10 Guidelines for Successful Content Marketing in 2016 & 2017
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 10:35 am
Content marketing is nothing new under the sun. Facebook created a need for companies to invest in it. Although content marketing is seen as a hype, many companies still invest in it because they feel (slightly) forced. Or because they want to realize a success story quickly. There are now more possibilities than ever to do content marketing successfully. In this article I would like to share my 10 personal guidelines with you for content marketing in 2016 and 2017.
I based this list on my experience as a content creator, a lot of interviews and visits to companies that are heavily committed to content marketing. And on desk research of course. It would be great if we could expand it to 20 rules for content marketing. So don't hesitate to help me take this content to the next level. I thank you in advance for all your input!
Below is my presentation with my 10 guidelines for content marketing in 2016 and 2017.
1. Ambition as an ingredient for content
Starbucks is currently setting up a partnership with a former journalist from The Washington Post. The goal is to create and share content about world issues that urgently need to be latvia telegram number list addressed. Starbucks is not just about coffee: the company wants to bring people together and unite them over a cup of coffee. By setting up this partnership, they want to take their content marketing to the next level. The vision of the company becomes the foundation of the content.
The ambition of SpaceX (Elon Musk's second company after Tesla) is to colonize Mars. The content revolves around their ambition, their goal. Every decision they make to realize their ambition becomes part of the content. If you can use your ambition as the ' talk of the town ' you have an aspirational ambition on the one hand and great content for your content on the other.
The more the content can be linked to your ambitions, the better.
Put your energy into getting people excited
Nowadays, most people understand that content marketing is not about selling, but rather about selling without selling. You try to get people excited about your story. So instead of thinking about your sales pitch, you put your energy into getting people excited. In the long run, it is more valuable to excite people with your story and your business goal than with a viral video that scores once.
CM - 10 guidelines 1-2.012
2. More customer-focused than ever
A few years ago, there was a company that sold swimming pools. During the financial crisis, business was at a standstill. The industry suffered greatly, but there was one company that kept growing. Their secret? A brilliant marketing strategy: answering customer questions . The owner of the company wrote down the 200 most frequently asked questions and answered them in blog posts on his website. Thanks to this strategy, everyone (who still had money to buy a swimming pool) ended up on the company's blog and website. That made a huge difference and ensured that the company could survive in times of crisis.
Speak your customers' language
The first guideline I gave was about what you want to share as a company, about what story you want to tell yourself. This guideline is about what customers find important and what questions they ask themselves. About staying relevant as a brand. If you know what customers are concerned about, you only have to provide them with an answer and they will easily discover your content. Make a list of all the questions people can have about your sector, your passion, your products, your company and also your employees. Answer all questions in blog posts, videos or infographics. Don't forget to speak the language of your customers and don't use too much technical jargon. The popularity of your content depends on the search behavior of your customers.
In the long run, this strategy can have a bigger impact on your business than content about yourself, because you create absolute added value for your customers. So put most of your energy into this approach: act customer-oriented and think from the customer's point of view. Offer them added value and you will achieve results.
CM - 10 guidelines 1-2.017
3. More interactive than ever
Almost every week you are presented with situations where you can enter into dialogue with (potential) customers via social media. This is an opportunity for a company to create a bond with your audience. When someone shares your content or asks you a question, they are giving you one of the most valuable things in life: their attention. The best way to fully utilize that attention is to pay attention in return.
Conquer a heart every day
When someone tweets something nice about a brand, most brands will favorite that tweet. It’s a 1-second investment. What if you could turn that into something more interactive? Experiment with a video reply on Twitter. This is where you record a short video thanking people in a more interactive way. Have your marketing team or your general management team spend 10 minutes a week sending out nice replies. Create short thank you videos for your fans and you’ll be amazed at the impact. It’s also more valuable than a “heart” because this step wins hearts. Winning a heart every day is what I truly believe in.
I based this list on my experience as a content creator, a lot of interviews and visits to companies that are heavily committed to content marketing. And on desk research of course. It would be great if we could expand it to 20 rules for content marketing. So don't hesitate to help me take this content to the next level. I thank you in advance for all your input!
Below is my presentation with my 10 guidelines for content marketing in 2016 and 2017.
1. Ambition as an ingredient for content
Starbucks is currently setting up a partnership with a former journalist from The Washington Post. The goal is to create and share content about world issues that urgently need to be latvia telegram number list addressed. Starbucks is not just about coffee: the company wants to bring people together and unite them over a cup of coffee. By setting up this partnership, they want to take their content marketing to the next level. The vision of the company becomes the foundation of the content.
The ambition of SpaceX (Elon Musk's second company after Tesla) is to colonize Mars. The content revolves around their ambition, their goal. Every decision they make to realize their ambition becomes part of the content. If you can use your ambition as the ' talk of the town ' you have an aspirational ambition on the one hand and great content for your content on the other.
The more the content can be linked to your ambitions, the better.
Put your energy into getting people excited
Nowadays, most people understand that content marketing is not about selling, but rather about selling without selling. You try to get people excited about your story. So instead of thinking about your sales pitch, you put your energy into getting people excited. In the long run, it is more valuable to excite people with your story and your business goal than with a viral video that scores once.
CM - 10 guidelines 1-2.012
2. More customer-focused than ever
A few years ago, there was a company that sold swimming pools. During the financial crisis, business was at a standstill. The industry suffered greatly, but there was one company that kept growing. Their secret? A brilliant marketing strategy: answering customer questions . The owner of the company wrote down the 200 most frequently asked questions and answered them in blog posts on his website. Thanks to this strategy, everyone (who still had money to buy a swimming pool) ended up on the company's blog and website. That made a huge difference and ensured that the company could survive in times of crisis.
Speak your customers' language
The first guideline I gave was about what you want to share as a company, about what story you want to tell yourself. This guideline is about what customers find important and what questions they ask themselves. About staying relevant as a brand. If you know what customers are concerned about, you only have to provide them with an answer and they will easily discover your content. Make a list of all the questions people can have about your sector, your passion, your products, your company and also your employees. Answer all questions in blog posts, videos or infographics. Don't forget to speak the language of your customers and don't use too much technical jargon. The popularity of your content depends on the search behavior of your customers.
In the long run, this strategy can have a bigger impact on your business than content about yourself, because you create absolute added value for your customers. So put most of your energy into this approach: act customer-oriented and think from the customer's point of view. Offer them added value and you will achieve results.
CM - 10 guidelines 1-2.017
3. More interactive than ever
Almost every week you are presented with situations where you can enter into dialogue with (potential) customers via social media. This is an opportunity for a company to create a bond with your audience. When someone shares your content or asks you a question, they are giving you one of the most valuable things in life: their attention. The best way to fully utilize that attention is to pay attention in return.
Conquer a heart every day
When someone tweets something nice about a brand, most brands will favorite that tweet. It’s a 1-second investment. What if you could turn that into something more interactive? Experiment with a video reply on Twitter. This is where you record a short video thanking people in a more interactive way. Have your marketing team or your general management team spend 10 minutes a week sending out nice replies. Create short thank you videos for your fans and you’ll be amazed at the impact. It’s also more valuable than a “heart” because this step wins hearts. Winning a heart every day is what I truly believe in.