Content marketing tips to build a following

For some, there’s nothing scarier than a blank cursor blinking on a page.

To others, there’s a level of excitement that comes from the same scenario. Even if you currently identify with the former, there’s an opportunity for you to change your tune to succeed with content for your marketing efforts.

Writing doesn’t have to be your strong suit to succeed at content marketing. Follow these tips to ensure that your content strategy is moving in the right direction.

Assert Authority

When you write about something regularly and publish it, you become an authority in whatever you’re writing about. Let’s be clear—these need to be carefully thought out instead of simply writing to write.

Do your research and come up with a calendar for what you want to say and when.

Build Relationships

The beautiful thing about content marketing is that you don’t have to always do it yourself. There’s an added benefit when you seek help from outside sources. That means you get a free pass that week from writing, so if you’re busy, you can simply edit and post.

It also means that you will build relationships with people in your industry. When you work with others, they’ll want to share what you posted on your site. That gets you free publicity.

Grammar Guidelines

There are rules, and then there are guidelines. It’s important to follow all rules of grammar, such as using the correct form of “to” “too” and “two.”

And then, there are guidelines. Will you use the oxford comma? Do you spell out the word “okay” or do you write it as “OK.”

There are tons of different rules that you’ll need to be clear on for consistency. Nothing messes up a good thing like inconsistent grammar.

Trust us… people notice.

Stick with It

In the movie Field of Dreams, there’s a famous line that goes, “If you build it, they will come.”

While that’s not entirely true of content marketing, it is a great place to start. 

First, you have to build it. But then, you have to consistently provide value with your content. While you should post on a regular basis, as a general rule of thumb you should only post if you have something to say.

Ask yourself if you would find value in the types of things that you’re posting to your blog or site.

If you would, proceed full speed ahead.

How to develop a clear marketing message

If you’ve played the game telephone, you know how a message can get mixed up before it reaches its target.

One person whispers a message to the next person, and so on, until it reaches the last person. Most often, that message is nowhere near the starting message.

Marketing can be kind of like that, if you’re not careful.

The single most important aspect of marketing is to make sure that the message you want to convey is the same message that your audience receives.

That means your business needs to develop a clear, concise message that is easily relatable with your marketing efforts. Here’s how to make sure you’re coming in loud and clear.

Craft the Message

Figuring out what you want to say could be the hardest part. Sometimes, marketing messages go out with little thought at all other than the end goal. Determine what you want the end goal to be and then discuss how you can make that happen.

Brainstorming is the first step. Maybe your business determines that you need to get more new customers, and you think you can do that with a special offer.

The returning business from these new customers would far outweigh the money spent on that marketing campaign. This is just one example of an outcome from a brainstorming session. You’ll be able to be much more detailed with a specific case.

Eliminate Jargon

Messy words and muddled messages happen when you overthink the message or assume your audience knows more than they do. Take a look at your message and act as if it were the first time you were hearing of your company or the special offer.

Would you understand it? Does it get the point across? Would you be likely to follow through with whatever you were asking for? You could even ask somebody who isn’t familiar with the marketing campaign if they understand what you’re aiming for.

Use the Right Channel

Sometimes it’s not about the message you’re creating and it’s more about how you’re delivering it. You could have the best copy and it might completely flop because you didn’t get it to your audience in the right way.

For example, if you’re trying to reach an audience of mainly baby boomers, your first choice to reach them probably wouldn’t be snapchat.

However, if you were trying to reach a group of teens with your message, snapchat might be the way to go.

Figure out what makes the most sense. Also, don’t forget that you can tie in different parts of your marketing campaign to different channels.

Often asked: Isn't the print industry dying?

Flyers for a trade show on 100 lb. gloss text

The print industry is not dying, it is shifting and evolving, as it and all long standing industries do.

The section of the print industry that has declined is the commercial print and newspapers. Technology is making our section of the print industry easier and more efficient.

The work that large commercial printers used to provide has shifted towards our section of the industry. Minuteman Press will continue to evolve as the industry does.

We will continue to add revenue streams and profit centers for our owners to capitalize on and enable them to continue building their business and we will continue to use cross media marketing efforts to help our clients businesses grow.

What has not changed in the 40 years we have been in business and will not change in the next 40 years is the need for businesses to market and advertise their services.