Content marketing is just as relevant now as it ever has been, especially if you have adopted an inbound marketing strategy – and we strongly recommend that you do.

Having recognised how vital content marketing is – and the need to produce relevant, high-quality content consistently – then you understand that this can be an enormous amount of pressure to produce in-house. This pressure mounts if you don’t have in-house marketing, or you are a marketing manager trying to juggle lots of plates!

Fear not! We’ve put together some tips for maximising your time and efforts when it comes to creating, and collating, content for your website and social media. Read on to discover how you can use content in multiple ways, use public data for your own gain and leverage your network to gather expert insights for your blog.

Rework press releases

If you are in the habit of writing and sending out press releases for your business, you already have content that can be reworked into blogs or news articles on your website.

As well as tweaking the copy so the piece reads more like a blog than a release, you might want to change the angle or weave in some industry data or trending topics to make it more relevant to your audience. Including sub-headings or h2 headings throughout the piece is a great way to do this.

This is also an excellent opportunity to include broad keywords, or if possible, use long-tail keywords to guide the angle of the reworked piece.

Client example

One of our clients in the sustainability sector expanded into a new country, and naturally, we created and sent out a press release to announce this news. 

Looking for relevant sector data in the new location and the state of local infrastructure and comparing it with the UK, we created a new  thought-leadership blog for their website that added further context for the expansion and provided appropriate data for the reader. 

Turn your sales collateral into blogs and onsite resources

You likely have some sales collateral or value-added material that your sales or customer service teams use – this is perfect onsite content.

This content is highly useful to your audience and adds value to their experience with you. Again, you may need to alter the angle of the piece as it targets prospects who move from the ‘engage’ phase of the customer flywheel to the ‘attract’ phase.

Client example

Our client in the recruitment sector had put together a guide for candidates to help them adequately prepare for video interviews. The guide was used by the consultants, sending out once interviews were confirmed, and was shared with us to help secure a digital PR placement.

We identified that with a few tweaks, this could be an informative and valuable piece of content to site on their blog and helped them to meet the sudden surge in searches for ‘how to prepare for a video interview’.

Use public data

Maybe something is happening in your industry that you want to talk about? Or perhaps you have acknowledged that positioning yourself as a thought-leader is a proven way to improve your businesses credibility?

If either applies, then data is the right path to follow. Using information is an effective way of showing your audience that you are knowledgeable, and experts in your field and the best bit is, the data doesn’t even have to be your own!

There are plenty of reliable public data sources for you to use, including:

• YouGov
• UK Data Service
• Office for National Statistics
• Google Dataset Search
• Google Trends
• Statista
• CIA World Factbook

If you cite the source of data, you can analyse as you wish, make comparisons between different data sets, including any data your business holds, or even turn into infographics or videos.

Client example

We organised a survey for our client in the retirement property sector looking into the rental marketing for those aged over 55. We needed to use other data sources to make comparisons and be able to make informed projections.

This content continues to be some of the most popular on the site. 

We regularly use public data sources in blogs and content campaigns to add context and credibility, and we recommend you do the same.

Invite guest authors

To increase the volume of content you must upload onto your website, why not invite some guest authors to create a post?

It’s likely that are other experts in your industry, or complementary industries, that will not only lighten your contribution load but also expand your subject matter library.

It pays to create some guidelines such as:

• The word count of the post
• Establishing that the post must not be published elsewhere
• You approve the topic/angle of the piece

Another significant part of having guest authors create content for your site is that it allows you to reach a wider audience, tapping into the author’s network, as they share the content on social, or interact with your promotion.

Client example

We create content each month for our client in the recruitment industry, focusing on advice for both employers and candidates.

Occasionally, to supplement this content, our client will invite guest authors such as HR experts, employment law specialists or reward management consultants to offer authoritative, professional articles and offer extra value to their audience.

Are you intrigued about adopting an inbound methodology? To discover more about inbound marketing, or content marketing, take a look at the pages below.

• Inbound marketing – attract your target audience and convert them into qualified leads.
• Content marketing – the art of communication with your audiences

Outsource your content

You could, of course, outsource your content marketing to the experts! Using an agency that specialises in inbound marketing means you benefit from all the marketing knowledge, including content.

While your business can share the insights of the industry and your customer base, your agency can combine this information with search data, keyword research, competitor analysis and further audience insights. In doing so, you can be confident that each piece of content has been strategically created and promoted to reach the audience at the relevant stage of the buyer journey, driving results.

To learn more about how content marketing and an inbound marketing strategy can work for your business, get in touch with a member of the Media Matters team today.