Getting started with content marketing is one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish. It’s easy to think about it as this big jumbled mess that can be complicated to figure out, or even intimidating to consider.

Back in the day, a lot of content creators could get away with fluffy content that was purely funny or a short form blog post that shared a fact or two. Right now, that doesn’t cut it. Both the internet overlords (lookin’ at you, Google!) and consumers want something more. They deserve something better!

What do I need to be successful?

The easiest way to explain content marketing is through the lens of making a cocktail. Everyone prefers a different strength or base to building what they need to success. Similarly, each business is unique in what it needs to best serve their customers.

One of the foundations comes from building content pillars that allows us to get a high-level and detailed overview. Not only do content pillars allow us as business owners to understand what direction to head in, but they also help everyone that we work with see the direction that we want to head in and allows us to easily delegate projects.

Content marketing is confusing, where do I start?

If you have a plan to post on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter every day, then you’re probably killing it. If you are having trouble finding the right balance for you, there are a few optimization tips and tricks you can try to speed things up along the way. The most important thing is to commit to posting once a week rather than multiple times a week or daily. Baby steps, sis! You have to take it one step at a time, even more so when you first start out.

Your first task is to gain a better understanding of what content marketing entails. Yes, you probably get the general concept as you read this, but you need to delve deeper into the intricacies. Familiarize yourself with the beginning, middle, and conclusion of a piece of content’s life cycle, as well as how you’ll track your results and return on investment, and the steps you’ll take to create your empire.

Next, do some research on some of your competitors before you start typing. Examine what firms similar to yours are doing in terms of content marketing. What are the most popular types of articles? How frequently do they publish? Who are they going after?

It’s time to establish an editorial schedule once you’ve spent some time thinking and analyzing the competition. Don’t worry if something isn’t perfect; you can always make changes afterwards. If you’re worried about formatting, start with an online template to help you organize your thoughts.

Begin organizing your information into sections and brainstorming names for possible articles (including what type of content each piece would be, such as an article, infographic or video). Dates for publishing should be set.

If all of that is overwhelming, don’t worry! I have broken it down, step by step, just for you. Drop your email below and over the next week, I will give you all of the secret ingredients to building the best content marketing cocktail.

How does MB – Creative do Content Marketing?

We believe one of the core pieces of content marketing in today’s world is social media. It is truly one of the foundational pieces to getting content marketing for a small business off the ground.

Along with myself and my team, we offer a full arrange of social media management services that allow our clients to reach their target market and engage with them in a way to drive sales + traffic. Your purposeful, one-of-a-kind online presence should help you experience a renewed sense of purpose, confidence and inspiration in your business.

Social media is like any other communication or marketing tool, it must be well thought out and aligned with your business goals and core values to attract your ideal clientele. This is our favorite part because we get bring the vision of your brand to life! Social media is not just a one and done button push — but it’s a start into content marketing!