If you are finding it hard to build traffic with content marketing, you’re not alone.
In a recent survey, 51% of marketers said it’s harder now than ever to capture the attention of their target audiences. And, only 29% say their content marketing strategy has been successful in the past year.
Building a strong foundation for your content marketing efforts takes time and effort. But with the right strategies in place, it’s possible to scale effectively and reach more people.
But it’s important to first ensure you’re focusing your efforts on the right channels.
Apart from direct traffic, organic search and social media are some of the leading sources of traffic. This is according to the State of Inbound Marketing Trends research by HubSpot.
Image via HubSpot
Focusing on the channels that have the potential to bring in the most traffic helps you optimize your content marketing budget.
Now, let’s explore actionable content marketing strategies that will help you build traffic.
Top 5 Strategies To Build Traffic With Content Marketing
The data I’ll provide will show you that these are the best strategies you can use.
1. Revisit Buyer Personas
When you want to build traffic through content marketing, it’s important to stay on top of your target audience’s needs and preferences on an ongoing basis.
If you created your buyer personas a few months or years ago and now notice a decline in traffic, leads, and conversions, it may be time to revisit and update them.
How often you revisit and update your buyer persona will depend on your business goals. But, updating quarterly or once in 6 months is a smart idea.
Ask yourself these questions to recalibrate the buyer persona:
- Have the challenges or pain points of your personas changed?
- Are they using new media channels and technology such as smart speakers?
- Can you expand your existing target audience pool to include niche audiences?
- How is your target audience finding your website?
2. Perform Content Audits
Before fine-tuning your content marketing strategy, it’s important to find out what is working and what is not in your current inventory as well as your competitor’s.
In fact, 30% of media planners perform a monthly content audit, as per a HubSpot report. And 81% of those who run audits say they help achieve these goals:
- Find content gaps
- Improve user experience
- Improve ranking
- Build the visibility of the top-performing content
- Identify technical SEO issues such as slow load times and broken links
When I was looking to build traffic for my website, I started out with a competitor analysis. To do this, create a list of your top competitors and then analyze their content strategy in detail.
Tools such as Semrush can help you understand your competitors’ top-ranking keywords, best-performing content, link profile, top referring page, and more.
This Semrush review post on Attrock will give you more insights into the tool.
You can also use templates such as this one from Moz to fast-track your competitor analysis.
Image via Moz
There are also plenty of keyword research tools that will help you find more keywords to target with your content.
3. Leverage The Spoken Word
Consumers increasingly prefer to “hear” messages instead of reading/seeing them.
In 2021, publishers of audiobooks registered a 25% growth in revenue while 35% of Americans are using smart speakers to listen to news, music, and podcasts.
With audio content growing in popularity, it’s important to focus on a mix of media types to build traffic with content marketing.
Here are a few to explore.
Live Interactions On Social Media
Conversations with your audience in real time can help foster deeper connections and interactions centered around distinctive content.
Instagram’s 2023 Trend Report highlights that Gen Z users of social media are excited about in-person experiences with their favorite content creators.
The next best thing to in-person interactions is the live interaction platforms on social media such as Twitter Spaces and Instagram Live Rooms.
The State of Inbound Marketing Trends report we referenced earlier also shows that marketers are investing in these platforms to engage with their target audience.
Image via HubSpot
In addition to facilitating live content creation, these platforms provide collaboration opportunities with influencers.
For instance, the founder of BnkToTheFuture.com, Simon Dixon, uses Twitter Spaces to talk about emerging topics in the bitcoin niche and holds a Q&A session with participants.
Image via Twitter
You can also use Twitter Spaces to network with other thought leaders and experts, which is a great way to build your brand’s visibility. In addition to using Twitter Spaces for networking, sharing inspiring growth mindset quotes can also be an effective way to boost morale and foster a positive learning environment among your audience.
Branding expert and author, Bobby Umar, uses Twitter Spaces to network and collaborate with other professionals.
Image via Twitter
Podcasts
Podcasts are also one of the best eCommerce marketing strategies you can practice.
According to the previously cited Instagram Trends Report, social media users expect influencers and brands to connect with them using new types of media. And 40% of the Gen Z population wants to hear podcasts from the content creators they follow on social media.
Brands are investing in podcasts to share expert insights, industry news, and success stories.
Trader Joe’s, the well-known grocery chain, regularly publishes podcast episodes to keep their readers informed and engaged.
Image via Spotify
Smart Speakers
Bands use smart speakers to reach their target audience by creating branded podcasts or audio content that users access through the speakers.
Another way is to develop a branded skill or action that provides value to the user and distribute it through Alexa Skills. This can include things like recipes, workout routines, trivia games, or customer service support.
Alexa Skills are voice-activated capabilities that are the equivalent of apps for Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices.
For instance, HBO has partnered with a third-party voice app developer to create HBO Max Recommends. When enabled, the skill recommends movies and shows that users can watch based on their inputs.
Image via Amazon
4. Partner With Influencers
For brands looking to control business spending, influencer marketing is an excellent way of maximizing marketing ROI.
Influencer marketing is one of the top 5 marketing trends with the highest ROI, per HubSpot’s research.
When leveraging influencers to build traffic with content marketing, one of the top channels to focus on is YouTube.
This is because 89% percent of shoppers in the U.S. say content creators on YouTube give the best information on brands and products.
Brands such as Asana are using influencers to build traffic with content marketing. In this video, Natalie Barbu, a YouTuber with 304K subscribers, talks about how Asana helps her stay organized.
Image via YouTube
5. Ensure Your Brand Values Shine Through In Your Content
Your brand values are what set you apart from your competitors.
Google’s study shows 82% of consumers want brands whose values align with their own. Sustainability and social justice are some of the values that shoppers increasingly identify with.
Image via Google
For example, Everlane, a clothing brand, showcases its commitment to ethical sourcing and pricing transparency in its content.
Image via Everlane
Pro tip: Combine these content marketing strategies with other marketing tactics, such as user-generated content, guest blogging, Google Ads campaign, and online PR.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the proven strategies to build traffic with content marketing.
But to build long-term success with content marketing, you need to create quality content that is relatable and promote it on multiple channels. Measure results regularly and refine your approach over time.
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