How to Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy
When marketing your business, you should rarely rely on a set-it-and-forget-it strategy, so I want to talk to you about digital audits.
Why digital audits drive content marketing success
As a podcaster, speaker, or coach, content marketing is key to growing your audience and business. However, creating and distributing content is just ONE piece of the puzzle. For success, you need a solid digital strategy that includes:
Website optimization
Social media strategy
Email marketing
Branding
Understanding your target audience
By doing a digital audit, you may be able to pinpoint areas that can be improved. This will enhance your online presence to attract and retain your target audience.
Step 1: Assess Your Online Presence
The first step in a digital audit is to determine the strength of your online presence. This includes reviewing your website, social media channels, and other online platforms where you have a presence. We're looking for areas of improvement, such as outdated information, broken links, and inconsistent branding. Take note of what’s working well and what needs improvement to create a better user experience for your audience.
Auditing your online presence:
Check your profile photos on all platforms/channels you have a profile on.
Are your bios on your various channels still relevant?
Are there gaps in your online presence, and do you plan to fill them?
Step 2: SEO & Website Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is necessary for driving traffic to your website and improving your search engine ranking. In other words, we want to make sure your content shows up when people search for the thing you offer. You must ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices and has fast loading times.
Auditing your SEO & Website:
Google yourself, your business name, the service or product you sell; take note of where or if your business shows up
Do keyword research to identify relevant keywords for your website and content.
Do you have a plan to include keywords in your content?
Ensure your website has a clear structure and is easy to navigate.
Improve website loading times by compressing images and reducing plugins.
Step 3: Develop a Social Media Plan
Content marketing doesn't work without social media. It's a great way to connect with your audience. However, a well-planned social media strategy is essential to getting the most out of your efforts. Identify which social media platforms your target audience uses and plan a strategy for each. At TCG, we recommend repurposing content from your primary platform to others as you mix in new channels.
Auditing social media:
How is it going? What performed well in the last 90 days? What flopped?
What is your audience engaging with?
Are there channels you could cut? Do you want to try something new?
Are your CTAs consistent with your goals for social?
Step 4: Email Marketing for Podcasters, Speakers, and Coaches
What would you do if social media died away tomorrow? I'll stay in touch with my audience via email. It's a direct line to an audience of people who have ASKED to hear from me regularly. You could also think about these people on your email list raising their hand (by subscribing) and saying, 'I'm interested in what you have to say/offer.' Email marketing is an effective way to stay connected with your audience and promote your content. It's also an effective way to drive traffic to your website and increase conversions. You NEED to create an email marketing strategy to stay in touch with your audience outside of social media.
Auditing your email marketing strategy:
Do you have a freebie to get people on your list? How is it performing?
What are your insights like? Open rates, click rates, growth?
Are you segmenting your list?
How is your process of getting an email out to your audience going?
Step 5: Building a Strong Brand Identity
A strong brand identity helps you stand out from competitors and creates a memorable impression on your audience. Your brand identity includes your logo, color scheme, typography, and tone of voice. Ensure that your brand identity is consistent across all your online platforms.
Audit your branding:
Are your graphics and visuals consistent?
Is your email newsletter branded?
Do you have a style guide + are you following it?
Are there any visuals that just aren't working anymore?
Step 6: Identify Your Target Audience
Understanding your target audience is crucial for savvy content marketing. This helps you create content that resonates with your audience and drives engagement. You must conduct market research to identify your target audience's demographics, interests, and pain points.
Audit your audience:
Who follows you? Do they fit within your ideal audience?
Are you hanging out where they're hanging out?
Audit your email list. Are they ideal clients?
Are there any timely pain points?
Using content marketing to its full potential
You could think of a digital audit as a check-up on how marketing is going in your business. Checking in regularly is essential for content marketing success for podcasters, speakers, and coaches. It helps you identify areas of improvement where you can implement tweaks and changes to improve your online presence. This will maximize your content marketing efforts. This results in increased audience engagement, traffic, and conversions. Effective content marketing is an ongoing process, so regularly evaluate your strategy and adjust as necessary to accomplish your content marketing goals.
