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Content marketing is hot right now!
Promoting a content marketing career online can be very different from attempting to do the same through hard, carbon copies.
The internet is more vibrant, more changing, and broader than most physical marketing opportunities that ever rear their heads.
Because of this, a specific approach should be taken to enhance online content marketing.
1. Know Your Audience
Sadly one of the most often overlooked points in content marketing, knowledge of your audience is key to experiencing success in this field. Prior to creating content, research the targeted audience’s demographics; find out what other similar content has been previously published that was favorably received.
Marketing will not be successful if it is not aimed at a specific group of people. At the same time, it is important to take advantage of the fact that the internet is the most universally accessible means to information.
Know who your audience is, but do not market your content so narrowly that it is too difficult for random individuals to stumble across.
2. Choose a Voice
Consistency is key in creating remarkable content. Attempting to market content that lacks a strong voice (or worse, shifts between clear and rambling tones) will only bring confusion.
Always write in the same person (first, second, or third), keep the same tone throughout each piece (humorous, serious, informational, etc.), and avoid an extremely confrontational voice whenever possible.
3. Keep It Brief
Verbosity is an online content marketer’s worst enemy. Not only are readers more likely to tune out if you include too much unneeded information or use too many superfluous phrases, but it also limits your audience greatly.
Ideal content should be written so that it can be easily read on a small screen (like on a smartphone or tablet), and too many words hinders readers from doing so.
If including significant amounts of information in a single posting is necessary, then make sure to break up that information into smaller bullet sections. Before publishing any content, always make sure to proof read it thoroughly to cut out any unnecessary words or phrases.
4. Make It Gender Neutral
Again, you never want to limit the audience of your work if you can avoid doing so. Neuter all promotional materials, articles, blogs, and any other content in order for it to potentially appeal to the largest number of people possible.
Even though you should be writing with a specific, well-researched audience in mind, you still do not want to minimize your chances of also promoting your work to all races and genders of people. The internet is accessible to a variety of individuals; create gender neutral copy in order to reach the maximize number of people.
5. Create a Network
Rarely do people gain success alone. Take advantage of the numerous social networking platforms available online and connect with other individuals engaged in a similar career path. Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ are all stellar ways of “meeting” others who can often give you solid advice based upon their own experiences.
Make sure that you provide complete career information in your user profile for all of these sites; if you fail to do so, you will not be truly taking advantage of all the opportunities that they could present.
Alternatively, you should also use such online networking tools to promote your content and career information to potential clients as well. Create blog posts focused on this purpose, and be sure to stay active on relevant online forums also. Finally, consider creating a Twitter account for the purpose of promoting and enhancing your career.
Not only can “Tweeting” promote your work, but it can also assist you in creating a network of virtual supporters.
6. Embrace SEO
Whether you like it or hate it, search engine optimization (SEO) remains the best way to “get discovered” online. Search engines are used daily by your potential customers, and ignoring important SEO principles in promoting your work could easily prove disastrous.
Educate yourself in these SEO principles; know what keywords you will need to use to promote your work and what the specific density of those keywords should optimally be. Failure to properly employ SEO principles can easily equate to you creating content that merely wastes your time.
7. Note the Failures
Finally, realize the importance of recognizing your mistakes. Your goal is to promote your content marketing career through the internet, but often your actions may fall short of that goal.
Take careful note when this happens (such as when a blog post fails to generate a significant amount of traffic) and analyze why these experiences result in failed marketing opportunities.
You’re bound to make mistakes; you’re bound to waste your time occasionally. However, whether you repeat or learn from those mistakes is entirely in your hands.
Often using the internet to promote your career can seem like a lot of trial and error. However, using these seven simple steps can help you minimize those errors and maximize the effectiveness of the time you invest.
Image Credit: contentmarketingtoday