7 Tools to Turbocharge Your Content Marketing

2017 is the year of content marketing. Advertising is not as profitable as it used to be in terms of brand awareness, so now companies are furthering their reach by sharing their knowledge with the people who need their help.

What is content marketing?

It is a strategic approach to marketing a brand through the use of web copies like blogs and guest posts. Rather than write about your products or services, you will be writing about subjects related to your industry. The more helpful the content, the better.

What are the types of content marketing?

• Blogs

Blogs can contain how-to articles or news about your company’s industry. When people search for certain keywords, the search engine will lead it to the most relevant source. Your blog should be one of those sources.

• Photos

People are more visual nowadays, which makes them partial to image marketing through mediums like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. With an audience with short attention spans, informational photos are your best bet.

• Infographics

Aside from digital images, companies make use of infographics to show helpful statistics and information. The great part about this is that companies can play with the design to suit their needs. Graphic designers will also be able to help use visual psychology for your company’s needs.

• Videos

The best types of videos are short, contain text, and have useful and updated information. As mentioned, the content should not be promoting products, rather it should promote the fact that your company wants to make people’s lives easier.

Who uses content marketing?

There are many global brands that have turned to content marketing. These companies have the budget to pursue both ad placements and content marketing strategies, which makes them stay on top of their industry. For small business entrepreneurs, content marketing can put you on that same level, if the Google Search gods permit.

Related: What to Say When a Client Says You’re too Expensive

Why should you use content marketing?

The biggest benefit of content marketing is that you only pay for it once. You will either write and design your own content or source it from writers. It’s the best form of advertising because as long as your company is up and running online, people will keep going back to your content.

At the same time, they will see your brand, become curious about what you’re offering, and avail of your services if needed. Lastly, you get to monitor the type of people who visit your website, what they like to see, and which content works best for them.

1. Google Analytics

This is extremely necessary for content marketers. It tells you how many people viewed your content. You can see if your content is becoming popular or if it’s losing audiences. Once you see that, you can think of ways to redesign the type of content you put on your site.

Also, you can monitor the demographics that visit your site. That way, you can market the content to the people who view your website the most, i.e. men aged 18-35, women in the United States, etc.

2. Ninja Outreach

Ninja Outreach is a helpful tool that can connect you with people who can produce or host your content on their website. Just enter a keyword related to your business and you will be shown thousands of choices, from bloggers to influencers.

Using Ninja Outreach could get you the guest post that you need, but you could also start a contract with influencers who are focused on social media and content marketing. Another side benefit is that you can create lasting connections with the people you find on Ninja Outreach.

3. Pushwoosh

This application allows companies to send notifications through mobile devices, mobile applications, and desktop devices. If you noticed, many sites are promoting their viewers to receive notifications. They have the option to agree or not, but some people prefer to receive notifications from sites that post relevant information. Your goal is to be that site using Pushwoosh. Simply link your site’s RSS feed to Pushwoosh, which will send notifications to those who subscribe.

4. Feedly

This site is designed for idea generation. Whenever you cannot think of anything to post on your blog, you can simply browse the content on your Feedly account. Make sure that you collect content from sites that are relevant to your business and industry.

Check Feedly on a daily basis because the best content is the ones that are up-to-date, new, and resourceful. Outdated information will simply get lost in the sea of those who have already published it.

5. YouTube

Everyone knows what YouTube is, but as a content marketer, you need to know how to use it properly. When dealing with YouTube, you have the option to use your content – the video you produced for your company – as an ad or as a searchable video on the site.

If you choose the former, you will be paying YouTube to play your ads in the beginning and middle of the videos. That may cost you a lot of money, so you are better off posting your own videos on your own channel. Just make sure that you put the proper attributions, credits, and tags that can easily be searched. Lastly, to stand out from the rest, label your videos in a new and innovative way using phrases that are uncommon.

6. Trendspottr

If you feel that researching for your own content is too much work, you can simply look at Trendspottr to see what exactly is trending nowadays. With that type of information, you can get ahead of the competition and immediately publish content that is trending and easily searchable.

The key to getting your trending content out there is to post it where it is most visible, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Apart from that, you can also see which trends have negative and positive sentiments so you can write your piece in a positive light, depending on the need for your company.

7. BuzzSumo

This site relies on influencers, the way Ninja Outreach does, but it is not meant to connect you to these influencers. BuzzSumo compiles the most popular influencers, posts, and news so that you can see if it fits with your company’s content marketing strategy.

Even though it is a paid website, you still get your money’s worth because the information you get is way ahead of other content marketers who rely on free research. Just type in the keywords that are relevant to your field or industry and you will see the highest ranking results and the most up to date topics.

There are more than enough content marketing tools on the web that can uplift your business to a whole new level. You just have to find the right ones and use it to your advantage. The key to success in this arena is to make journalistic level content that overtakes even the most popular websites on the web.

 

Janet Anthony is a blogger from Kansas City and content writer at mastergrades.com