Unlocking the Power of Content Marketing: How to Take Advantage of the Gap in the Market
-Dave Lawson
As the head of content strategy at Digital Legend Media, I was shocked to learn that over 7 in 10 small and midsize businesses in the U.S. lack a content marketing program or strategy, according to a survey commissioned by HawkStar Press. I had always believed that more business leaders knew the power of content marketing and were investing in the effort. However, the survey results show that there is a huge gap in the market that businesses can take advantage of.
In this article, I want to share with you how many businesses actually have a content strategy, why having a strategy is important, and three things your business can do today to start building your content marketing. By the end of this article, you'll have a solid understanding of why content marketing is so essential for businesses, and how you can start leveraging it to achieve your business objectives.
How Many Businesses Have a Content Marketing Strategy?
The survey results showed that only 30% of businesses with up to 500 employees have a content marketing program or strategy. This means that a staggering 71% of businesses are missing out on a cost-effective method for promoting themselves through blog posts, videos, and other content marketing vehicles. While it's understandable that businesses are coping with budget and personnel constraints, they're losing ground to the 29% of businesses that do have a content marketing program or strategy.
Why Is Having a Content Strategy Important?
So why is having a content strategy so important? A content strategy helps ensure that your efforts are focused on achieving specific goals, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and increasing sales. It also helps ensure that your messaging is consistent across all channels and formats and that it aligns with your brand identity and values. Without a content strategy, your efforts may not be as effective or efficient, and you risk wasting resources on content that doesn't resonate with your target audience.
Three Ways to Begin Building a Content Strategy
The good news is that the lack of content strategies among businesses is also an opportunity to take advantage of the gap in the market. By creating a well-rounded content marketing program, businesses can connect with their target audience, build brand awareness, and achieve their business objectives. Here are three things your business can do today to start building your content marketing:
Define your goals and target audience: Before creating content, businesses should identify their goals and target audience. This will help them create content that resonates with their audience and supports their business objectives. Start by creating buyer personas and conducting keyword research to understand what topics your audience is interested in.
Develop a content strategy: Once you have identified your goals and target audience, develop a content strategy that aligns with your business objectives, buyer personas, and sales funnel. This should include topics, formats, channels, and a content calendar. Make sure your content strategy is realistic and achievable with the resources you have available.
Produce high-quality and relevant content: To attract and engage your target audience, produce high-quality and relevant content that resonates with them. This can include audio and video podcasts, blog posts, social media posts, white papers, webinars, infographics, and case studies. Make sure your content is valuable, informative, and actionable for your audience. You can also repurpose your content to reach more people and optimize it for search engines to improve your visibility.
At Digital Legend Media, we use a podcast as the cornerstone of our content marketing strategy. We then repurpose that content into social media content, blog content, and email content. If you're interested in supercharging your content marketing, click the button below to learn more about our strategy and how we can help you achieve your business objectives.
Having a content strategy is critical for the success of your content marketing program. It helps you align your efforts with your business objectives, target audience, and brand identity and ensures that your content is relevant, valuable, and effective. Without a strategy, you risk missing out on opportunities, producing inconsistent messaging, wasting resources, and achieving poor ROI. However, the lack of content strategies among businesses is also an opportunity to take advantage of the gap in the market. By creating a well-rounded content marketing program, businesses can connect with their target audience, build brand awareness, and achieve their business objectives.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to connect with your target audience and achieve your business objectives through content marketing. Start building your content marketing program today and take advantage of the gap in the market.
About Dave Lawson
Dave Lawson
Host of the Content Marketing Daily Podcast
dlawson@digitallegendmedia.com
Dave Lawson is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the broadcasting industry. He began his career as a morning personality at various radio stations before moving on to network radio, where he served over 30 stations nationwide. In 2016, Dave transitioned to Content Marketing, focusing on Podcast Strategy for busy business owners seeking to establish a professional-sounding audio and video podcast to build their business through digital content.
Drawing from his extensive experience in traditional broadcasting, Dave teaches his clients how to capture and retain audience attention and create content with a clear purpose. He is based in the Minneapolis area, where he balances his busy career with a family life that includes a wife and three kids. When he's not working, Dave loves staying fit, playing disc golf, and keeping up with the latest developments in AI and how they will impact the ever-changing world of content marketing. It's an exciting time to be alive, and Dave is eager to help his clients take full advantage of the opportunities presented by this rapidly evolving field.
