As technology and innovation increasingly shape and control the lives of individuals, markets need to learn how to connect with consumers using those technological and innovative means! Here are a few ways you can better reach customers whenever you need, wherever they are.

When it comes to listing the most important parts of your business’s marketing strategy, then content marketing is up there with the best of them. Especially now that the internet is so ingrained into everybody’s lives, more and more people continue to search for products and make purchases online. There are many benefits of an effective content marketing strategy. However, its effectiveness is reliant on a number of factors which we will find out below.

But what exactly is content marketing? Well, this is a loose term that is often used to describe articles, blogs, images, and videos. To succeed in your content marketing strategy you need a clearly defined plan. The plan should methodically and meticulously lay out the goals and the strategies you will implement to achieve the goals.

One of the major benefits of conducting careful planning is that it allows you to get inspiration and to know what to put up for your readers and customers. After all, there are plenty of other businesses like you that are also doing a great job. This intensifies the competition and is no wonder why many businesses fail in their content marketing.  There are many benefits of an effective content marketing strategy. However, its effectiveness is reliant on a number of factors which we will find out below.
Here are a few steps that you can implement to create a killer content marketing strategy.

1. Define your goals
There are many benefits of an effective content marketing strategy. It can help boost traffic, increase sales and even boost your site’s SEO rankings. To succeed at any of these, you need to fine-tune your content marketing towards achieving a specific goal. This is why it is critical that before you put in motion any marketing strategy that you understand your current business position and what you are trying to achieve.

2. Define your audience
Now that you know your goals, the next thing you need to do is to define your target audience. By this, you need to understand who your customers are. This means understanding age groups, demographics, as well as their interests. Try to view things from the perspective of your potential customer. Where would they be on social media, what are their interests and what problems do they face? For instance, if you plan on targeting the older generation, then you may need to target them on social media platforms such as Facebook. For millennials, on the other hand, you can find them on Pinterest or Instagram. By understanding your target audience, you can create content that best appeals to their needs.

3. Define your KPIs (key performance indicators)
The only way you can determine whether your content marketing strategy is working is by performing proper analysis. Your KPIs will help you evaluate the performance of the content marketing strategy by collecting data as soon as you set the strategy in motion. Some KPIs include increases in site traffic or an improvement in Google SEO rankings. After setting your campaign in motion you can then track how it is performing by comparing the statistical data provided by the KPIs.

4. Set up a team
Setting up a team to handle the content marketing strategy means that it gets the attention it deserves.
You have the option of choosing one from an internal source or an external one. You may even opt to go for both options. Setting up a team to handle all aspects of the content marketing strategy ensures that everything goes as planned. Another option is to use an application that can help make the whole process much more efficient. In this case, find the ideal software for your campaigns.

Final Word
There is no denying the effectiveness of a successful content marketing strategy, It can help drive more traffic to your site and ensure brand loyalty. Remember, that before you can start with any marketing strategy, always define your goals to be able to tune your strategy to the needs of the customer.

The Covid 19 pandemic has affected all factions of our society. Livelihoods changed as people had to deal with job loss. Economies and businesses were especially hard hit. For many, the long-awaited vaccinations are to look forward to as things slowly start going back to normal.

The majority of brick-and-mortar businesses have seen an especially difficult time with the pandemic. They have had to devise new ways to re-engage with customers. One trend that seems to gain traction is video marketing. According to experts, it is expected to comprise up to 82% of all marketing strategies by 2022.
Don’t be left out. Let’s discover how you can make use of video marketing strategies to grab customer attention.

1. Practice flexibility
Creating a well-thought-out marketing plan is essential. Businesses can stay on track of their goal accomplishment without much deviation. It keeps the action of businesses disciplined.
However, it is critical to also add flexibility to your video marketing campaigns. You can do this by speaking a language that customers can relate to. For instance, it wouldn’t be clever to speak about collecting items and physically making orders during the lockdown. Instead, a better strategy would be to show how customers can get what they want to form the comforts of their home.

2. Be empathetic
Before the pandemic, it was expected for marketing strategies to guide customers through the sales funnel and eventually through the checkout process. However, businesses have realized that the products people thought they needed took a back seat as more people switched to buying important stuff.
Through video, the clever businesses know to offer messages of consolation and empathy. It shows customers that the business cares about them and their wellbeing and is not just interested in selling their products. As a result, customers feel more attached to the business and are more likely to become loyal clientele.

3.  Join the community against injustice
In your video marketing, few things can get your brand noticed quite like a stance on social injustice.
While many businesses choose to look the other way on issues such as gender inequality, and police brutality, for instance, your business can set itself apart by taking a stance against them too. In this way, you are saying to the community that you are seeing what they are going through and that you are with them during their trying times. This type of video marketing strategy can help solidify your image in the minds of potential clients.

4. Make it mobile-friendly
If there is one thing that seems to stand the test of time especially when considering how quickly things change in the digital world, it is mobile-friendly content. You must ensure that your video marketing strategy is mobile-friendly. Ever since the pandemic hit, the use of mobile phones has gone up tremendously. You would miss out on a large chunk of the market if your video marketing failed to be mobile friendly and to cater to the vast majority of online shoppers who purchase their products online.
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5. Be more creative with a limited budget
Ever since the pandemic, everyone including businesses had to switch to survival mode. This meant cutting down on spending significantly and making the most of the little they had. Brands stayed away from expensive TV commercials and focused their resources on more affordable methods of video marketing such as social media advertising. Many businesses also switched to using mobile phones for their video marketing strategies.

​It's not enough to have your brand ably represented on social media. There are millions of brands already there, but what separates you from the lot is your unique voice that's also audible enough to come out of the noise.Your unique voice should be reflected in all your posts, tweets, images, and videos as you go about your routine on social media.It should also reflect the values your brand holds to high esteem, and its unique selfless culture. And again, it's rowdy on social media so you have to be audible which starts by amplifying your voice with some of the tips that will be shared in this post.Get your voice amplified with the tips below.

1. Define your Core Values
You might have done this on your website, but you need to bring it down to social media.Part of being audible through the noise is making a strong statement of who you are and what you stand for as a brand.This will help your audience identify with you better and pledge their loyalty.Furthermore, your core values aren't all about what you stand for or represent, they're also about what you don't do and what you can't be found associating with.You need to make this known through your social media posts so your followers know you're the first port of call when it comes to certain areas of business that align with your values.

2. Capitalize on Similar Core Values Shared with Experts
There are experts and thought leaders who share similar values with your brand. Capitalize on them to make your voice louder.Inject a few of their popular mantras into your posts organically and with hashtags.Most people love to associate with the big names, and if your brand is saying something similar to what the big names are saying, use that to your advantage.It makes your voice on social media more credible and soon your followers will begin to associate your brand with class and quality.

Since you speak the same language as some of the leading voices in the industry, they might just perceive your brand as a protege, and you never can tell how much results this will generate for you.

3. Be Selfless
Your audience needs to feel loved by their brand. This love should be reflected daily in every content that you feed them.Although once in a while you could throw a few selfish accomplishments but make every post about your audience.Show them how much you care. Let them understand you won't be in business without them, let them feel that they are the live wire of the business, inflate their ego, make them feel too important, be customer-centric, and your voice will be louder.

4. What you Say and How You Say it are different
Tone matters in the few words you'll be using to feed your audience in social media posts.What you're saying isn't as important as how you're saying it. Unless it's a video post, you can be easily misinterpreted.Your post could be sounding harsh and too strict but the message is still there and won't be heard. If you're telling someone to come to buy what you're selling, no matter how good the product is, if you're raising your voice with a sense of pride in your gut, the buyer will pass.But if you come humbly with some sense of humor or jovial mood, concern, and sincere love to satiate the need of the buyer, you'll pique their interest. The same goes for your voice on social media. Some words are a little sensitive than others, some are too rigid and harsh, and you might be hurting your audience.Choose your words wisely because it doesn't matter what you're saying, but how you're saying it.

5. Be 70% Informal and 30% Formal
​By being informal, you relate with your audience like you were their friend from college or around the hood.Think of your brand as a person and not as a business entity to get a proper hang of how togo about this.But then you still need to add a dash of formality so they won't mistake you for a clown.
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It's risky sounding too informal and losing your touch with professionalism. Blend them in a 70:30 ratio and amid the uproar, some people can still hear your voice.Business isn't just about transactions, it can lead to meaningful relationships from an online perspective, and you need to integrate that relational aspect into the online process.

Summary
​Social Media is one of the busiest places online for digital marketing. It's rowdy and everyone's voice is up in the air. You need to be strategic for your voice to be heard and that involves deploying some tactics that can make your voice stand out and be heard across all platforms where you market your products

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​Instagram has grown tremendously since its launch. In fact, it has now reached over 1 billion users and seems set to challenge even Facebook, the world’s largest social media platform. It can however seem confusing when looking to market your business on Instagram for the first time.
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Where do you even start?
Luckily you’ve found the right post to guide you through the ups and downs of Instagram marketing. Download this free e-book to learn all about Instagram:

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