Not sure how to make content marketing work for you? Check out these 10 content marketing ideas for attracting your ideal client.
In today’s world of marketing, content is everything. And it’s everywhere. That tweet you saw, that blog post you stumbled upon, the TikTok rabbit hole you went down? All content.
Here at WCO, we’ve been utilizing content marketing since we opened our doors in 2017. It’s been a great way to increase our brand awareness and position our authority in the branding space.
And that’s the power of content marketing – when strategically used, it can do wonders for your business and brand. But, what do you actually share? And how do you use it with intention? Today we’re sharing ten ideas for effective content marketing – hopefully this will get your wheels spinning and give you some inspiration to get out there and get visible.
In This Article
>> What is content marketing
>> Content marketing and strategy
>> Know your ideal client
>> Understand your brand message
>> 10 content marketing ideas
>> Additional brand resources
What is content marketing
I first learned about the idea of content marketing way back in 2014 from a book by David Meerman Scott called ‘The New Rules of Marketing and PR’. I devoured the book and was absolutely enamored with this idea of content marketing. This led me down the rabbit hole and I discovered The Content Marketing Institute. A great resource for all things content marketing, so I’ll use their definition:
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 and strategy
As a strategy-first studio, you know we have to touch on this before we get into the good stuff!
In order for content marketing to be effective, there absolutely must be an overarching goal and purpose. Yes, you can post and share, just to post and share. But that won’t do much to support your business and brand.
So, your first step in content marketing is to understand what you want it to actually achieve. And by it, I mean the content. Why are you getting visible?
Most service based businesses are doing so to position themselves as an expert and to drive leads. But maybe you want to grow your platform because a book deal is in your five-year plan. Or, maybe you want to grow your personal brand to launch a new endeavor within the next two or three years.
There’s no right or wrong answer to the ‘why’. But you do need an answer.
Know your ideal client
With your strategy in place, the next item to check off the list is your ideal client. Because again, you kinda need to know who you’re targeting in order to utilize content marketing effectively.
Not sure about who you’re a great fit for? Check out this post that walks through seven questions to ask to get clear on your ideal client.
When it comes to content marketing, it’s great to have clarity on these five things:
- The number one problem they’re struggling with as it relates to your service/work, and your specific solution
- Their version of success as it relates to your service/work
- The narrative shifts they need to make as it relates to your service/work
- The internal and external problems they’re experiencing as it relates to your service/work
- The transformation that they may experience because of your content
Understand your brand message
The last to-do on your list before jumping into content creation mode is to know your overarching brand message. This is the common thread that’s woven into every brand touch point. And spoiler, that means content.
Your brand’s overarching message is what will tie all your content together, up into a nice bow.
Without clarity on that common thread, you risk haphazard or inconsistent communication. Which, okay fine. But then, will the content have a chance to support your strategy/goal? Probably not, in which case, what’s the point or doing it at all?
Need support with your brand messaging? Check out these posts.
10 content marketing ideas
Okay, now onto the good stuff. When you’re armed with your strategy, ideal client insights and message, you’re ready to put that information to work with actual content. The goal here is to give you some inspiration in crafting content that resonates with your right audience.
The transformation
Everyone loves a good transformation and your right audience is no exception. The goal here is to make sure you provide the right information to showcase the before and after effectively. You can explain the problem, the process of engaging with the client and the solution that was created. Or, just highlight the ‘after’ – but the idea being that you’re showcasing the results and giving context to how you’re getting there.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
Share your process or framework
The way your business gets results is unique – even if you follow a similar process to others in your space, it’s still unique to your brand because no one else can replicate you and your personality. The goal here is to peel back the curtain and show how you actually do the work; how you get a client the results.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
Overcome an objection
What are the common objections that come up on your discovery calls? Or, what do you see as pushback in the groups/communities you’re a part of? The idea is that you can create a piece of content addressing a specific objection and then refer back to it when needed. I.e., after a discovery call, if that objection came up, send the potential client to the piece of content so they can review.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
The FAQ rundown
Building on the objection idea, create a page or post dedicated entirely to FAQs. Again, this comes in handy for potential clients. Additionally, this is a great resource to pull from a repurpose for social media or email.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
Explain a core brand idea/belief
As a brand, there are probably sacred truths that you hold near and dear. These can be based on your experience or industry norms, but they’re standards that you believe in and reference or use to do your work. For example, here at WCO, we believe that strategy must come before design. This belief guides our processes and, in alignment with today’s post, our content. So, what belief(s) do you hold true? Share them – even better if you can articulate it with a personal story.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
Share the main problem and your solution
Remember when I not-so-subtly hinted at the importance of knowing your ideal client’s number one problem? Well, here’s where you get to put it into action. Address that problem by making it clear that you understand it exists. And then, talk about your solution. This is a great way to showcase your expertise and build rapport with your right audience because you know what they’re struggling with.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
Dive into a desired narrative/identity shift
As humans, we identify with certain things – just like your brand, humans have certain beliefs and ideas that they hold to be true. However, some of those beliefs or narratives aren’t necessarily serving your ideal client. And, as the expert, you know there’s a better way. This is your opportunity to shift that mindset, perspective or narrative. What does the ideal client need to believe in order to understand your work, hire you or join your circle of influence? For example, here at WCO, our ideal clients need to believe that brand consistency can support their business goals, so we create content aligned with initiating that shift.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
Highlight other valuable content, with your twist
As a thought leader in your space, it’s your job to stay on top of your area of expertise. Whether that’s books, podcasts, articles or videos, educating yourself on your industry is important. To make this education do double-duty for you, share what you’re learning with your audience, but add your perspective to the mix. Maybe you disagree with something someone else shared, or you have all the praise hands for a recent podcast and know it would benefit your community. Just remember to give it your take and perspective so it’s supporting your brand. Yes, sharing the love is a great thing to do but why not add to your brand awareness while you’re at it?
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
Share a story of a brand value in action
Brand values are a great way to showcase what you’re all about as a business AND create connection with your right audience. Oftentimes, we think that just because we have our values listed on our about page, that’s enough. Take it a step further and give an example of your business putting a brand value to work. Whether it’s a positive or not-so-positive story, the goal is to show how you’re living out those values as a business.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
Share your purpose, aka why your business exists
As we think about your brand as being a catalyst for creating connection, sharing why you exist in the first place is a great way to build that foundation. Sharing the ‘why’ and the big picture for your brand allows your right audience to connect with you on a deeper level.
Need some inspo? Check out this post.
And with that, happy branding (and content marketing)!
All my best,
Additional brand resources
This posts walks you through determining your ideal customers including how to attract them.
The ultimate guide for creating your ideal client profile is at your finger tips!
Learn how to embody your core brand values and communicate them to your ideal audience for maximum impact.
Here’s how to develop a brand message for your service based business.
We dive into the steps to develop an engaging and effective brand personality you can use to resonate with your right audience.
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