We all want to be experts in the latest and greatest trends and philosophies in the marketing world. Time is, however, not on our sides to achieve this dream.

Certainly, there is no substitute for hard work and practical application, but we all need a little push. This guide – a quick, seven-minute read – is designed to provide you with all of the building blocks you need to begin your trek towards content marketing success.

1. Understand The Definition, Benefits

As with anything in business, taking on a new endeavor requires an investment of resources. One will give up on content marketing if the goal is not clearly illustrated.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing, “is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

Four Stats To Motivate You

• 90% of consumers find custom content useful
• 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement
• 70% say content marketing creates a more personal attachment to the sponsoring company
• 60% say custom content creates a positive perception
• Source

In short, content marketing is a value to your audience, and fosters positive and personal connections to your brand which, in turn, can lead to increased sales and brand loyalty.

Click on the compass to download our Content Marketing White Paper - the 10 guiding principles you need to navigate content marketing.

2. Define Your Goals, Capabilities

Creating custom content, as you will discover, is time-consuming and challenging. And this is coming from someone who is paid to sit down and create content. If you run a bakery, automotive shop, non-profit or some other enterprise, creating content is not in your job description.

Assign benchmarks for yourself to hit. And create these benchmarks within the framework of a content calendar. If you do not allot yourself time and due dates for content, you will neglect, and eventually, abandon it.

A calendar should take into consideration your capabilities and aspirations. It should contain:

• What days of the week or month you plan on posting
• What type of content you plan on creating
• How you plan on distributing this content

For a small shop, start small. Plan on posting twice a month. Nothing overwhelming, simply a starting point. Master the fundamentals before worrying about search engine optimization, mobile rendering, or anything like that.

Content is king, address that first.

3. Familiarize Yourself With Different Styles Of Content

The next Great American Novel is not your end goal.

Do not be handcuffed by the notion of text as the only form of content. Some industries in particular, such as dining or travel, are best suited to keep text to a minimum.

Writing is a difficult and increasingly rare skill to find. Your staff may not possess someone well-versed in crafting text and editing copy. And that is okay.

There are a slew of methods that companies large and small use to perform content marketing. Here are three resources for you to check out.

• Top 11 Most Powerful Content Marketing Examples By Small Businesses
• Content Is King: How Marketers Embrace Content To Drive Sales
• Top 50 Brands Using Content Marketing With Positive Results

Take pictures. Shoot video. Interview your customers. Whatever you do, make sure it is being consumed and enjoyed by your audience.

4. Forming Habits

For all the research and prep work you do, it is all rendered moot if you do not sit down and do it. Whatever inspires you to create – tap into it and use it to your advantage. Pick a date and make that the day you post. Consistency is key.

Here are three posts that will help you build your content marketing strategy:

• How To Build A Content Marketing Strategy
• 5 Guiding Principles For Creating Great Content
• 5 (More) Guiding Principles For Creating Great Content

Recall that content marketing is meant to drive customer behavior. Having a consistently updated site is essential for this to occur. Your brand should be a promise that is constantly delivered. Be reliable.

5. Leads And Measurement

Like all marketing, you must be cognizant of measurements and metrics that your efforts produce.

Your website should have capabilities to capture interested readers and allow them a venue to share their contact information for you to follow up with. This brings the conversation full circle. They consume the content that you work so hard to create, and in turn, they will be more interested in doing business with you.

The more successful a particular piece of content is, the more leads you will garner. Use measurement tools to see which content is most preferred by your audience. Always be honing in on what works and what doesn’t. As you continue to boil down your processes, don’t be afraid to replicate what works.

As you master the fundamentals of content marketing, you can then dive into sharing this content on social media, optimizing your SEO strategy, creating mobile content, and more advanced marketing techniques.

Start slow, aim high, and don’t stop.

Download our free Inbound Marketing White Paper to learn more about generating and capturing qualified leads.