Have you ever seen a brand campaign that’s so interesting it captured your attention and didn’t feel like an ad at all? It got you hooked from the beginning, leaving you enthralled until you realized they were selling something.
That, my friends, is the power of storytelling in marketing.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, consumers are bombarded with a constant stream of advertisements and promotional content. As a result, it can be challenging to break through the noise and truly connect with your audience.
One such method that has proven to be highly effective is storytelling.
In this blog, we will delve into the art of storytelling in content marketing and explore how it can help businesses effectively engage and connect with their audience.
Why Storytelling Matters in Content Marketing
The Science Behind Storytelling and Its Impact on the Brain
The power of storytelling lies in its ability to tap into the human brain’s natural inclination for narratives.
When we hear a story, various regions of our brain light up, including those responsible for emotions, empathy, and memory. This neural response fosters a deeper connection with the content and enhances information retention.
Storytelling releases neurotransmitters like dopamine and oxytocin, giving the audience a positive and memorable experience.
How Stories Evoke Emotions and Create Memorable Experiences
Emotionally charged stories are more likely to resonate with the audience, making the content unforgettable.
They spark something within us, making us feel joy, sadness, excitement, or empathy for the characters involved.
Think about a story that moved you deeply, perhaps a heartwarming tale of friendship or a powerful account of overcoming adversity. Chances are, that story has stayed with you long after you first heard it. This emotional resonance enhances information retention, making the story’s message more likely to stick in your mind.
In marketing, brands that effectively use storytelling to evoke emotions create memorable experiences for their audience. By triggering positive emotions, they forge a positive association with their brand.
Similarly, stories that evoke empathy or address common challenges build a sense of relatability, fostering a deeper connection with the audience.
Differentiating Your Brand Through Storytelling
In today’s competitive business world, standing out is crucial. Storytelling can help your brand do just that. It provides an excellent opportunity for brands to differentiate themselves.
Sharing authentic and compelling narratives helps humanize your brand. It makes you more approachable and relatable to consumers. This authenticity builds trust and credibility.
A well-crafted story that aligns with the brand’s values can leave a lasting impression, ultimately influencing purchasing decisions.
Incorporating Storytelling in Content Marketing
How to Tell Stories Through Written Content
Written content offers a versatile platform for storytelling. When writing blog posts and articles, begin with attention-grabbing openings that pique the reader’s curiosity.
Develop a narrative that engages the audience throughout the content, and end it with a compelling call to action that encourages further interaction.
Videos and Visual Storytelling
Visual storytelling through videos, animations, and infographics enhances the emotional impact of your message.
Use creative visuals to complement the narrative and evoke emotions effectively. Consider incorporating customer testimonials and success stories into videos for a powerful storytelling experience.
Using Real Stories to Build Trust
Real stories from satisfied customers serve as powerful social proof for your brand.
Utilize case studies and customer testimonials to highlight how your products or services have changed your customers’ lives. These stories build trust, assuage doubts, and reinforce the credibility of your brand.
Tips for Crafting Compelling Stories
1. Start Strong with Attention-Grabbing Opening
Hook your audience from the beginning with attention-grabbing openings that spark curiosity and intrigue. A strong start sets the tone for the rest of the story, encouraging readers to continue.
2. Use Conflict and Resolution to Maintain Interest
Incorporate conflict and challenges into your storytelling to maintain the audience’s interest. Ensure that the resolution offers a satisfying conclusion and reinforces the central message.
3. Leverage Emotions and Empathy to Connect Deeply with the Audience
Emotions play a significant role in storytelling. Use empathy and emotional triggers to forge a deeper connection with your audience. Appeal to their emotions, as they are more likely to inspire action and engagement.
Final thoughts
Storytelling is a potent tool for engaging and connecting with your audience in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Incorporating storytelling into various content formats, such as blog posts, videos, and social media, opens up endless possibilities to captivate your audience across diverse platforms.
Remember to align your storytelling with your brand’s unique voice and tone to maintain consistency and reinforce your identity.
Go ahead and tell your story! Let your brand’s narrative unfold to captivate your audience and drive your business toward unprecedented success.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.png00Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2023-07-26 10:16:412023-07-21 17:32:45The Power of Storytelling in Content Marketing: How to Engage and Connect with Your Audience
Video marketing has been growing in popularity over the past few years. It is expected to play a more significant role in business marketing in the coming years.
According to recent studies, video content will account for over 82% of all internet traffic by 2023. It highlights the immense potential that video marketing holds for businesses.
Nowadays, video is no longer a tool for entertainment. It has become a platform for communication and promotion. Businesses are already taking advantage of this growing trend.
Benefits of Video Marketing
Video marketing offers many advantages over traditional forms of advertising. This includes increased visibility, improved accessibility, reduced costs, and greater audience engagement.
Video marketing is an effective and affordable way for businesses to reach potential consumers. Adding videos to your website can improve your search rankings on Google.
Additionally, videos are easier to consume than text-based content. They require less effort to digest and understand the message. As a result, users are more likely to remember the information than if it was presented in text form.
Getting Ahead of the Game
Businesses need to keep up with the latest trends and techniques in video marketing to get ahead of the game in 2023. Here are four tips to help you get started:
Using social media platforms
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube offer an excellent opportunity to share and promote video content. By utilizing these platforms, businesses can reach a wider audience and engage with their customers on a more personal level.
Utilizing video marketing on social media requires crafting an engaging story that speaks to your audience. Whether it’s a tutorial video, promotional campaign, or product review, ensuring the content is memorable and shareable is essential. Incorporating visuals into the narrative will help drive engagement with viewers while also appealing to their emotions. Remember that videos should be short-form and uncluttered. Less is more when it comes to online content!
User-generated content
User-generated content, such as customer reviews, testimonials, or product demonstrations, can be a powerful way to showcase your brand and products.
With the rise of user-generated video content on social media platforms, businesses can reach a much wider audience than ever. Companies no longer rely solely on traditional marketing methods such as TV commercials or print ads. Instead, they can create effective campaigns by engaging with customers directly through user-generated video content.
Plus, it allows companies to tap into their customer’s creativity and enthusiasm for creating unique content that reflects their brand. It also enables them to get valuable feedback from users about their product or service, which helps them fine-tune their offerings accordingly.
Influencer marketing
The concept of influencer marketing involves partnering with individuals who have large followings on social media and are able to influence their audience’s purchasing decisions. These influencers can be celebrities, bloggers, vloggers, or social media personalities with loyal and engaged fan bases.
By tapping into an influencer’s established audience and credibility, influencer marketing can be an effective way to market your brand.
Influencers can create videos featuring your products or services or share their experiences and thoughts about them with their followers. When an influencer recommends your product or service, their followers are more likely to trust your brand and purchase from you.
Storytelling
With the rise of social media, businesses need to find unique ways to stand out in a crowded market. One way they can do this is by incorporating storytelling into their video marketing strategy.
There’s no better way to reel buyers in than with a compelling story. Storytelling allows businesses to connect with their audience on an emotional level, making them more likely to remember the message being delivered and create a lasting impression. Businesses can use storytelling in video marketing to ensure their message sticks with potential customers.
Not only do videos keep audiences engaged, but they also play a role in their decision making process. In a survey conducted by MotionCue, 76% of respondents said that product and explainer videos help them make a buying decision.
Final thoughts
Video marketing is set to dominate this year and in the coming years, and those who start preparing now will have a massive advantage over their competition.
By creating engaging video content, utilizing social media platforms, and exploring new forms of interactive content, businesses can increase engagement, improve conversion rates, and achieve a higher ROI.
So, if you haven’t already, now is the time to start incorporating video marketing into your overall marketing strategy.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/1.png12602240Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2023-03-08 10:31:382023-03-03 17:17:01Why Video Marketing Will Dominate in 2023 And How to Get Ahead of the Game
More and more businesses and professionals are creating social media accounts for their brands. Some even create a profile on different platforms, only to realize how difficult it is to manage multiple accounts. Worse, people aren’t interacting with or following them. They aren’t getting much traffic either. The easy option now would be to just give up. This can lead to a lack of engagement and ultimately result in a loss of potential customers.
The good news is… Even if you’ve let your once-active social media presence go flat, there are still ways to revive it. It may be difficult to get back into the mix, but it’s possible.
Use these strategies to refresh and revitalize your social media presence.
Do a basic profile audit
The first and most important thing you need to do is to perform a social media audit. Check to see what’s working, what’s failing, and what can be improved upon your social media channels.
To conduct a social media audit, you’ll want to:
Track down all your social media accounts– Make sure each account is complete and on brand. Your brand should immediately be recognizable across all of your social channels.
Check your profile – Update your profile, bio, and images
Follow up on your goals and metrics – How do the numbers compare to where you are a year ago?
Identify your best posts – Look for 3 posts that had the most engagements
Identify your most shared content – Determine which posts are getting the most social shares and break it down per platform
Examine profiles of brands and niche influencers – Learn from those who do it best. Find ways to improve on your own social profile.
Put all the data to use – Use the data in front of you to make plans for the future.
Developing a plan of action
Once you have a clear understanding of the current state of the account, it is time to develop a plan of action. This includes setting clear and specific goals for the account, identifying the target audience and creating a buyer persona, and developing a content calendar and posting schedule. It may also be necessary to plan for paid advertising to reach a larger audience.
Post regularly and actively engage with your audience
A social media page that lacks content and lies dormant might as well not exist at all. You can’t post consistently for a week and then go silent the next week. That can make people feel distrustful of your brand. If you want to improve your social media presence, then you need to post regularly.
Create a social media calendar and stick to it. Keeping your social media updates fresh can go a long way towards generating meaningful connections and conversations with leads and potential clients. It also creates a sense of familiarity with your brand.
Social media is about engagement and connection, and that’s the only way you can foster relationship and gain the trust of your audience. Ask questions, get their opinions, respond to their comments. This will get the conversation going and potentially grow your audience at the same time.
Don’t forget to listen
Are your social media posts met with crickets? No likes, shares or comments… nothing! If so, it’s probably because you do not understand your audience’s needs, desires, and pain-points.
Social media is a two-way street. One of the easiest ways to turn your audience off is to just broadcast and not listen.
Social listening helps you:
Determine which platform your audience is most actively using
Learn what people are saying about you or your brand
Discover popular, emerging conversations and trends
Identify influencers to reach new audiences
Create content that resonates with your audience
Create meaningful conversations
If you won’t listen to your audience, then you won’t be able to connect with them. You won’t be able to help or influence them. Minimize the time you spend promoting and start listening to your audience.
Return with a vengeance
With a plan in place, it’s time to put it into action and begin executing your strategy.
Once you’re ready to return, hit the ground running and don’t look back! Rather than drawing attention to the fact that you’ve been away for a while, start out with an engaging and exciting announcement. There is no need to acknowledge or explain your absence.
Hire a social media professional
Building and maintaining a social media presence requires a lot of time and effort. We know you have a lot on your plate and you no longer have time to sit and work on your social media content. If this is you, then it might be time to think about outsourcing.
Hiring a professional to manage your social media accounts will do more than just guarantee an active social presence, it will also save you time. They’ll do the work for you so you’ll also have more time to focus on more important tasks.
A social media manager will make sure that your content is meaningful and relevant to your audience, as well as help you create a strategic plan to help you reach your audience and get the most out of your social presence.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/5-Strategies-to-Revive-Your-Inactive-Social-Media-Account.png10801080Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2023-01-25 10:00:142023-01-20 11:01:145 Strategies to Revive Your Inactive Social Media Account
I’m sure many of you already listen to podcasts daily or weekly. Some people listen to podcasts to make long commutes more bearable. Others see it as a way to stimulate their brain while waiting to see their doctor or motivate them while working out.
Podcasts are engaging, full of information, and convenient for listeners. That’s why podcasts have grown in popularity over the years. And the trend isn’t showing any signs of slowing down any time soon. In fact, studies suggest that 80 million Americans listen to podcasts every week. Even better, 26% of them are college graduates with a higher income bracket.
If you’re looking for a way to capture your audience’s attention, build brand awareness, and add value to your listener base, you might consider hopping on the podcast train.
Here are six tips for starting a business podcast.
Create an ideal listener avatar
For most people, the goal of starting a podcast is to spark conversation about a topic you’re passionate about. It would be impossible to do that if you have no idea who you’re trying to reach.
Now, sit down and imagine what your ideal listener looks like. Be as detailed as possible. List important details such as age, interests, level of education, passion, etc.
This simple exercise will help you decide what topics to cover on your podcasts and ensure they are tailored to your audience. Remember, your listeners need to gain something from each episode.
Choose a name
Now that you’ve identified your audience and probably have some ideas about the topics you’d focus on, it’s time to name your podcast.
The name you choose should give some indication of what your podcast is about. Now, consider the topics you’ll cover for your episodes and use them as a guide in naming your podcast.
Your podcast name should be catchy, concise, and enticing enough to capture your audience’s attention. Try to keep it as short as possible. Why? Because it’s easier to remember and say out loud.
Set up your equipment
You don’t need a professional studio with fancy equipment to start a podcast. All you need is a laptop, a microphone, headphones, and recording software.
For instance, a poor-quality mic will produce poor audio that will make your podcast seem amateurish. So if you’re serious about podcasting and have the budget, we highly recommend investing in your equipment. A condenser microphone and a pop filter can make a huge difference.
Invite guests to your podcast
Let’s face it. It isn’t easy to convince people to listen to your podcast, especially when you’re just starting out. So how do you make it easier? By inviting guests and interviewing them. If possible, get on their programs too.
This is a great way to market yourself and your podcast, attract listeners, and make waves within your industry.
When choosing guests for your podcast, find someone who already has a solid following and has the same listener avatar as you. If they liked your episode, they would likely come back for more. Now, the only thing you’ll need to do is to keep talking about a topic you’re passionate about and share your knowledge with your listeners.
Build a backlog of episodes
Some listeners aren’t convinced to subscribe after listening to just one episode. But some people would consume several episodes in one afternoon. That said, it is best to have at least three episodes in your backlog before you launch.
We understand that developing ideas for your podcast episodes can be challenging. But the last thing you want is to launch your first episode and then have no plan for the succeeding episodes.
Without new episodes to explore, listeners are less likely to be invested in your podcast and will probably forget about you.
Promote your podcast
You’ve already spent time listing topics and recording and editing your podcast, so why not repurpose your content and share them across multiple social media platforms?
Remember, though, that people expect different types of content for each platform. So make sure that you customize your content for each platform. For instance, if you record a video while podcasting, you can share it on Youtube. Or you can cut it into clips and share it on Facebook.
You can also reach out to other podcasters and ask to set up a cross-promotion. Or you can pitch yourself as a guest on their podcast.
Final thoughts
If you’ve been thinking of starting a podcast for some time now, we encourage you to create one today.
Incorporating podcasts into your digital marketing strategy will help you cultivate a community of loyal listeners and position yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/6-Tips-for-Starting-a-Business-Podcast.png12602240Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2022-10-12 10:00:372022-10-07 14:19:596 Tips for Starting a Business Podcast
Podcasts are a powerful marketing tool. Over the years, it has garnered immense popularity, with more and more businesses discovering how it can benefit their company. If you still haven’t incorporated podcasting into your marketing campaign, then you’re losing out on a lot of business opportunities.
Here are 4 reasons why your business needs to be podcasting.
Brand awareness
As mentioned above, podcasting is a powerful marketing tool. It can help you reach new audience, drive traffic to your site, and even build a community. By broadcasting podcasts regularly, it will help develop your company’s brand to make it a household name.
Simplicity
A lot of people are put off by the seemingly confusing technical aspects of recording a podcast. Producing a podcast is not as complicated as what most people think. You do not need a lot of money either to start a podcast.
To start, all you need is a microphone, a headset, a recording device, and editing software. A good wifi connection is also important for uploading the files.
Easy to consume
Humans have a very short attention span. In fact, an average person has an average attention span of 8 seconds. If you want to get your message across, then you need to make it easier for your audience to consume and understand what you’re trying to say. Podcasts can help you do that.
A 1,500-word article may provide your audience the information they need. However, not everyone will have the patience to read through the entire article. With podcasts, you can convey the message in a more interactive way. Plus, people can listen to podcasts during their commute or while doing other things at work or at home.
Build better relationship with your audience
Podcasts provides a more personal way of getting information. Instead of just reading content on your blog or email, they get to hear your voice through podcasts. This makes your brand more personable. Overtime, people will be more familiar of your voice and presentation style.
Building a relationship with your audience helps in building trust. Once you gain their trust, it would be easier for you to turn them into paying customers. After all, people are more likely to buy something from someone they trust.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/4-Reasons-Why-Your-Business-Needs-to-be-Podcasting.png12602240Caitlin McDonaldhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngCaitlin McDonald2022-09-28 10:34:442022-09-23 13:18:214 Reasons Why Your Business Needs to be Podcasting
Most business owners think it’s impossible to generate sales without paid advertisements. This is why we often see startups spending a considerable chunk of their budget on ads.
But let’s face it. Small businesses don’t have a limitless marketing budget. In most cases, they need to think creatively to boost their sales. Increasing your sales with a limited marketing budget can be challenging, but it’s not impossible.
In this blog post, we’ll share five ways to pump up your sales without increasing your marketing budget. The best part? They can help you build a stronger relationship with your audience.
Leverage the power of social media
While not everyone on social media is interested to make a purchase, it’s one of the most cost-effective marketing channels. It gives you the chance to promote your products and get in front of your audience with very minimal effort.
When used correctly, it can help you generate more leads, build a relationship with your audience, and get them to buy your products later on. Plus, social media platforms have analytics, which allows you to monitor and track results.
Consistency is the key to social media success. Your audience value a steady presence, so make sure you post consistently. You don’t need necessarily need to post every day. If you can only post two to three times a week, then that’s fine. What’s important is that you stick to your posting schedule.
Keep your audience engaged with video marketing
Videos are one of the most popular choices for content consumption today. Believe it or not, videos can help you generate more sales. In fact, 80% of marketers claimed that video content helped them directly increase sales, and it can help you too.
One of the reasons why videos increase sales is because they tell your story more emotionally and dramatically as compared to photos and plain text.
People are more likely to share the video with their family and friends if they are interesting, informative, and entertaining. This helps you reach a massive audience. Even better, 84% of consumers say they’re convinced to buy a product after watching a brand’s video.
Nurture leads with email marketing
Email marketing may look complicated and intimidating if you haven’t done it before. But it’s not as complex as it seems. Plus, it’s a great way to build a relationship with your audience and turn them into brand enthusiasts.
You see, not all customers who visit your products will buy from you. Some are just looking. Others would actually add products to their cart and then abandon their carts for some reason. In fact, studies suggest that 7 out of 10 customers abandon their carts. It doesn’t matter how good your products are; this happens most of the time.
One of the most effective ways to turn prospects into customers is by nurturing them. You can educate them about your products. Let them know when you’re running a promotion. The goal is to establish trust and convince them to buy from you.
Another way to recover lost sales is by sending abandoned cart emails. It’s a follow-up email that is sent to customers who left your site without purchasing. The goal is to encourage customers to complete their purchases.
Generate leads with a strong SEO strategy
To boost sales, you need to have a strong digital presence. SEO is a great place to start.
Studies suggest that 89% of customers start their buying process with a quick Google search. They look up reviews for products they’re interested in. Or search for the best restaurants near their home.
SEO can help improve your online visibility and drive more traffic to your website, giving you more opportunities to convert leads into customers.
Implement a customer loyalty program
Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in converting leads to customers that you fail to realize that your best customers are right in front of you.
Existing customers are 67% more likely to purchase your products than new customers. Why? Because they already know how good your products are, how fast your delivery time is, and most importantly, they know that they can trust you. This is why it’s essential to maintain a relationship with your existing customers.
Loyalty programs play a huge role in retaining customers. They work because they make your customers feel more valued and appreciated.
It makes them more likely to choose you over the competition, which leads to repeat purchases, referrals, and more profits.
Final thoughts
There is no denying that it’s possible to boost your sales with a tight marketing budget. Sure, you can focus on social media marketing, publish SEO-optimized content, or publish video content every week. All these can help you gain more exposure and eventually turn prospects into paying customers. However, relying solely on free marketing strategies will require a lot of time and effort on your part.
If you want quicker results, it is be best to re-invest a portion of your profits into your marketing and advertising budget. It will save you valuable time and provide a more scalable way for your company’s growth.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5-Ways-to-Boost-Sales-Without-Increasing-Your-Marketing-Budget.png12602240Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2022-08-17 10:23:572022-08-18 13:49:295 Ways to Boost Sales Without Increasing Your Marketing Budget
Blogging provides several benefits to businesses. Many businesses owners have turned to blogging to reach a wider audience, drive traffic to their site, promote their products and services, and increase conversions. Blogging can help you achieve your business goals, provided that you avoid certain pitfalls.
Here are 4 blogging mistakes you need to avoid, along with some tips to get the results you want.
Inconsistent blogging
Let’s face it. Creating content can be time-consuming. We understand that most of you have a crazy schedule and you’re struggling to find time to write your next blog post. But in order to achieve your goals, you need to stick to a consistent posting schedule. It’s not enough to post content when you have something to say. You should publish new content at least once a week.
Inconsistent blogging is bad enough for your SEO growth; it can also make you look like an amateur. This can sink your blog and can cost your business sales. To make your business blog work, we suggest that you develop a content calendar. Plan your blog topics ahead of time and try to schedule posts in advance.
Your writing is too stiff and technical
A well-written blog is one that strikes a conversation with their readers. Get rid of the jargon and loosen up your writing. It’s okay to be more conversational in your writing. In fact, we encourage you to write like you talk. People want to feel like they’re dealing with people, not robot. The more conversational your writing is, the more people will enjoy reading it.
When you write in a conversational tone, you can convey your message more easily. It also helps you engage with your audience and build a stronger relationship with them. They’ll see you as genuine and human, not as a faceless brand who’s trying to sell to them.
In 2020, Neil Patel ran A/B test on two versions of the same blog post. One was written conversationally, while the other one was written in a formal tone. Here, he discovered that the majority of the readers only spent less than two minutes on the blog post that was written in a formal tone. Whereas, readers spent an average of 4.5 minutes reading the conversational version. Also, 247% more readers consumed the full article when written in a conversational tone.
Being self-centered
A blog is a great platform for giving your audience updates about your business and promoting your products and services. However, not every post in your blog should be about you. Rather, you should focus on who you are writing for.
Create content your audience will find interesting. Be helpful. Answer all the questions you’ve been asked by customers. Share your expertise. You may also share your opinion on certain topics. Write blog posts that are creative, informative and interesting.
So what’s the key to selecting the best topics for your blog? It’s knowing your target audience. Once you know who you’re writing for, it will easier for you to create a list of blog topics.
One of the best ways to find out what your audience likes is to check your analytics and identify your top performing posts. You can also reach out to your audience and have a conversation with them. Or you can also do an online survey. Remember that most of a blog’s traffic is driven organically, so choose topics your audience will want to read, not something that will only interest you.
Giving up too soon
If you’ve been writing for several months now and you still haven’t seen a significant increase on your leads and traffic, you’re probably getting frustrated. I understand that it can get frustrating, but you also have to keep in mind that building a successful blog takes time. It requires a lot of hard work, patience, and perseverance.
You’ve spent countless of hours in front of your computer, trying to make boring stuff interesting. Unfortunately, after a few months of blogging, you’re still not seeing the results you want. At this point, you may feel like giving up. That’s understandable. However, please keep in mind that it may take quite a while before you generate positive results. Depending on the online competition and your industry, it may take about 3 to 6 months. Giving up too soon is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
Keep writing. Focus on creating high-quality posts. Be patient. Soon enough, you’ll get the results you want.
Final thoughts
Anyone can start a blog, but not everyone will be able to build a successful blog. Why? Because most business owners don’t give it the time, effort, and attention it needs.
If you’re struggling to get the results you want from your blog, then we’re here to help. Schedule a free consultation call and we’ll help you get more leads and traffic for your business.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4-Common-Blogging-Mistakes-to-Avoid.png12602240Caitlin McDonaldhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngCaitlin McDonald2022-04-13 10:04:502022-04-08 12:57:544 Common Blogging Mistakes to Avoid (And What to Do Instead)
The content marketing world is more competitive now than it has ever been before. Big brands, small businesses, influencers, and even healthcare professionals create their own content to reach more people online.
But with so many blog posts, videos, infographics, and other types of content online, it can be challenging to stand out. That’s what we’re going to talk about next.
When developing a content strategy for your healthcare practice, there are five things you need to keep in mind. Let’s dive into those now.
Know your audience
It is estimated that Google processes approximately 5.6 billion search queries every day. According to Google, 5% of those searches are health-related.
There is no shortage of content on the internet. But if you want to get in front of your target audience, you need to create content that is relevant and useful to them. To do that, you must get to know your audience on a deeper level.
Dig deep into what types of content they’re consuming and what topics they’re interested in. This way, you can align your content with your target audience’s specific needs and interests.
Establish your content marketing goals
Let’s face it. It’s easy to get caught up in the who, what, how, and where of content marketing that people tend to forget about the most important question: why?
Every strategy should start with a specific goal in mind. So ask yourself. What do you want to achieve with your content? Are you hoping to capture more leads? Or maybe you’re looking to grow your brand awareness and social media presence.
By defining your goals, you can ensure that each piece of content works towards meeting those goals. Even better, you can keep track of your data and use them to improve your content marketing strategy in the long run.
Create a content messaging roadmap
Now that you have already created a buyer persona, established your goals, and set criteria for success, it’s time to start building a content messaging roadmap that can help move each persona through the sales funnel.
Patients who are visiting your site for the first time may be looking for a healthcare provider but aren’t ready to book an appointment with you yet. During this stage, getting their trust is of key importance. This is where educational content can help. Articles, podcasts, videos, and case studies can help position yourself as an expert and get potential patients’ trust.
Warmer prospects may have considered booking an appointment already but may still be looking around. At this stage, adding testimonials from other patients, answering frequently asked questions, and offering free consultations may be just what you need to seal the deal.
Make the most of your content
You spent hours creating those content, so why not make the most out of them? You can repurpose your content to introduce them to new audiences who might prefer a different format.
For instance, you can turn your blog post into an infographic to make it easier to digest and understand. You can turn it into video content, which is perfect for those who prefer watching videos. Another option is to segment your blog post and publish it as a series on social media.
Identify the most relevant platforms
So you spent so much time and effort researching and writing your content. You wanted to make sure that your audience would find it helpful and informative. But it won’t matter if no one has seen it.
The key is to identify which platforms your audience spends most of their time in. This can help give your content the best possible chance of being seen.
If most of your audience is on Instagram, start by creating an appealing image that would make users stop their scroll. But don’t just stop there. You should also write compelling captions that create more engagement.
Final thoughts
There is no denying that content marketing strategy works. It can help you reach more patients online, retain current patients, and even improve patient journeys. But for it to work, you need to have a well-defined and carefully thought out strategy. Otherwise, you’d be wasting a lot of time and effort creating content that won’t benefit your practice.
If you need help devising a content marketing strategy and plan or need some fresh ideas to include in your plan, we can help. Schedule a free consultation with us, and we’ll help you generate more traffic and leads for your healthcare practice with content marketing.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5-Tips-for-Building-a-Content-Marketing-Strategy-for-Your-Healthcare-Practice.png12602240Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2022-03-30 10:46:482022-03-25 11:55:185 Tips for Building a Content Marketing Strategy for Your Healthcare Practice
Did you know that healthcare-related queries account for about 7% of all Google searches? According to David Feinberg, head of Google Health, they get approximately 70,000 healthcare queries every minute. This translates to about 1 billion searches a day.
With these statistics, it’s pretty clear that people need a trusted and reliable source of healthcare information. This is your chance to position your practice in front of potential patients.
Use these tips when creating a content marketing strategy for your healthcare practice.
Begin with the audience in mind
Content marketing is about attracting the right audience. To do that, you need to know your audience on a deeper level.
– Who is your ideal audience?
– What’s important to them?
– What are their most common concerns?
– How can you serve their needs?
Once you have a better understanding of your audience, it will be easier for you to craft messages that resonate with them. Plus, you’ll be able to speak their language. Remember, content marketing is about the reader, not your brand.
Set clear, measurable goals
Creating content for your practice can be overwhelming given the sheer volume of options you have. Blog posts, video content, social media posts, podcasts, and ebooks are just some of them.
But when creating content, it is essential to take the time and decide what you want to achieve from it. Simply writing and publishing blog posts is not enough. Getting views isn’t a clear goal either.
When creating content, ask yourself:
– Do you want to educate your audience and turn them into clients?
– Do you want to increase engagement and connect with potential clients?
– Do you want to build trust with your audience and position yourself as a thought leader?
Identify how your content can serve your audience and then create pieces that tie back to that.
Focus on your area of expertise
Some organizations focus on a specific niche. Similarly, every doctor has an area of expertise. Before you start working on your content marketing strategy, it is best to define your area of focus and the main problem areas in your niche.
Start by listing down some of the main concerns and pain points that people in your niche struggle with. You can easily list down some topic ideas based on these problems.
For instance, an ophthalmologist can educate their audience about the dangers of working on a computer for extended periods. On the other hand, dentists can talk about the importance of flossing every day or how to brush teeth with braces properly.
You want to become the person your audience relies on when they need information related to your area of expertise.
Go beyond written content
Content marketing isn’t just limited to written formats. Many businesses are fighting for people’s attention, so you need to figure out how to stand out. The key is to diversify your content strategy.
With the rising popularity of videos, it is good to include videos in your content marketing strategy. You can share short and informative videos on social media. Or do a live Q&A. This will not only help educate your audience but also increase engagement. Other content ideas include infographics, podcasts, webinars, and quizzes.
Humanize your healthcare brand
A patient is more than just a name on a medical chart. They’re someone’s son, daughter, parent, sibling, or spouse. You won’t win their loyalty unless you show them that you care.
People are more likely to engage and connect with you if they know a real person behind your practice. Post regularly on social media. Create some video content. Respond to comments. Make sure, though, that you have a clear policy to let people know that they should contact their physician or 911 in emergency cases.
We can help!
Content marketing has been proven to be highly effective. When done right, it can help you improve your online visibility, boost SEO, and even position yourself as an expert in your industry. Keep in mind, though, that results take time.
To reap all the benefits of content marketing, you need to do post content regularly. It usually takes about six to nine months for your content marketing efforts to bear fruit.
Feel free to reach out to us if you need help with your content marketing strategy. Whether you’re just starting or you’re hoping to double down on your content marketing efforts, we’re to help.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/5-Tips-to-Level-Up-Your-Healthcare-Content-Marketing-Strategy.png12602240Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2021-09-15 10:00:562021-09-10 09:59:265 Tips to Level Up Your Healthcare Content Marketing Strategy
One thing that has been coming up in our business a lot lately is this roadmap to digital marketing. Where do you start, when do you run ads, how do you create an online community? And a lot of times, we just want to jump into one component and hope it works. Digital marketing has grown so much over the past, just five years, just a year, six months. So it’s always changing, it’s always growing, which keeps us on our toes because they’re always adding in new things. When you think of your digital marketing, you always want to be thinking of your client or your patient’s journey.
What are they searching for, how are they going to find your content? How are they going to follow you, how are you going to build the know, like, trust factors? We created this roadmap. There’s a lot of moving pieces, and you can’t just focus on one thing.
Reflect
Let’s start up here by the very beginning, defining your company’s values. What is it that you are doing? What is important to your company? Really understanding those core values, because, in any business, you want to work with good people. You want patients that are going to love you, that are going to come back, that are going to refer their friends and family. So what are those core values that your company and your staff stand for?
If you already have this piece created, great, maybe just double-check it. Go back, look if you guys have grown or changed anything, and then moving into your goal. So what is your goal for digital marketing? Is it just brand awareness, making sure that you’re staying top of mind, that as people are searching for you on Google, that your social media is going to come up, or is it to increase leads, getting new people in the door? Is it to increase your online program, again, by getting people to sign up for your newsletter, what are those goals? And we always use the SMART goals here, so make sure that they are Specific, that they are Measurable, that they are Achievable, Realistic in Time. You don’t want to say, “I’m going to have a million followers in a week”, ’cause that’s not going to happen, but what’s that timeframe you’re going to give yourself? And then we’re going to move into a client avatar. What does this ideal patient or client look like for you? And this is really important. One of the best ways to do this, and this piece here takes a little bit of time, okay? This is kind of that step one.
Build and Create
With that client avatar, think of your favorite patients and clients that you have had. What did you love about them? Why did you love working with them? Did they… What was that relationship that you guys had? Maybe there are 10 of them. Take the common good from them and put them into this client avatar. What does that look like? Okay, so this is our step one of reflection, and then moving into step two, building and creating. So take the time to research topics online. Do a ton of Google researching and figure out… One thing I love about Google is you start typing in two things, it’s going to auto-populate different options. Okay, do those options resonate with your business? If that’s what you think that your clients or your patients would be looking for, start taking notes. Take the time to research what people are searching for. Then thinking of, you have all this content, what is your patient or your client looking for? Can you do some type of freebie? If it is, maybe you’re a pediatrician, and it’s about 10 healthy and fun snacks for kids under eight, and you can put together a freebie, a content upgrade that then you’ll be able to promote to collect those names and emails.
From that research, what can you put together as a freebie to be able to provide to your target market? Then you’ll want to look at how are you going to get that content out there, so you’ll want to look at either building something on your website, Mail Chimp, or even lead pages. This is going to help build your email list. And so writing a welcome series about this content upgrade and how excited you are to have this person a part of your online community, and what they can expect from you, and how often that they’re going to hear from you. Then looking at, based on those research you’ve done online, looking at what blog post can you write around those topics. The blog post takes some time, and if you are a natural writer, then you love, you love blogging because you have all these ideas coming to you, you don’t mind writing 500 words or 750 words or 1000 words, sometimes it’s a little hard to think of what is that blog post, what should it be about? And so when you have kind of this keyword, keyword phrases database that you can go back and look up after, that you could say, “Okay, this is what people are searching for. This is what people have asked me about in my practice this week, those are all great blog topics.” Okay, so we want to make sure we’re paying attention to those keywords that people are searching for in our industry, that’s going to give us the fuel to write those blog posts.
Educate
Now that we have our reflection piece done, we’re building and we’re creating all of our components to go together, now it’s time to start educating your audience. This piece right here is often overlooked because we think, “My story is not that important, people don’t want to hear about me”, and you’re true to a point, but this builds that know, like, trust factor. And that is what is going to bring people in the door. They want to know who you are, why you do what you do, who your team is, who are they going to see when they walk in or who are they going to be speaking with? So really being able to share your story, your personal story, your practice story, your company story, and also asking your team their story. And then with this content and with this content, you’re going to start to grow your network. This is where… Maybe you have a Facebook Likes campaign in to grow the likes on Facebook, you could be adding connections on LinkedIn, you can be sending out messages on Instagram and growing your network that way, followers on Twitter, whichever platform or platforms you’re working with, you want to grow your audience, so they’re able to see all of this great content that you’re going to be putting out.
All of this is education, and here as well, is really being able to put together that social media strategy to educate that audience. You don’t want to be sales, sales, sales, ’cause that’s going turn them off. But if you are promoting some type of a program, maybe this is an online program, then you want to talk about the benefits, you want to think about what are their pain points, what is… What are they going through? What would they be looking for? And that’s how you’re going to create that social media content. So it’s really about connecting with them and educating them and education can be a blog post, this can be videos, this can even be inspirational quotes. I love seeing inspirational quotes on my social media feeds because it motivates me and it’s still, “Oh yeah, I didn’t think of it that way”, or different ones resonate with me at different times of my life, and so that’s still educating. So putting together the social strategy within this educate piece is really important, because then once you have grown your network, you’re posting consistently on social media, you’re educating your audience, so you’re building again that know, like, trust factor, then you can start this promotion piece. And this is where sometimes people want to jump right into here to promote on Facebook ads or Google ads, but they haven’t done any of this yet, so they’re missing a big chunk of the picture.
Promote
Once you get to this piece of it, then it’s really important that you want to be able to promote this free content upgrade that’s going to grow your list, that’s going to grow your network, and put them in front of you. So promotion can be Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Google ads. This on Facebook, you can be doing boosted posts, which is great because that reaches even more people from your social media strategy here. You can also then have a whole ad campaign, which is really important because, with Facebook and your website, you want to be able to track those conversions, and Facebook in the past month has made a lot of changes to the backend of the ad. So it’s really important to understand what you’re doing, or have a company like us that understands that you’re able to get ads approved, that you’re able to track the conversions, that you have the Facebook pixel in the right place, all of these things come in to play so you are able to reach the right people and really grow that network and turn the people that just downloaded this freebie into a paying client. That’s key. So, once you have this piece done, you get to this promotion, then you want to look for what are more opportunities.
Management
After they get the freebie, maybe you can do a retargeting ad to those people and have another content upgrade that would maybe be like step two or the next step up from what you’ve created, okay? Or it could be something that is completely different, but still within that target market, just another thing they may want and be looking for. And so then all this comes down to managing, and this is a big piece of it. This is the most time-consuming piece, and our clients, love to write content, they love to put the videos together, they love what the idea is, but it’s a lot to manage because each of these pieces has its own little moving parts within that core. And so this is really where you have that social media strategy, so you’re creating the content, you’re posting anywhere between three and seven times per week. You are running your ads to promote your freebie, and ads you may have maybe five to 11 different ads running with different variations that are going to go back to this freebie, okay. So you’ll have a different language, you may be trying out a video on one ad, a still image on one ad, maybe a video that you’ve put together in Canva. So this management piece is really where you are then able to look at the big picture and say, “Okay, this is what’s working, this is how many conversions that we’ve gotten this week, here’s our social media analytics. This is what ads are working, this is what we need to change.”
This management piece is a daily, a weekly, a monthly, a yearly thing, and so this hopefully gives you that big picture of what your digital marketing strategy should look like. And each business is different, so you may have different tools in here that other companies don’t and based on your business model. But this is really just the overflow of what it is you should be doing in order to really see those leads come through and see your digital marketing go from here to here because at the end of the day, you really want that ROI. And if you’re not doing all of these pieces the right way, you’re not going to see that and you’re going to be wasting your money. So it’s important to look at each component and see how can you improve or change things of what you are doing to be able to have your digital marketing work for you.
If you are looking for help putting a strategy in place or having help managing the strategy you have put in place, we would love to schedule a free 30-minute consultation with you to go over what you are doing, where you want to be, again, reflecting on those goals and putting a plan in place to see that ROI.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Roadmap-to-digital-marketing.png12602240Amber Irwinhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngAmber Irwin2021-08-25 06:00:202021-08-23 14:32:17How to create a roadmap for your digital marketing strategy.
