5 Key Principles of Content Marketing

I know a lot of people trying to figure out how to supplement their incomes with an Internet business. Some of them ask me how to go about it. While that's a huge endeavor involving many pieces, the key is writing on the web using content marketing.

What you publish on web pages works to attract a targeted audience of people who are interested in finding solutions to their problems.

Remember, the number one reason people use the Web is to get information.

That's why I recommend starting with a blog. A blog is a communications and publishing tool you can use to attract readers, those people who are your ideal prospects. Of course the next question is "What do I write about?"

That's where you need to learn how to do Content Marketing.

What are the principles of Content Marketing to abide by? Here are some good tips from Velocity UK, a marketing consultancy firm who just published a great B2B Content Marketing Workbook.

Content marketing plays by different rules than traditional, ‘broadcast-style’ marketing, here are some of the key ones:

1. It’s not about you.
   
   Your critical first step as a content marketer is to put your own agenda aside and put your prospect’s agenda at the heart of your marketing.
2. Pick a single, high-priority issue.
   
   Content marketing is issues marketing. Pick a topic that matters to your audience and stick to it. One issue at a time is usually best.
   
   You may be desperate to talk about your vision, your technology and the benefits they confer. Suppress the urge. Your prospect couldn’t care less. They want to talk about their problems, their challenges, their opportunities and the very real things that stand in their way.
3. Find some clear water.
   
   You need to find an issue that hasn’t been beaten to death already by competitors, analysts and editors. If there’s only really one main issue at stake, give it a novel spin; zoom in on a detail; zoom out to put it in context – anything to keep things fresh and make people want to know more.
4. Aim for an independent tone of voice.
   
   If it’s really not about you, you don’t have to cram your widget into every paragraph. There will be opportunities to allude to your offer but if you over-exploit them, you undermine the value of the piece. The reader knows you have an agenda but will respect you more if you can set it aside and
   speak as a neutral adviser.
5. Support your story with data.
   
   A strong story is compelling. A strong story supported by credible data is irresistible. Do anything you have to do to get that data. Don’t argue your case, prove your case.

The Velocity B2B Content Marketing Workbook is authored by Doug Kessler and provides great information. Download it and read it, it's important. It's an overview that any small business professional needs to grasp for any online business, not just B2B.

Comments

[Jenny Pilley]

I think we all get carried away when there is something our business has that we feel is unique. However, I agree that the only way to succeed is to ensure you attract and maintain customers but talking about yourself can lose potential sales. It is always about the customer, we must learn in our content marketing to put our sales pitches behind to a certain extent. Great points Patsi.