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4 Tips to Take Your Content Marketing Program to the Next Level

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How to Separate Your Content Marketing from Your Competitors’

Content marketing is becoming more prevalent for both B2B and B2C marketing, which means it’s time to think about separating yourself from the pack.

What are the ways to stay ahead of the curve in capturing your target audience’s attention and furthering your business goals?

Incorporate the following four practices to remain at content marketing’s leading edge.

1. Content Promotion, Not Just Creation

Let’s say you’ve done the work over the past few years to build your company’s capacity in content marketing, you’ve stayed current with your editorial calendar, and it’s paid off in a steady stream of high-quality content.

It’s important now to make sure you are doing everything you can to promote what you’ve produced. It takes more than publishing on your blog to maximize your content’s exposure.

The simple next step is distribution on social media. But give as much thought to how you are presenting the content as you did to the content’s creation. That means compelling introductions to accompany your posts to draw in your audience and create urgency to click through.

It also means accompanying your content with well-curated images. Consider using a free design service like Canva to take your imagery to the next level with easy-to-customize creative design elements and embedded words and phrases.

Remember also that you can extend the shelf life of your content by:

  • Repackaging it into a different format
  • Reposting it on social media with a different image and intro
  • Reposting it to a different social media platform

2. Diversify Formats

Every great content idea can be presented in multiple formats. For example, if you’ve written a definitive product guide that your audience particularly responded to and has led to new leads for your company, turn that into a video!

The heart of the content stays the same, just repurpose it as a vide script. The result is new life and an expanded audience for your content.

Diversifying the presentation of your content also helps you and your team build new skills that will provide long-term benefits for your content marketing program.

3. Think Mobile-First

It’s a bit of a paradox: your content creation happens on a desktop or laptop, yet most of your audience’s content consumption will happen on a mobile device.

Most consumers will only go so far with your content on their phones. People prefer larger screens when filling out forms and making purchases.

But there are ways to increase conversion rates with mobile-friendly design:

  • Minimize the number of keyboard strokes it takes to complete a form or make a purchase on your mobile website
  • Reassure your prospects that their mobile purchase is secure
  • Make it possible for customers to start their purchase or conversion on a phone then continue it later on a desktop or laptop

4. Encourage User-Generated Content

Your customers are your secret content creation weapon.

Not only will your content marketing benefit from unprecedented levels of creativity and enthusiasm by tapping into your customer base, it will also be more likely to resonate. User-generated content is more engaging and more trusted than content created by companies.

Companies big and small have hit the user-generated content bonanza with promotions that ask customers for photo and video submissions. Ideas include fun or unique ways to use products and crowd-sourced product ideas.

Encourage participation with prizes, and reward the best submissions.

Even collecting and sharing your Google reviews and client testimonials can make for great content, particularly for B2B brands. Create an attractive graphic template and share your best reviews to show how you consistently delight customers.

If your user-generated content campaign is successful, it will enliven your social media pages with great content and conversations.

Having a bare-minimum content marketing program is no longer enough to separate you from your competition. Use these practices to maintain your edge.

Thanks for stopping by,
Laura

Editor’s note: This blog was originally published in August 2017 and has been edited and updated in March 2022.

Shannon Briden

Account Manager
Shannon brings her MBA education and design background to find creative, innovative solutions to everyday marketing problems.

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