Today, we take a look at two important terms that, combined correctly, can have an incredibly positive effect on the growth of your firm.
CONTENT MARKETING. This phrase refers to the use of social media, a blog, videos and other online tools and approaches to find, entice and keep clients interested in your firm. Ebooks, infographics, and case studies are a few examples of resources that you’ve probably seen other firms make available, making prospective clients aware of who they are and what they offer.
AUTOMATION – Thanks to innovations in the 1940s surrounding the automotive industry automation became a popular idea. Automoatoin refers to systems which allow for a minimal amount of hands-on intervention. Revolutionizing the processes of factory production, aircraft and ship steering, telephone connections and more, the concept is as applicable and valuable today as it was so many decades ago.
As a firm owner in today’s professional arena, content marketing is something you must be on top of. Automation can help you manage the workflow of creating and sharing new and recycled material. Similar to the early implementations at General Motors, you can automate aspects of this work, helping you make an impact online while still having time to focus on other areas of your growing firm.
Here’s a rapid-fire list of a handful of content marketing automation strategies.
CREATION
You’ve got a blog, Twitter account, and Facebook page. Now we’ve got to come up with some content to share on them. How?
- Set up Google alerts to be notified whenever someone posts online about your topic of interest (or keywords).
- Invite existing clients to share their own experiences with your firm’s service. Those testimonials can quickly and easily be turned into blog posts that will help transform your happy clients’ tales into a soapbox for your brand.
- If you don’t have time or desire to write, get help composing blog posts. Through Elance, oDesk or a similar service, hire someone to write short articles that offer readers ways to overcome typical problems people often have.
SHARING
- Without the use of a tool like Hootsuite, you’re probably wasting time posting individually to your social media channels. In addition to the ease of having Twitter, Facebook, etc. all accessible in one location, you can use Hootsuite to schedule your posts to go live at any future time(s) you choose.
- Once you’ve gotten a potential client to sign up to your email list MailChimp, aWeber and other email marketing providers, can automate content directly to his/her inbox. Whether it’s delivering that promised series of how-to tips or blasting about your latest blog post, you can “set it and forget it,” and they’ll be notified.
These and numerous other content marketing strategies can be integrated to help you build an audience online, start conversations and keep clients’ eyes on your firm. If you have additional ideas that have worked for you in the past, share them with other readers and entrepreneurs in a comment below!
