1. Design tools: Studies show that using visuals in your marketing makes it significantly more likely that someone will view, share and remember your content. But creating compelling visuals can be difficult for small firms who don’t have an in-house designer. Canva is still one of the top tools for designing graphics for social media, websites, email marketing, invitations, posters, ads and other uses. The free version works well for most small firms and it’s not hard to learn.

2. Photos: To the same point mentioned above, photos should be incorporated into your marketing, but unless you’re taking them yourself, you often have to pay for the rights to use them. (Just because you find them on the internet doesn’t mean you can use them freely.) HubSpot regularly updates its list of free stock photo sources. Another site with photos and not on the HubSpot list is Unsplash. I will admit that I don’t use these on a regular basis simply because it’s faster to use a big stock photo site with a good search tool, rather than look through several free sites for the right photo. However, these free sites provide a lot of interesting and unique photos, which may be exactly what fits your needs for a particular use. I should also mention that several of the tools mentioned in this post do provide a library of free or low-cost images. These include Canva, Hootsuite and Constant Contact.

3. Image resizer: Sometimes images are too big to use on social media or would load slowly if used on your website. Image resizers let you compress the image (also crop and edit it if needed). I’ve used ResizeImage.net and it’s free, but there are many others.

4. Audio transcription: Scribie provides inexpensive audio transcription. I’ve used the site to transcribe a podcast or radio interview, which makes it easier to repurpose for additional marketing value. Costs are less than a dollar a minute in many cases.

5. Online advertising: Claiming your Google My Business listing (which is free) enables you to be featured in the search results (as well as in Google Maps) for local searches. You can add information about your business as well as photos. This is also a good place to direct people to leave reviews about your business.

6. Email marketing: Constant Contact is probably the top provider and it’s affordable especially if you don’t have a huge database. However, if you have less than 2,000 subscribers and send fewer than 12,000 emails per month, MailChimp is a free and easy-to-use alternative.

7. Search engine optimization: Yoast is a top-rated WordPress plugin that helps websites improve their SEO. With Yoast, you can do at least some SEO work without having technical skills as it enables you to boost results by focusing on your keywords, titles and meta descriptions. It has a free version, but the premium option is very inexpensive and well worth it.

8. Website analytics: Google Analytics is free and easy to connect to your website. It provides a wealth of information from how many page views you’re getting to where your web traffic is coming from and lots more.

9. Market intelligence: Google Alerts enables you to set up web searches for specific keywords or phrases. You’ll receive email alerts whenever these phrases show up online. It’s a great way to monitor what’s being said online about you and your company, your industry, competitors, clients, prospects, topics and other areas.

10. Social media scheduling: It’s very time-consuming to consistently share content on social media especially if you have multiple accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Hootsuite is a social media management tool that lets you schedule your posts in advance from 1 place, keep track of your activity, and get basic analytics. You can also set up keywords to monitor on social media and integrate RSS feeds in order to find content you may want to share with your followers. There are both free and paid versions. Buffer and Social Pilot are other options. I haven’t used it personally, but I know others who recommend it highly, including in a recent post on the Association of Accounting Marketing Blog.

11. Online learning: Udemy provides over 130,000 online courses. Courses start at only $12.99 and are a good way to get a basic education in social media, SEO, web analytics and other areas that will help your marketing. For a list of other companies with free or affordable options, check out this article.

12. Writing: Grammarly is an automated grammar and spelling checker that works on your email, social media, blog and elsewhere on the web. It helps minimize errors and improve your writing to make it more concise and understandable. There is both a free and premium version. TheHemingway App also can assist you in writing better by letting you know about problem areas such as overly complex sentences, passive voice or too many adverbs.

13. Content ideas: HubSpot has a Blog Topic Generator that can help you come up with ideas to write about. You just enter a few nouns that describe your subject matter, and you’ll get 5 ideas. This doesn’t always work for technical topics, but even if it doesn’t give you the exact idea, it can be a starting point.

14. Publicity. Help a Reporter Out is a free service that helps connect you with journalists looking for sources.  You can sign up for daily emails where reporters/writers indicate what types of people they are looking to speak to for a story. There is also a paid version with additional features.

Of course, there are many other free and online tools that I’m not mentioning. Check out HubSpot, Buffer and AdExpresso for more recommendations. Google users should also check out this link.

As good as these tools are, they all have their limitations. One of the biggest is that someone has to learn how to use them effectively. Sometimes it just makes sense to turn to a professional who doesn’t have a learning curve and can effectively implement and maintain your marketing. However, if you have internal resources and want to try these out, go for it.

Do you have a free/inexpensive tool you want to recommend? Contact me and I’ll publish an updated version of this blog post.

Note: This post was originally published May 12, 2017 and last updated February 4, 2021.

Here are a few more takeaways from the event:

Karen Tenenbaum, Esq., CPA, LL.M – Consistently look for ways to build your credibility and stay top of mind, such as through writing, speaking and public relations. Also, be organized about your marketing. Know who your target audience is and create a “bingo chart” that lays out what you will be doing to market your practice every month to reach those audiences.

Ken Cerini, CPA, CFP, DABFA – Become an expert in a specific niche area of accounting. There are less accountants specializing in auto dealerships or food services than there are accountants providing tax services. You have a higher likelihood of succeeding against 10 competitors than 1,000. Create specialized materials, write articles, start a blog, attend trade association meetings and engage in other activities that will get you in front of your target audience.

Sharyn O’Mara – If you want to get publicity, then get to know a couple of reporters in your local area or who focus on your area of expertise. You want to build the relationship beforehand, so the reporter thinks of you when they need an expert for a quote or will respond to you when you make a pitch. Whether it’s in the PR or another context, try to be a connector. It’s not about getting business; it’s about creating strong relationships with people.

Allison W. Rosenzweig, Esq. – When you are marketing yourself, be genuine. Don’t always be “selling.” Instead you should focus on building a strong reputation. How you are perceived by others is crucial. Also look for ways to stay visible whether in person, online or in the press.

Matthew E. Rappaport, Esq., LL.M. – Figure out what sets you apart from your competitors and make sure you can clearly articulate the differentiating factors in a few sentences. Also, don’t hesitate to give away some value in the form of knowledge or expertise for free to establish relationships.

Edie Reinhardt – Don’t engage in random acts of marketing. Have a written marketing plan where you think through who you want to target, how you will reach them and what you want to accomplish. You can keep it simple especially if you haven’t done a lot of marketing in the past. Start with a small targeted plan and then as you build on your successes you can expand your efforts. Also, don’t be afraid to test different tactics. A lot of marketing is trial and error.

Thanks to my fellow panelists and the conference organizers.

Here are some of the best ways to accomplish your goals:

1. Email newsletter. A monthly newsletter is a low cost and effective way to remind your contacts about your work and share useful information with them. Even if they don’t read the whole email, it has value because your name is showing up in their inbox. It’s kind of like seeing someone across the room at a networking event. It reminds you of them even if you don’t get a chance to speak with them.

2. Social media. Every time you share content on social media your contacts can see it. What’s great about social media is that you can share original content as well as articles others have written. However, be careful about overdoing it or sharing junk. The key is that you want to post information that is useful or interesting to your audience. You want them to see you in a positive light.

3. Blog. Blogging is a wonderful way to highlight your expertise and it is fuel for your social media and email marketing. When you promote this content, you are also driving traffic back to your website where someone can learn more about you.

4. Educational program (ex. lunch and learn, workshop, webinar). You can do your own event, partner with someone else, or go in-house to a company to do it for their employees, clients or contacts.

5. Guide/eBook. Offering more in-depth content that your referral sources can use for themselves or easily pass along to others is a good way for them to remember you.

6. Articles and speaking engagements. When you write for third party publications and speak to groups relevant to your referral sources, it’s another chance for them to see you. It also demonstrates that others recognize your expertise. All of your writing and speaking should be promoted via email and social media.

7. Promotional product. If it’s distinctive and genuinely useful, then it can act as a reminder to others of your name and brand.

8. Networking. Active networking is crucial for staying top of mind. Periodically you should evaluate whether your networking groups are a good fit. You should also consider creating your own group to supplement the bigger groups you belong to.

9. Say thank you. Many professionals are prohibited for ethical reasons from giving referral sources a monetary gift, but a sincere thanks is always welcome regardless of whether the referral turned into actual new business.

10. Free advice/consults. Sometimes your referral sources have a problem or they have a client with an issue and they just need some advice. By offering at least some assistance for free, you’ll be remembered and appreciated.

11. Regular follow up with your best referral sources. You can’t meet personally with all of your contacts, but you should meet in person with your key contacts periodically. Other ones may merit a phone call or personal email, in addition to other marketing they may get from you. And don’t forget to affirmatively ask them for referrals.

12. Make introductions and give referrals. It’s better to give than to receive. Instead of expecting others to send people to you, you should take the initiative to send them good people.

If you want to keep getting those referrals, use these tips to make sure your sources remember you first.

If you need help with your marketing, contact us.

Email services like Constant Contact collect data on industry averages and show open rates for professional service firms averaging between 15-21% and click rates ranging from 2.5-7.5%. But many email newsletters do much better than that and those statistics don’t take into account the fact that your firm name is seen by your contacts when you send an email even if they don’t have time to click on the email to read it. That’s very important when it comes to staying top of mind. It’s like walking into a networking event and even if you don’t get to speak to everyone you know, seeing those individuals across the room reminds you of them. Of course, that shouldn’t be your goal. You want people to read your material.

When done the right way, email newsletters provide an inexpensive way to stay top of mind with your contacts, showcase your expertise, build credibility and drive traffic to your website. But how do you get it right?

1. Have a plan. Who do you want to send it to? What do you want to accomplish? Think about what content will help you achieve your goals. You’ll also need to set up a schedule and allocate resources to getting the work done.

2. Send it at least monthly. Quarterly is too infrequent. You can send it more often than monthly, but make sure you have quality content to fill it and you should keep a close eye on your results. Test the frequency of your emails to find out what works best for your audience.

3. Segment your email contacts. You should put your contacts into categories so that when you need to, you can send different emails to different groups of people. For example, past and current clients should not necessarily get the same emails as your referrals sources or prospects. Maybe you want to create separate lists for people with certain job titles or in particular industries. Consider which segments make sense for your business.

4. Keep email lists up to date. Make sure you’re adding in new contacts and updating old ones. Check your email bounces. People change jobs all the time or there could just be a typo in an email address that no one noticed until they checked the bounces.

5. Fill it with quality content. Self-promotional content is okay, but follow the 80-20 rule – 80% helpful substantive information vs. 20% promotional. Provide insights, tips and stories to engage your reader. Definitely don’t use canned content you buy from a company, unless you want to sound like everyone else in your profession.

6. Use teaser content. Don’t put everything of value into the email. Instead, provide a good headline and some intro text; maybe a few tips, but then get people to go to your website to read the rest.

7. Have a call to action. What do you want people to do when they see your email? Read a blog post; sign up for a webinar; contact you for a consultation? Make sure you include links in your email so readers can engage with your content and you can track those clicks.

8. Test what you’re sending and when. Send emails at different days and times. Change your headlines and email subject lines. Try including different types of content or varying the length of your emails. As you test different tactics, you can gauge whether you are getting better or worse results.

9. Design it. A visually appealing newsletter helps. If it’s too cluttered or dense, it can put people off. Add images too. It breaks up the text and is more eye-catching to readers.

Don’t miss out on the great opportunity that email newsletters provide to help you market your business. Use these tips to maximize your results.

For more tactics, check out 7 tips for getting more value out of your client newsletter.

1. Who is your audience? Think about the ideal person you want to read your blog. What kind of topics would interest them? How can you engage them? You should strive to be helpful and speak their language – that is, write in a style that is appealing and they understand. If you want an effective blog, it has to be written for the specific reader you had in mind, not for you, the writer.

2. Why do you want to blog? What do you want to accomplish? There are many excellent reasons to blog including improving your Google search ranking, increasing online visibility and web traffic, building credibility, demonstrating expertise in a particular area and staying top of mind with contacts. If you have a clear reason for blogging, it will keep you motivated to continue. It will also help you set appropriate goals and measure your progress.

3. How often will you blog? I encourage clients to try to blog twice a month and then as they get more comfortable increase to weekly. The more frequently you blog, the better results you’ll get. However, it’s best to come up with a schedule you can maintain. Starting and stopping is not a good strategy. You need to be blogging regularly so it’s better to start slow and build up over time.

4. Who will be responsible for blogging and do you have sufficient resources? One of the biggest reasons blogs fail is that the firm didn’t devote adequate resources to getting it done. That means time and money. Even if you do all the work internally (write, edit, publish, promote), there is still a cost involved. The individuals who do the work could be doing other work so there is a lost opportunity cost. You have to be committed to setting aside the people and hours needed to blog. If you don’t, and you just hope that it will magically get done, you will fail. You also need to consider how to assign and delegate work. Look at skill sets and make sure the right people are doing the right job. Everyone should be making the highest and best use of their time. That means partners or managers shouldn’t be doing work that could be delegated to someone else internally or externally with a better skill set.

5. How will you promote your blog? Just because you blog doesn’t mean people will see it. You need to actively market it. Make good use of social media and email. Encourage everyone within the firm to share it with their individual networks. You can also use various SEO tactics to make your posts more likely to be found.

6. What will you write about? As discussed above, you need to think about your audience and your motivation to blog. However, you also have to turn that into actual ideas. Think about trends, frequently asked questions from clients, new developments, etc. Periodically brainstorm topics with others or ask clients and referrals sources what type of information they want. Set up Google alerts, sign up for newsletters, and follow companies, publications or industry news to gather ideas for content. Then create an editorial calendar where you plan out topics at least 3 months in advance so you’re not scrambling on a weekly basis to come up with something to write about. If a news item comes up, that’s fine. Write about it and move your pre-scheduled topic to another week. Whatever you write about, remember the number one rule is that your content must be useful to the reader.

Before you start a blog or stop doing one you started, consider these issues. You’ll end up with a better blog that helps you market your practice more successfully.

Need help with your blogging? Contact us for a consultation.

When firms try to define themselves too broadly – too many specialties or no specialties – they spend a lot of money and lose their ability to stand out from the competition. If you’ve got a niche, flaunt it with these tips:

1. Tell everyone what you do. It sounds silly, but too many professionals worry about promoting their niche because they think they may lose other types of business they could have gotten. So even though they may be doing some niche marketing, they aren’t promoting themselves that way to everyone. Basically they are hedging their bets. Unfortunately they lose out on the benefits they would have gotten from being explicit about their niche.

2. Write. That means everything from blogs to articles to white papers. Writing is the one of the best ways to showcase your expertise. I want to particularly emphasize long-form content. Short-form content like blogging is very useful for a lot of reasons including building your credibility and digital presence. The more you write, the more likely you are to show up in search results. However, for professional service firms, it’s great to use the blog post (and other content) as a way to lead people to more in-depth information like white papers and eBooks. Offering long-form content can be helpful in getting people to sign up for more information so you now have leads to nurture. –  It also really sets you apart because people recognize that it’s hard to write something long even if they don’t read it all. With that in mind, also don’t forget about publishing actual books. It’s a lot of work, but books still impress people and have tremendous marketing value.

3. Speak. You should look for opportunities with third party organizations, but also consider doing your own event or partnering with someone on an event. It can be a live event or webinar. Also take advantage of radio and video to provide your audience with helpful information in a verbal format. Video in particular is very helpful in getting attention and beneficial for search engine optimization.

4. Develop a specialized microsite. A microsite is an individual web page or group of pages that act as a separate entity for a brand. It can have its own domain or be a subdomain. The point is that it’s a distinct area where you can provide lots of information about your niche. You should include not just information about your background and services, but more importantly provide useful content and resources. There are big branding benefits as well as search engine advantages to creating such as website.

5. Prepare a research report. Conducting a survey or culling and analyzing information from multiple sources into a report can be an excellent marketing tool. You are providing original and useful information for your audience. In addition, it is something you can promote to the press to get additional exposure. If possible, look for opportunities to partner with industry groups or other experts to give you extra credibility.

6. Maximize social media. Use social media to promote your own niche content, but also seek out opportunities to share information from other relevant resources and influencers. Be very targeted in what you share and who you share it with. Make sure to comment on other people’s posts and ask questions to start discussions. It will give you more visibility and authority on a subject.

7. Find influencers and partners. Reach out to individuals and groups with established reputations related to your niche and help them spread their message. As you build credibility with them, opportunities may arise to work with them, or get them to share your work with their audience. With organizations, get involved in committees and look to take on a leadership position. It is a great way to stay informed on the issues and make key connections that you can leverage to build your reputation.

Use these tips to make your niche marketing more successful.

Looking for help with your marketing? Contact us for a consultation.

1. Stop using canned content. Too many professional service firms buy canned newsletters, blogs and other content to use for their marketing. Although some of the material may be well-written, it is always generic. You want content that is targeted to your clients’ problems and interests; provides your unique insights; and isn’t the same stuff that’s on a hundred other websites. If you need help, get a writer/editor to provide custom content.

2. Provide quality over quantity. It’s crucial to stay active and visible with your contacts through social media, email and other marketing channels. However, quality is a key component. When you share information, make sure it’s high-quality. We are all suffering from information overload. Don’t add to it with more junk.

3. Give free advice. Offer content that is genuinely practical and useful. It will help you build trust and credibility and establish strong relationships. Don’t be afraid of giving too much information away for free. Clients will still hire you because they don’t have the time or skill to do it themselves. Remember having a recipe doesn’t make you a chef.

4. Curate and comment on other people’s content. Writing original content isn’t always necessary. You can provide value by identifying and sharing good content written by others. You are still demonstrating your expertise and interest in helping others. However, when possible, add your own comment instead of just hitting a “like” or “share” button.

5. Use social media as a listening tool. Social media is a great way to learn more about your clients, prospects, industry and competitors. You can use it for research and to stay informed about their concerns and interests. This will help you better target your message and your audience. For those uncomfortable with sharing on social media, the best part is that you don’t have to say a word. Just listen.

6. Set up google alerts. These are a great, easy and free way to monitor what’s going on with particular individuals, companies, topics, etc. Just create a search and have results show up in your inbox daily.

7. Focus on a niche. You will stand out from the competition and get better quality leads if you develop a practice niche. Clients want specialists, not generalists. According to studies by Hinge Research Institute and CEG Worldwide, the top growth firms are those that focus their practice.

8. Use multiple marketing channels. You will get better results if you utilize several marketing channels. Email, website, blog, social media, print, advertising, public relations are all possibilities. You may not want to use all of them every time, but you should incorporate several into your regular marketing.

9. Start small and scale up. Too many marketing initiatives fail because firms were overly ambitious, couldn’t put together the appropriate resources and then gave up. Begin with one project and be conservative in establishing deadlines and goals. You’re more likely to be successful if you gradually build up your marketing.

10. Develop a written marketing plan and budget. Write down what you are going to do, who you are going to target and what you want to achieve. Then set aside time and money to make sure it gets done. Be specific and consider every task, who will do it and what the real cost is to your budget. Remember time is money.

We hope these tips will help you succeed with your marketing in 2017.

Need help with your marketing? Contact us for a free consultation.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year!

Surprisingly many businesses still don’t invest in digital marketing. At a minimum, a good website is necessary for businesses to be perceived as credible. However, a website alone isn’t enough; you need to promote it effectively. The panelists and audience shared their insights on how businesses can make the most of their efforts.

Here are some of the key points and best practices that came out of the discussion:

1. Have a plan. You shouldn’t just create/update a site, engage in social media or do any kind of digital marketing without developing a plan. Understand who you want to reach and what information they want to have. Identify your short, medium and long-term goals. Are you focusing on getting new traffic from people searching? Are you looking to bring in or nurture leads? Do you want to build followers? There are different tactics that will help with each of these and varying benchmarks to measure progress. You want to think through these issues and then prepare a written plan.

2. Establish social media profiles and be active. Not every platform will make sense for your business. Pick the one(s) where your audience is active and looking for relevant information. Social media is a great way to drive traffic to your website, build your visibility, attract new business and stay top of mind. But like all marketing, you have to do it consistently to be successful. Posting once in a while won’t get you very far. It’s like joining a networking group and then rarely showing up and when you do, you barely talk to people. That’s not going to get you business.

3. Optimize your website for search engines. Good basic SEO is essential for every website to improve organic rankings. For some businesses, it may make sense to consider using pay-per-click advertising as well. In any event, the most important thing to remember is content is king so follow the next tip.

4. Have great content. Relevant educational information targeted to your audience will help build/reinforce your credibility, engage your readers, and improve your SEO. Google looks for relevant quality content that is updated frequently in determining your search ranking. So the first thing you should be doing is blogging regularly. However, you should also consider creating other content (whitepapers, eBooks, video, podcasts, webinars, etc.)

5. B2B and B2C are different. B2B companies tend to have a long sales cycle so it’s important to consider how to nurture your leads. Although you want to grab attention, you also need to keep contacts engaged and stay top of mind with them without blatantly pitching your services.

6. Get professional help. A professional can guide you in your digital marketing so that it meets your needs and helps achieve your goals. If you have internal resources, determine what they can handle based on their expertise and time. If you need to fill gaps, it can be more cost effective to bring in an outsider. Ultimately, the goal is for everyone to be handling tasks that are the highest and best use of their time. Delegate the rest.

Thanks to ODNLI and my fellow panelists – Ritima Sood, Artiems Software Solutions and Tai Vicari, Networking Marketing Specialists – and moderator, Jerry Siegel, JASB Management Inc.

If you need help with your digital marketing, contact us for a consultation.

Are you a good writer? Even if you’re not the best, you can still write an effective blog post. In fact, blogs are a more forgiving format than most other writing. You set the length, tone and style. But there are best practices you should follow to improve your blog writing in order to better market your business.

1. Start strong. Your first paragraph should clearly and concisely tell readers what you are going to talk about and why it’s important (i.e. how it benefits them). You want to give them a reason to keep reading so don’t bury the lead. Sadly people’s attention spans keep getting shorter. According to Microsoft we’re now at 8 seconds so you have to get to the point quickly if you want to get them to continue reading.

2. Use the same terminology as your target audience. Speak to them in their own language. Generally you shouldn’t talk to potential clients the way you would talk to your colleagues or referral sources. Using the right tone and wording not only will make your content more readable and interesting, but you will be proving that you can relate to your audience.

3. Break up the text. A big block of text can be harder to write and put off readers. Lists, bullets, headings and other strategies can help you organize and discuss your topic in a more readable and compelling way. And dividing the text visually enables readers to more easily scan and understand the points you’re making.

4. Incorporate stories. This is a great way to demonstrate how you help people solve their problems. Provide case studies and examples to let your audience see that you are dealing with others like them. They also personalize your work as well as your content. It’s more interesting to read a story, than a bunch of facts. And you can omit confidential/identifying facts without sacrificing the value of your story.

5. Keep it simple. Yes you’re an expert and have lots of amazing information to share, but you will confuse and overwhelm readers with too much information. You want to help readers spot the important issues and gain some understanding, not provide a step by step guide to solving their problems. If you have that much to say, then write multiple blog posts and link them to each other so readers who are interested in more information can keep reading.

6. Write it and then put it aside. It’s very hard to look at your work objectively right after you’ve completed a draft. I build into my writing schedule extra time to review what I wrote the next day so I can edit and proof more effectively.

7. Include a call to action. What do you want readers to do after reading your blog? Contact you? Sign up for something? Make sure to have a clear next step for the reader. You’re using the blog to help your marketing so you want to encourage people to continue to engage with you in some way.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you’re writing a blog post. To read more writing tips, see 5 dos to help you create content that your audience wants to read and 5 things not to do if you want people to read your content.

Need help with your marketing? Contact us for a free consultation.

1. Document your content marketing strategy. The CMI study emphasized that “B2B marketers who have a documented content marketing strategy get better results from their content marketing tactics, social media platforms, and paid methods of content distribution compared to those without a written strategy.” A documented strategy keeps you focused on what you want to achieve and helps you design a plan for how to get there.

2. Create buyer personas. One of the keys to successful content marketing is understanding your target audience or buyer. Develop a profile (buyer persona) of that ideal buyer, client, or referral source, including their key demographics and behaviors. The more you know about your buyer’s needs, the better you can tailor the substance of your message as well as how you promote it to them.

3. Choose a well-defined niche. We’re all suffering from information overload and there is so much content available that it’s overwhelming to look at it all. One of the ways to stand out is to promote a narrow expertise.

You may find yourself with fewer leads, but better quality ones because you better match what the prospect is looking for and there are fewer obvious competitors.

4. Develop an editorial calendar. An editorial calendar helps you create and manage your content workflow. Use it to plan out content topics or themes in advance, establish deadlines and assign responsibilities for each step in the process. Think about the format for your content, your message and audience, where and how will it be marketed and distributed and what resources are needed.

5. Reuse content. Coming up with new content on a regular basis is challenging so look for ways to repurpose your existing content. For example, create longer and shorter versions of everything you do as well as think of different formats such as writing, audio, video, and presentations. Content curation is another method of reusing content, but you are selecting and sharing useful information created by others. Ideally add some of your own thoughts and commentary when sharing other people’s content.

6. Track results using appropriate metrics. The end game for any marketing is to bring in revenue, but there are other goals to keep in mind, such as; lead generation, lead nurturing, brand awareness, customer retention, and engagement.

Determining the appropriate metrics depends on your specific goals. However, some of the more common ones include: website/blog traffic and engagement metrics (unique and repeat visitors, page views, time spent on site, etc.); social media interest (followers, connections, sharing, etc.); quality and quantity of leads generated; and other ones.

Once you have established your metrics, start testing your tactics and revise and hone your strategies accordingly.

7. Start small and scale up. You don’t have to do everything at once. Instead start with a pilot project that you can scale up over time. You can focus on 1 or 2 priorities or tactics. Or look at how your existing content marketing can be improved keeping in mind some of the best practices mentioned in this article. Consider what you are already doing as well as how adding resources could improve your results.

Once you start to see successes, you can build on them.

Content marketing is a great investment when done right. Hopefully these  best practices will help make your initiatives more successful.

Need help with your marketing? Contact us for a free consultation.