02May

How to Be a Better Content Marketer

In the wise words of Bill Gates back in 1996, “content is king” – and that has become increasingly true in recent years, with 71% of B2B buyers consuming blog content as part of their path-to-purchase. Although the average prospect sees hundreds or even thousands of marketing messages every day, “content marketing allows you to cut through the barrage of ads and create an emotional connection,” which is why content marketing can generate 3 times more leads than paid search advertising.

It’s no surprise, then, that 91% of B2B professionals are implementing content marketing strategies, but those initiatives can take a lot of time and effort – especially considering that most B2B organizations (53%) have only a small or one-person marketing/content team.

To help get you started, we reviewed HubSpot’s recent article 9 Habits of Highly Successful Content Creators and summarized their recommendations – along with some of our own thoughts – so that you can harness the full power of content marketing for your dealership:

  1. Read industry news everyday: You can’t credibly talk about the industry without knowing about the industry, so take time to seek out informative and interesting stories and updates. You can do this by browsing popular industry sites and subscribing to informative newsletters.
  2. Write regularly: In terms of pure writing ability, practice is the number one recommendation for improvement. As a favorite teacher used to say, “If you want to be a better writer, then everyday you need to put your butt in a seat and words on a page.”
  3. Study your audience: Knowing the content your audience needs, as well as the type of content they prefer, should guide the topics you select and the ways in which you write about them. Monitor which content performs best and take note of how you hear customers discuss topics.
  4. Establish your voice: There are thousands of content marketers, but there is only one you. Sharing your personal experiences is what can make you stand out in the crowd. Describing mistakes you’ve made, lessons you’ve learned, and successes you’ve achieved are great topics.
  5. Curate outside content: Sometimes the great content your audience needs already exists, so feel free to share it. However, you should avoid regurgitation and, of course, plagiarism. Credit the original source, then offer your own opinion or response (like we’re doing in this article).
  6. Understand your KPIs: You should optimize content with specific goals in mind, so be sure to understand your key performance indicators (KPIs) from the start. Whether it’s website traffic, contact-information submissions, or something else – define what success looks like so you know if you’re hitting the mark.
  7. Network with others: Connecting and forming relationships with other writers, content curators, and marketers is a great way to pick up tips, learn new things, and find people to run ideas by. To find people to connect with, try exploring LinkedIn or attending content marketing conferences. If you need a writer to support these efforts, you can check out Upwork.com or Freelancer.com.
  8. Offer solutions: Instead of reciting basic information, take the time to comprehensively explain how your content is important and can be used to the benefit of your readers. Consumers will always be more interested in practical information that can improve their lives and work. And don’t forget – you’re an expert in this industry, so don’t hesitate to share your knowledge.
  9. Question everything: Developing a healthy sense of skeptical curiosity and being willing to dive deeper on the question “why?” can help you understand underlying assumptions, identify potential problems, and develop new and creative solutions – whether that be in your own writing or someone else’s.

Highly successful content creators are intentional about adopting practices that improve their abilities so they can provide essential information for their readers. The above tips from HubSpot offer a great place to begin improving your content marketing skills. And if you run the content marketing at your commercial dealership, we want to hear from you. How do you develop dynamic content that generates leads for your dealership? Let us know in the comments below:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ethan Smith
Ethan is a Content Curator for Trader Interactive, serving the commercial brands Commercial Truck Trader, Commercial Web Services, and Equipment Trader. Ethan believes in using accessible language to elevate conversations about industry topics relevant to commercial dealers and their buyers.

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