Great content marketing can be an effective and low-cost way to bring in new potential customers and get them to convert. That is, when it’s done well. When it’s done without a thoughtful plan, it can be throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

Create a thought out plan and implement a few tricks along the way to create a content marketing strategy that works for your business.

1. Know Your Audience

Is this content for a thirty-five-year-old woman who owns a horse ranch or a sixty-five-year-old man about to go on his first cruise ship? You should know your audience and know them well. Not only who they are, but what they want. What brought them to read your content today? What are they wanting to get out of this? If you don’t have an answer, then you’re likely not delivering what they’re after.

Whatever product or service your company sells is solving a specific problem in your customer’s life. Content marketing is the same way. Being helpful creates a good first impression and builds a relationship with the reader.

2. Clarify Your Goal

Part of building a smart content marketing strategy is knowing your end goal for the piece of content. Are you striving for shares? Inbound links to a website? Are you looking to drive conversions?

Knowing what your goal is for the content will help you make sure the content you create is something that will support that goal.

3. Watch Your Metrics And Adjust Accordingly

Pay attention to your metrics. The information there is valuable. You may find that you get more shares on how-to articles, or that lists drive more conversions. It may also show that your audience likes content of a certain length or subject matter. You can learn a lot about audience by what they respond to, and then you can adjust your content going forward to maximize on what is working for you.

4. Be Consistent

It doesn’t work to have a waterfall of content come in, let that dry up, and then rush in with a fresh waterfall. If you want an audience to pay attention to you then consistency is key. When you first begin with content marketing, set out a schedule for how often you want to post. It doesn’t matter as much that you start off with big numbers as it does that you stay consistent.

5. Know Your Buyer’s Journey

A lot of content marketing is about bringing in new visitors, so your content is introducing the new visitor to your company in a subtle, casual manner. That’s great. But where do they go from there? Your content can be a way to get your customers over certain hurdles they may be hesitant about. If you know that your grill has a higher price tag than others on the market, create content that shows how durable and long lasting appliances can save money in the long run. Think about your customer’s journey towards the sale and create content that can help them along the way.

The Better Your Content, The Better Your ROI

Make sure you have a thought out plan for your content marketing strategy. Know who your audience is, learn more about them through your metrics, and create content that both draws them in and then leads them on through their buyer’s journey. The more work you put in to being thoughtful about your content beforehand, the better returns you’ll see in the long run.