“47% of buyers view three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep.” (Hubspot)
How integrated is your content marketing? Do your social media posts support your opt-in? Does your blog support your downloadable content? To take your business to the next level, it’s important that your content marketing efforts are integrated.
The Heart of Integrated Content Marketing
Integrated content marketing means that you’re not only communicating a consistent brand and message with every piece of content that you create, you’re also taking your content goals into consideration and connecting those goals between your different content channels – from blog posts to downloads and everything in between.
Delivering a Consistent Message
Are your customers receiving a consistent message wherever they encounter your content? Consistency is paramount to success in all areas of your marketing strategy. It’s one of the tactics I stress most in my work with entrepreneurs. However, it is a primary content challenge for businesses of all sizes. It’s really quite simple. Regardless of the channel or format you’re using to connect with your audience, you want them to have the same experience.
You want the same voice, personality, values, vision, and branding to come across regardless of the format. For example, your email content should ideally have the same brand message as your social media, blog and eBooks. A consistent message teaches your audience what to expect from you; it bonds them to you and helps create recognition, loyalty, and ultimately purchases and profits.
Presence is Essential for Integrated Content Marketing
Are you using marketing tactics and channels where your audience hangs out? Do you know what social platform they prefer? Or perhaps you’ve identified that your audience primarily reads your blog, downloads your free monthly content and subscribes to your email? Integration means that each of these content marketing channels supports the others.
For example, if your goal is to boost your website traffic to generate higher advertising premiums, then your blog posts, downloads and email content should all work together to motivate readers to visit your site more often.
Pulling It All Together
Take a look at your content marketing strategy. As you add new marketing channels to your strategy, make sure that they deliver a consistent message, support ongoing content marketing goals, and are supported by your other marketing channels. You can use technology to help facilitate the integration process. For example, your autoresponder messages can be shared on social media. Your tweets can be scheduled via Buffer and shared on Facebook.
If your communications are consistent and your channels support one another, your message is strengthened. Your audience learns to trust you and to recognize you. It creates a stronger, more unified and more enjoyable customer experience.
Ready to embrace an integrated marketing strategy? Review your current marketing strategy and make plans to add a new marketing channel. Just focus on one channel at a time. Plan how your new content will support your message, goals, and other content channels.
If your new to content marketing, check out my book, Unleash the Power of Content Marketing. It is an introduction to content marketing for entrepreneurs and will teach you the basics.
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