can be a while when you actually start seeing the results of your efforts, even if you have optimized the content very nicely.

But good news: The hard work pays off. A report by Social Media Examiner shows that 81% of marketers experienced a rise in traffic by investing smartly in their content. The ROI (Return on Investment) is very high if the content is good. In order to achieve such a result, you need to develop a content marketing strategy that you create just for the sake of creating better content.

Niche Content and Expertise

Consumers interact with people who know what they are. In terms of your business, it is imperative that you know just about everything related to your industry and content is the best way to prove that.

Think of Neil Patel and Brian Dean. Their respective blogs on online marketing show that both of them know a lot about the industry they are operating in, which is why it feels authentic whenever they post their content.

You need to adopt the same strategy with your business as well. Research the ins-and-outs of your industry and you will come up with better content. The enriched content that you create will, in the eyes of consumers, certainly make you come off as an authentic resource.

Content and the Domino Theory

Let us assume for a minute that you followed the instructions in steps 4 and 5. You created a content strategy and started posting industry focused articles. What do you think will happen in a couple of months?

A trickle-down effect. The content was so effective that the reader kept on wantingmore. He or she looked at the other articles that you had written, and he found more information, he kept on going. Congratulations! You just created a lead.

PLAGIARISM AND HOW TO AVOID IT

In the early years of the internet, plagiarism was not that much of a problem because you would see original content almost everywhere. As time passed by and the internet evolved into the giant that it is today, plagiarism started to become an issue.

Plagiarism is unethical. Robbing someone of his or her original content is not only a bad thing to do, but it is also counterproductive. If you are plagiarizing content, then you are actually on the losing side. Your SEO ranking goes under, and your reputation as a blog or a brand is jeopardized.

We have compiled a list of tips that you can follow in order to avoid plagiarism, and make your website content original.

Paraphrase

If you have found an article or a piece of information that is perfect for your blog, do not just copy it down. Instead, take the time to paraphrase the article in your own words. That way, you can make the content your own, and not indulge in plagiarism.

Cite

This is the alternative to paraphrasing. If there are several articles that you have found resourceful, then cite the article in your research. You can add the authors and the date of the publication to achieve a perfect citation.

Quoting

When you are quoting an author or a blog, try to make sure that it is represented exactly the way it is. No one likes to be misquoted, and many institutions frown upon it. In order to avoid plagiarism, you should quote properly.

Citing Quotes

Citing is different from paraphrasing because it involves the addition of a page number, or a paragraph number, rather than web content.

Referencing

If you want to avoid plagiarism, you should always include a reference to an article or a publication you have used within your post or paper. Online references can come in various formats, but academic references are usually based on the guidelines by the educational institutions. There is a stark difference between the two.

FINDING CONTENT WRITERS

If you are a business, you would agree that there is a need for a continuous flow of high-quality content in the form of landing pages, blog posts, e-books, and articles. The articles work toimprove the position of the brand online and helps to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Content marketing is a useful and cost-effective tool to gain customers.

But the problem is that you, as a business, do not have the time to create all that content yourself, right. You have to look at every other part of the business, and content development just becomes an addition that slowly evolves into a burden. You can build an in-house content development team as a solution to that problem, but it might cost you a pretty penny.

The alternative that you can try out is to hire freelance writers to do that job for you. It is a good alternative, but finding a freelancer can be a difficult task. There are so many options out there, and it might become tough for you to decide which freelancer is best for you.

In order to help you find a competent freelancer, we have compiled a list of the best websites to hire freelance writers that will help you grow your business.

LinkedIn ProFinder

ProFinder is home to more than 50,000 highly competent freelancers, many of whom have years of experience in the field of copywriting, editing, and blogging. It is easy to find top quality freelancers on ProFinder. Simply post the type of work you require, and ProFinder’s algorithm will start connecting you with the most qualified freelance writers and editors, who will kick off your project in no time.

Contently

With over 55,000 freelancers, Contently is the prime destination for all your content development needs. If you are looking for a team of writers that know your niche, then Contently's curated platform will help you build a world-class team from their pool of freelancers.

The only downside to Contently is that it is limited to businesses who have a large budget.

Scripted

If you are looking to make your content marketing strategy stand out, then Scripted has you covered. Blog post writers, copywriters, marketing copy, social media post writers, Scripted has them all.

The talent pool of Scripted is exclusive, meaning that it is hard to get a Scripted account if you are not a professional. Only 2% of freelancers are accepted, all of whom are specialists in their job.

The competitive advantage that Scripted provides is similar to Contently. They pair you up with the very best in the industry, so you do not have to worry about anything. The prices, again, very similar to Contently, are not for companies with small budgets. You need to have a subscription to the site, which recently rose up to start at $49.99 with long-form articles rates going at $39 per post.

ProBlogger Job Board

ProBlogger Job Board has been around since 2002, and since its conception, it has transformed into the freelance writer hub that it is today. With an average of around 100 active posting at any given time, ProBlogger’s job board is without a doubt, an ideal place for you to find professional writers.

Mediabistro

Mediabistro describes itself as a site that focuses on media job listings. It provides writing career advice and training, and its active job board attracts both full-time and freelance writers.

Skyword

Skyword is the premium content marketing platform that provides you with a dedicated team to help you in your content development process. It poses of high standards when it comes to freelancers, allowing only the professionals to become members.

CloudPeeps

This customized freelancing site is your best possible solution for finding remote help with writing content. Whether it be writing a long-form investigative article, beefing up your email marketing copy, or developing a content marketing strategy, if you hire a freelancer from CloudPeeps, you are not going to get disappointed.

They have a meticulous, and well curate system for freelancers and their internal platform takes care of all the legal and financial details so you do not have to.

FreelanceWriting

This free-to-advertise job listing site has been delivering job opportunities to freelance writers for over 20 years. This site, being free, has a lot of noise and some not-so-good freelancers but if you are able to sift through all the clutter to find a good freelancer, you will not be disappointed with the level of work from the writer.

You can also sign up to their daily job updates newsletter straight to your inbox with their Morning Coffee Newsletter.

WriterAccess

WriterAccess is home to over 14,000 freelancers with over 20,000 customers. It is a self-curated platform, best for finding tech writer, editors, bloggers, translators, content strategists, and copywriters.

The talent pool of freelancers is vetted, so you do not have to worry about mediocre freelancers getting a job. The freelancer rates per words are economical, ranging from $0.02 to $0.10. The rates are also maintained as per the level of expertise. This means that you can get a 1000 word, good quality blog post written anywhere between $20 to $100.

Freelance Writing Gigs

This content publishing platform has been ranked as a top 10 blog for writers. It has been publishing amazing content, providing resources for writers and sharing daily freelance writing jobs for their 200,000 monthly readers.

Many freelancers and employers keep this site bookmarked because of the number of writing gigs that go live every day on this site.

Journalism Jobs

This site is famous for providing full-time opportunities to freelance writers in the digital media and journalism industry. Some of their famous clients are AppleInsider, Patch, Heavy.com, and PrepScholar.

JournalismJobs.com is best for employers looking to hire a freelancer for creating long-form research and investigative articles or for establishing a freelance editorial team for your business.

The Junk-Free Job Board at Freelance Writer's Den

This paid community of just 1,200 writers is operated by freelance writer Carol Tice. The site is highly engaging and has writers that are the most serious and skilled in their business.

It is free to post a job opportunity in this community. Moreover, you can also search through their freelancer database for niche-specific freelancers.

Being an exclusive site, Writer’s Den does not accept posting for short blog posts from $50 per post, and long-form articles for less than $100 per post. Their community of professional writers commands a higher rate, but they do not compromise on quality.

Zerys

Zerys is the freelance marketplace built specifically for small businesses and agencies looking to hire content creators for the purpose of scaling their business. After signing with their site, you can use their DIY platform to create a content plan, and then hire freelancers to work on that. Additionally, you can also employ Zerys white glove service that includes a consultation and project management plan for your content. Once your writers are finished, you can export their content directly into your WordPress or HubSpot blog.

Constant Content

Constant Content is home to over 100,000 freelancers, taking a unique approach towards satisfying their 50,000 customers. Once you are signed up as a business, you can join up with freelancers to help you write unique blog posts and copy, or choose from their library of thousands of pre-written blog posts from over 100 different niches.

Constant Content provides you with two alternatives. If you want content, you can hire a freelancer but if you want it fast, there is always the option for using their library.

Creative Circle

Creative Circle is hailed as one of the largest marketing and creative staffing firms in the United States. This company has a specialized pool of freelance writers, editors, and content marketers that deliver quality content. Their hands-on hiring process is also beneficial for finding a freelance writer that can work with you on a daily basis.

Writing Yourself. An Alternate Argument

On both a personal and professional level, writing is an extremely important tool. When it comes to content writing, it is not something that you should do on the side while building your business. When you are writing content on a regular basis, you are translating your business in the first person to the rest of the world.

Now we have talked a lot about hiring freelancers and the best websites on the internet to hire them. But if you are on a budget, then you should definitely try to write content on your own. There are several advantages to writing your own content, and we have listed out some of them here:

Expressing Your Own Voice

Writing helps you to express your voice in a manner that is like no other. It is your fingerprint – unique to only you. No freelancer can have the same impact on your content rather than your own voice. Your voice is like your personality. It has features and attributes that only you can fully express. No one else can adopt the traits that your voice has.

In order to make that voice heard across the internet, we would recommend that you develop an identity for your voice. When you have that in place, you will be able to attract the audience that is suited towards your content, your products, and services.

Whatever niche that you might be operating in, the content should attract people who are interested in that niche. You cannot expect to get good traffic on a movie review if your voice is developed to sound like a professor! Only by developing the right kind of voice can you hope to attract the following that you want. Once you tap into that voice, it will make all the difference in the world.

Brand Authenticity

Everything about you should directly affect your brand. Your tweets, content, followers, and everything else should be reflective of your brand. The effort that you make to make your brand will shape how people view your brand, there is a direct connection.

Writing content, as previously discussed is detrimental to building a brand. You cannot have a brand unless you have a body of work that highlights that brands’ presence. Writing about your industry is that body of work.

When you write for yourself, you are viewing yourself as the voice of that brand.

Speaking Directly to Your Audience

Writing your own content has two major benefits. Firstly, you connect with your audience. Whenever your audience reads a blog post, they know that it is your voice that they are hearing. Secondly, it delivers you value as the creator of that content. You are learning about your audience, learning about your industry, and informing yourself.

When you are reading a piece of content or researching issues relative to your industry, you are learning. Afterward, when you write about that issue, you are sharing your opinion regarding that subject. The feedback comes in the form of how the audience responded to your viewpoint, which also becomes an opportunity to learn.

Responding to Your Audience

Writing yourself allows you to speak directly to your audience. It also allows you to respond to them.

Try to remember that whenever someone comments on your blog, you should always try to respond. It is a fact that you cannot reply to everyone, but the responses that you write should acknowledge what your audience is trying to say. But why should you respond to everything your audiences have to say?

Here is the thing, Content marketing is not just aboutbroadcasting information. It is also about receiving feedback. It is a method of starting a conversation. Once you start a conversation, you have the responsibility to follow up with them. From these conversations, newer content is created as a result.

The interactions that you have on your content can prove resourceful in the long run.

Staying with the Times

When you are employing a freelancer or ghostwriter, you are not doing the research work, which means that your industry knowledge might become rusty in pursuit of running a business.

Running a business is not easy, we get it, but you should avoid coming to the point that you start to run the business in a vacuum. You should always stay ahead of the trends, changes, and innovations related to your field.

Because here is what will happen if you do not. You will start to run a downward spiral, the effect of which will show up in your business one way or another. To avoid that, you should write your own content. Now you might argue that in order to stay ahead of the trends, you should just read the blogs related to your industry. That is a good option, but writing your own content forces you to perform in-depth research regarding your subject matter. Eventually, such extensive research will evolve to make you a thought leader within your niche, which is not a title you can achieve if you just read daily blogs related to your industry.

Conclusion

We have talked a lot about content in this section. In the first part, we talked about the importance of writing good content, and the benefit it provides to your site traffic and brand identity. The next part of the article discussed the frowned-upon phenomenon of plagiarism and ways to avoid it. We later discussed the various sites where good content writing freelancers can be found and wrapped it up with the benefits of writing the content yourself. As our discussion continues, the next part will be crucial, since it will discuss the launch of your website.