In an article for Entrepreneur, Eric Siu writes that content marketing can be an effective strategy for businesses, and that includes career colleges looking to increase enrollment numbers.
“Developing and nailing your marketing strategy is no easy task, especially when your initial brand awareness is limited to beta testers and a handful of personal contacts,” Siu writes. “Content marketing can help get the word out about your startup, but only if you’re on the top of your game.”
In his article, Sui offers several tips for utilizing content marketing, including the need for a detailed strategy.
“Customers operate on their own timeline and can’t be forced to buy your product,” Siu writes. “Your brand must stand out and dominate your market to attract life-sustaining revenue. Creating a content-marketing strategy is one cost-effective tool in your arsenal to start dominating.
“Before you ever create a single piece of content, stop and consider your strategy. Know what it’s going to look like, sound like, convey, its goal and how it will reflect on your business. Look at your company’s mission statement and understand its core values and infuse it into your marketing strategy.”
That’s where Paradigm Digital comes in. We can help you develop not just a content marketing strategy, but also a complete Internet marketing plan that is unique to your needs.
Siu also writes about the importance of understanding your audience.
“Creating content without understanding your audience is a complete waste of time and money,” Siu says. “Companies with a website-content strategy designed around their audience’s preferences are nearly twice as likely to convert as those without. Further, 73 percent of online buyers get frustrated when website content appears to have nothing to do with them.”
Siu adds that it is important to “Study your audience through market research, blog comments, online surveys and talking to them at events and conferences to figure out their needs and pain points.” Once again, this is a service that Paradigm Digital can provide.
Additional suggestions from Siu include:
· Consider running focus groups in exchange for a chance to win a free product or discount code. Get deeper insights into their demographic information, lifestyle habits and product perception.
· Treat your audience like you would a friend you’re getting to know and respect. Engage with your audience on social media to learn more about their interests. Collect and refine all the data you gather to customize your content.
· Win leads with consistency.One of the greatest challenges involved in content marketing is maintaining a consistent presence. The limited attention span of online audiences creates a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” mentality necessitating a constant flow of content. The numbers speak for themselves. Companies that produce a mere 15 blog posts per month reported an average of 1,200 more leads per month as a result.
· Establish a workflow pipeline and schedule to show your audience you’re reliable and stay on at the forefront of their minds when they need your services. Establish which team member creates ideas, who approves them, who writes them, who edits them and who publishes them to keep a steady flow of blog posts, infographics and videos funneling into the hands of customers.
“Above all else, know that content marketing isn’t about quick, easy results,” Siu adds. “Like any relationship, getting to know your customers takes time, and earning their trust and respect is a privilege. Show customers you care by creating content that reflects how you can serve them and their unique needs.”
Not all of these tips and plans may be a good fit for your career college or trade school, which is why it can be a good idea to utilize the services of a firm like Paradigm Digital that can help you figure out the best strategy to your meeting your Internet marketing needs.
Our plans are not guesses; they are calculated strategies based on the needs and goals of your career college. Today’s marketing landscape is different than it was several years ago, which is why you need a marketing strategy that is different than you were doing several years ago.