Original content. Authentic content. Real content.
You’ve probably been hearing these phrases thrown around social media recently. You’ve also seen the online presence of other businesses take off with these content marketing strategies, reflecting in their real-world demand too.
And you think, when will it be my turn?
The good news is that you don’t have to wait. There’s no perfect time to start creating such content, and in fact, the earlier you do it, the better. Heck, start before you’ve even launched your business.
That’s advice from myBurgerLab’s co-founder, RenYi, who spoke at Underdog Content Conference ‘24 by Daily CMO, along with other content marketing experts in their respective industries.
Here are 6 other pieces of advice for any business owner looking to get started on their own effective content marketing journey.
1. Start with a purpose
Why do you want to create content? What’s your end goal with the content?
RenYi advises not to create content for the sake of simply doing so.
The lack of strong messaging might end up confusing customers and backfire, casting your brand in a negative light for creating what some of us may call “trash” (no value) content.
Instead, identify your goal, the audience you want to reach, the appropriate platform for your brand’s content, and then create your content.
If you need some ideas on where to start with all that…
2. Analyse your competitors
Content marketing is still part of business. And in business, competitor analysis can be the distinction between failure and success.
Mimi Thian—a freelance content creator herself who previously worked with Mindvalley and now also holds a Product Marketing Manager role at GXBank—advises to ask yourself these questions:
“What are other people in your line of business doing? What’s working for them? And can it work for you too?”
3. Take people behind the scenes
This is the “hot” thing right now, according to the experts at the conference.
People love feeling included. When you bring your customers behind the scenes, they’ll feel like they’re undertaking the journey with you.
They get invested in what happens, whether good or bad. They’ll celebrate your wins together, and give advice when you’re struggling.
It may be hard to see how this can translate into sales, but all these little things actually help customers build trust in your brand.
From there, they’ll naturally want to try the fruit of your efforts—be it a product or service—and if they like it, you’ve potentially got a loyal customer.
RenYi shared Grumpy Bagels as a good example of this.
Claire, its founder, began sharing a series of cafe renovation videos to drum up interest in her brand, as she said that her store location isn’t a high-traffic one.
Once she launched Grumpy Bagels, she continued content marketing through a series of “Day in my life as a cafe owner” videos.
Months into the business, demand remains so high that Grumpy Bagels is still getting a 45-minute to one-hour queue, we’ve heard.
Now, when you’re creating your content, you also want to…
4. Be wary of sensitivities
For many brands, you might find that content marketing that’s more “candid” or “casual” in nature resonates with your audience best.
However, it’s still important to watch out for cultural or societal sensitivities. You don’t want your content marketing to unintentionally insult a certain community or group of people.
Gajen Nad, a popular comedian known for his family-friendly and clean brand of humour, shared six tips he uses to ensure that his content doesn’t rub people the wrong way.
- Have a positive intention behind what you create.
- Research your content topic and context (thoroughly).
- Exercise cultural awareness (having a diverse team helps with this).
- Test your content. Get feedback from people of various backgrounds.
- Avoid generalising (groups, nationalities, races, religions, etc.) and punching down.
- Avoid negative stereotypes.
With these guiding him and his own grit, he clinched his very own show on Netflix called ‘Professional Mixed Breed’.
5. Automate, automate, automate
Peter Yong, founder of Mr Money TV, an educational platform on all things money with over 180K YouTube subscribers, shared how his team efficiently creates impactful content.
“The two areas where you need true manpower are brainstorming and recording. Everything else should be automated,” he said.
Similarly, Isaiah Saw, Senior Leader of Nuffnang Malaysia, and Weng Honn, a versatile content marketing expert with over 230K YouTube subscribers, pointed out that brands should leverage AI in the tools they already use.
For example, TikTok has its Script Generator tool, which will basically provide you with “scripts containing hook, body, and call-to-action scenes in seconds”.
So, with all these content marketing tips, you’re well on your way to crafting impactful content, but there’s one really important final step you shouldn’t ignore.
6. Do smart SEO
As good as your content may be, it’s not going to go far without the right SEO (search engine optimisation).
It’s important for businesses in general, as it allows your brand to be searchable and visible, but even more so if you want your content to be discoverable.
There are loads of blog posts and resources out there to give you the lowdown on how to leverage SEO, so here’s a relevant insight from Weng Honn on the subject matter.
For one, don’t underestimate the importance of having good SEO even for video content.
Take TikTok for example again. Lots of people use its search bar as a way to discover new places, things to do, and more.
If you run a lobster restaurant in KL, you’ll want to make sure the location you’re in (KL, or if you’re in a popular building, get specific), what you serve (lobsters), and other identifying details of your business are keywords in your caption, hashtags, and more.
This way, your content will show up when someone inputs “lobster restaurant KL” into their TikTok search bar.
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Hopefully, the tips shared by the experts here can give you the confidence to start your content marketing journey, or improve your processes.
If you want to brush up on the latest content marketing trends and best practices every so often, then definitely keep an eye on Daily CMO too, a platform to help anyone become better marketers and the organiser of the Underdog Content Conferences.
- Read more about content marketing here.
Featured Image Credit: Mr Money TV / Daily CMO
