If you are a fan of listening to stories then I must say this guide is for you.

  

  really😎 !!!

  

  The main reason behind every content-marketing is to influence consumers to take some action.

Content marketing is all about storytelling and if you're a good storyteller then people will always tend to give their attention to you.

  often most of the time when you heard the term "content marketing" the things that pops-in to your mind are blogging, emails and probably social media right?

Marketers at that time use prints, radio ads and television advertisements.

A journal that focuses on Homemaking tips for women started as a  double-page supplement at the tribune and farmer with ads concentrating on women fashion, home goods and other products expanded its customer base to its target audience through valuable content.

But traditional marketing has always been interruptive as it allows companies to reach out to their end-users wherever and whenever they wish to, and all this can happen in billboards, newspapers, magazines, radios and television advertisements regardless whether you are interested or not,

But those years have passed and consumers have greater control over which advertisement they wish to view.

focusing on consumer relevance and tailoring content to the needs and interests of a specific group of customers is what distinguishes today's marketing from traditional marketing.

So if you wish to stay ahead in your content marketing you need relevant and valuable content for the right audience.

Just as CMI defines 

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

 

Content marketing has brought a way to connect with the audience through valuable blog posts emails, articles and social media. it appeals to draw customers in, instead of getting in their faces.

 That is why  Hubspot outline their strategies as follows :

 1 set smart goals 

 2 Determine your KPIs

 3 choose your content channel 

 4 Decide on the type of content

 5 set a budget

 6 create and distribute the content

 7 analyze and measure results.

let's elaborate a little on that 

indeed setting smart goals will be the best first strategy to consider while marketing your content, Hubspot manages to point it to the very last that you should not forget about your bottom line of improving loyalty, brand awareness, building trust, attracting strategic partners and increasing customer engagements which is after all your primary concern.

After implementing all these strategies it's time to measure your key performance indicators KPIs, my friend nothing feels so good than looking at how your brand awareness is performing from a massive twitter followers sign-ups and great engagements from customers and partners knowing those smart goals turned out to be doing pretty well.

This is the greatest example of audience targeting of all time. 

Hey, 👋 Audience targeting has been around for a very long time, and if you think audience targetting is just around for even 10 years back I'd say you're wrong to let me tell you a story.

When the owner of Genesee food company Orator Francis Woodward had claimed the name and business Jelly-O in 1889 his Dream to make it a popular American dish failed and sales were extremely slow he was so depressed and frustrated that he even tried to sell the brand for $35. 

But luckily for him he decided to change his marketing tactics, the Genesee company reintroduce jelly-O as the "America's most favourite dessert " then he thought that since his company is all about food and recipe it's obvious that women were the right audience so he decided to place ads on the ladies home journal which led to a major boost in sales.

I bet you do 😎 

So audience targeting is not a new term to you,

but if for some reason you don't, then don't fret audience targetting is as simple as using data to segment customers by interest, demographic locations in order to find the right person. 

Audience targeting helps you target the right person interested in your products and services to decrease the amount of dollar you spent on uninterested customers and help move prospects, potential customers to the bottom line.

 

 For example, Tammy Duggan-Herd Director of marketing at digital marketing firm after implementing a content strategy with audience targeting saw a 744% increase in traffic within the course of 12 months

 It takes a lot more effort to craft a high-quality engaging and persuasive content, putting a lot more time in outlining your editorial plans,

 but with all this, your brand's potential for success is often determined by your promotional and distribution channels.

 

 Many marketers often thought they need to appear on every platform by posting their content everywhere and anywhere just to increase the chances of getting the desire results,

 

 The problem with this is it holds little regard for reaching the right audience, whether the community there is receptive of your messages, or whether the relationships built there to make a meaningful impact on your business.

And your ability to measure and track content gets exponentially complicated.

There are 3 categories of content promotion platforms that your distribution might fall into.

* Brands own platform which includes your blog, website and Newsletters.

* Social media which is a third party that your activities are totally controlled over the business decision of the third party which can change its policies or cease operation at any time.

* paid promotions this allows you to share messages it wants and at some point controlled the environment they appear at a cost.

whether you are a newbie to content marketing or an experienced expert wanting to make the biggest impact possible with a massive multi-platform content launch.

You always need to make smart channel choices to know which channel is more appropriate for your content.

Here are some factors to consider by the content marketing institute

* Audience characteristics 

it's clear that buyer personas are of great importance in audience targetting and it will help in knowing what audience are you most likely to reach on this channel ? will the audience find value in what you are offering?

* Rules of engagements

would it be acceptable to share lengthy text-based content, or would photos or videos be a better fit?.

* Communication style

Are there conversations of sensitive nature that might put your brand at risk ? will your brand's tone be a good fit for this community?

*
Brand resource and capabilities

Are you prepared to listen respond and participate in existing discussions?

Do you have the right resource to consistently engage here?

Now it's time to measure your results to determine the success of your marketing strategy See if you achieve your goals and KPIs, were you close to reaching them ?  or are you off in your estimations?

Analyze to see if there are any necessary changes to improve your content marketing efforts and reach more audiences

I hope you now have a good idea of how to approach your marketing strategy.

I really hope it doesn't take that much of your marketing budget.

 Distribute your content wisely and your brand will enjoy an enhanced performance from every piece of content you create.

Have you been implementing these strategies?

How long have you being using content-marketing?

Do you know any other step that I missed?

let's talk in the comment I would love to hear from you.😁