Which Marketing Activity Matters Most?
There is a very simple way to ensure that you’re getting online marketing right. So, where should you focus your marketing energy?
The answer is that almost all your marketing energy should be focused on content marketing. After all, all types of marketing have content in them, right? But, it does all lead to one thing and that’s getting people on your email list.
FREE Checklist: 5 Step Content Strategy
Your email list is yours forever. Facebook, Google or any other online communication media can change their rules on how you use them whenever they want and without warning. Building an email list means you can contact the people on your list when you want, for whatever reason you want – paying attention to email marketing rules and what’s best for your subscribers, of course!
7 Places To Focus Your Marketing Energy
1. Blog Posts
You don’t have to put a blog up every single day, but when you have something good to share with your audience it should start as a blog post. Whether you create a video, a meme, or host a webinar, start it as a blog post and share from there so that all traffic comes to your website first. Once they get there, you want to get them on your email list.
2. Email Content
When somebody is on your list it doesn’t mean that they’re ready to buy from you there and then. People joined your list because they thought you offered value. They will unsubscribe if all you do is blast out sales messages.
Your emails should include useful information, special perks, freebies, bonuses and coupons. Let them know in the email that what you’re sending is only for them. Make them feel that they’re appreciated you value them as individuals rather than email addresses in an endless list. For example, you can send an email about:
- Your latest blog post and why you think this post is important.
- How to get access to your next live webinar or event.
- An interesting discussion happening in your group.
- Something that has happened to you personally that is connected to your next offer.
FREE Download: 5 Step Content Strategy
3. Attracting Affiliates
One place to focus your marketing energy is using content to build a strong affiliate marketing army. Getting other people to market your products and services is a lot less expensive than paying for ads (although you should do that too). Create content for your affiliates such as email swipes, memes, infographics, blog posts, and more to make it plug and play for them.
4. Video
Video is an effective way to get the word out about your business, ideas and offers, whether live streaming or recorded video. Video is more likely to be shared and engaged with by your audience. People like to use their mobile devices and it’s easier to watch a video than reading text on it due to the size. But, when you create any videos, and after the live is done, embed it into a blog post and share it from there to build traffic to your website and build your email list.
5. Content Upgrades
One type of content that is working today to build your email list are content upgrades. A content upgrade is linked to additional content and information such as white papers, checklists, and reports that are gated content. It requires an email address to download it and consume it. This type of content is just a little bit more information than what is publicly available on your blog.
FREE Download: 5 Step Content Strategy
6. Webinars
When you want to build your email list, a great type of content to create is a webinar. A webinar can help you build your email list like nothing else can. You simply need a good topic, and you can start with your most popular blog post and use that. Then you need simple webinar technology that enables you to collect email information.
7. Social Media
Using social media is a great way to get traffic to your website, but not if you don’t include a link. You can share your newest content by linking to it on social media. You can also share a blurb about some great content with a commented link inside.
The truth is, choosing between email or social media content is a no-brainer. You need to build your email list and keep your audience interested in what you have to say by sending emails often. You also want to send information to social media networks.
But remember you’re sending info to social networks to build your list and you’re sending messages to your email list to make sales.
Free Checklist: 5 Step Strategy To Improve Your Website Content
The key thing to remember is that every piece of content you create – whether free or paid – needs to work together. When you improve your website content, it pulls more people onto your website and works to put more people onto your email list. Your email list then works to send these potential customers to your paid offerings and other content that you’ve created. It all works in unison.
Download my Free Checklist, The 5 Step Content Strategy to discover how to improve your website content by following the best practices used by the most successful bloggers and online entrepreneurs.