What if I told you content marketing isn’t a long-term strategy? You’d tell me to get outta here!

I know, I know. Every marketing expert tells you content marketing is a long game, but I’m here to tell you that you can achieve quick wins from it, too.

The idea that content marketing is a long-term strategy could set businesses up for failure. Why? Because it gives businesses the excuse to believe that engagement takes time and not to focus too much on what you’re putting out now, as it’ll get better later. In essence, they aren’t stopping to consider the quality of their content NOW.

You have this dream that if you keep plugging away publishing bland content, your content will go viral in a few months or years.

Sadly, it doesn’t work like that.

Results are only achieved when you deeply desire to do things better. Testing your messaging in terms of topic, pace, length, and imagery is the only way to understand your audience and what works. Once you get that right, your audience will grow and engage more with your content.

So, let’s jump back to that statement we gave earlier in this blog…

Content marketing can deliver quick wins.

Creating great content now can help you generate new clients and more interest in your brand. To help you start to consider what great content might look like for your brand, we have five top tips to help you generate sales.

1. When someone comments and engages in your post, act fast and respond to their comment. Start a conversation with them. After all, they could even become a customer in the future.

2. Ensure your content sets the scene and appeals to your target client base. In doing so, you’ll likely repel time wasters, so the only engagement you receive is from would-be customers.

3. Start to think about how your sales content could help you generate sales right now. Maybe it’s time to start working on a new sales email, a blog, or even making a demo video. Start to think about lead magnets on your website. Create an unstoppable offer or piece of value that prospective clients can download in return for an email, and then work on those leads.

4. Why not pick up a conversation that dropped off on social? You could restart a conversation and maybe even win back some old clients.

5. When was the last time you segmented your audience? Why not test the waters and send out filtered offers to a segmented group that would appeal to a set group of your clientele?

Now, it’s time to start scheduling.

With the five top tips above, it’s time to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboards and curate some banging content. Make sure to accompany your posts with links to your website, be that to a product or service-specific page or even a landing page you’ve created, especially for the post or campaign.

Post regularly on your company page. Three times a week is ideal. And make sure each post has a call to action - follow my page, visit this web page, or subscribe to our mailing list. Whatever you decide, ensuring your efforts generate a return on your investment is vital.

In summary, content marketing is an ongoing strategy that should help deliver quick wins and strengthen your business through long-term efforts.

Like what you’ve read?

Jo Buchanan, the author of this blog, is the Founder and Director of TwitTwooYou Limited, a business growth strategic consultancy centred on getting brands noticed. TwitTwooYou offers smart services to help businesses grow and achieve their aspirations and goals. Want to get your brand noticed? Get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat.