Every successful online business I’ve started has used the content marketing approach, and I think that will continue for the long run.
Although the basic idea has stayed the same for the 11+ years I’ve been running an online business, there are always small strategies that change year to year.
In this article I want to talk about some content marketing strategies that I think will work best for growing a profitable business online (or providing revenue for your current business) in 2019.
What is Content Marketing?
Quickly, for those of you who aren’t familiar, content marketing is when your marketing is based on providing potential customers with ‘content’ so that they discover and, hopefully, like/trust your brand, product or service.
Content can be videos, articles, podcasts, or social media posts. These pieces of content are often educational or entertainment based.
An example would be, if you are selling a weight loss service, you may create videos and articles relating to fat loss to help people find your company/service and to start a relationship with those potential customers.
In order to sell somebody a product or service they usually need to know, like, and trust you – and content is a great way to get started with that.
Focus on Value Adding Content
Entertaining content can make you a lot of money (just look at some of the most popular YouTubers that solely provide entertaining video, without much value outside of entertainment), but, in my opinion, it’s much easier to focus on content that provides more value for the customer.
Yes, technically entertainment and giving someone a laugh is adding value to their life, but for this article when I refer to “Value Adding Content” I’m talking about content that will help the potential customer with his/her problems.
Going back to the weight loss service example, if you wanted to provide value to someone who is looking for help with losing weight you might
- film fat loss workout videos that they can follow
- write articles or blog posts with healthy low-calorie recipes
- record a motivational podcast episode helping them with their fat loss journey.
All of the above can directly help that potential customer get started with losing some weight, and you are providing some true value to them with your content.
When you help someone out they will start to like and trust you, and eventually there’s a good chance they will become a customer down the road if you help them out enough.
Video Content and YouTube Continues To Grow
Some people think that they’ve missed the boat with YouTube heading into 2019, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
If anything, 2019 is the perfect year to get started with video.
More and more people are using YouTube every year, and I think that number will only continue to grow with the easy access to filming videos and watching videos on our phones.
And although there are lots of videos already created on a wide variety of topics, there is always going to be a never-ending stream of new topics that you can create videos around.
If you don’t know where to get started with YouTube, or just want to fast-track your success check out the YouTube Course in the Create Freedom Academy (launching February 2019).
And although I love talking about YouTube, because it’s a great place the be found through the YouTube search and recommended videos, I do think video content on all platforms will continue to grow.
If you aren’t utilizing video content on Facebook or Instagram you are missing out on a great opportunity to get your message in front of potential customers, build trust and loyal fans, and make more sales.
2019 is The Year of Podcasts
Podcasts seemed to be picking up steam last year, and I think 2019 is going to be the year they blow up.
I’ve been listening to podcasts for years, but in past years it was often listening to them on my computer while I did some work.
The average person doesn’t use a computer much these days outside of work and school, which has probably contributed to the slower growth of podcasts in past years…
But, nowadays, the podcast apps on phones are becoming increasingly popular and a lot of people are driving vehicles with the apple car play or some kind of podcast app built right into the dashboard.
Getting started with a podcast is actually fairly easy if you have a little guidance (need help? shoot us a message) and it can be another great way to be discovered.
Because podcasts are still relatively new there is a lot of opportunity to rank your podcast in places like iTunes search if you are focusing on a narrow enough niche (try to make sure your title includes something that your target audience would be searching when looking for new podcasts).
There are a lot of myths around podcasts with business owners thinking that they have to be an hour long, or you have to be interviewing people, or you need a big production with sound effects…
But these aren’t true at all.
If you wanted to, you could get started with your iPhone in a quiet room, and record 5 minute episodes of you just talking about whatever topic you think your target audience would be interested in.
(I do recommend investing a hundred bucks into a decent microphone, but that option is out there if you’re working with zero budget.)
One of my favorite podcasts and one that I get a ton of value from is just two guys who record 5-10 minute casual conversations around topics I’m interested in (marketing).
They literally record 20+ episodes in a day just sitting at a table talking to each other and providing listeners with valuable content.
Don’t worry if you don’t have experience with podcasting. If you can provide valuable information and help someone with their issues or problems you should try getting your voice out there.
2019 is going to be a big year for podcasts.
Don’t Ignore Google Search
It seems like people are reading less and less these days, but don’t let that distract you from the fact that there are still millions of people searching in Google daily.
When you can write an article and have people who are searching to solve a problem find that article in Google (at no cost) you can build a very successful business.
To give you an example, I’m writing this 2019 Content Marketing Strategies article to provide value to our current followers but also to potentially have it show up in Google Search when people search for terms like “content marketing 2019”.
I don’t really have a hard pitch in this article, but if someone comes across this article through Google Search and enjoys what they’ve read they might subscribe to our email list, check out other articles or videos we’ve done, or possibly head over to the Create Freedom Academy and sign up for our paid services.
That is the power of writing blog posts or articles and having people find them when they are searching for exactly that.
Google Search has been around longer than YouTube and Podcasts and will be difficult to get started with, but it’s not something I would ignore if you’re looking to build an online business.
Recap
Not too much has changed from 2018, but it’s important to keep the following in mind:
- Adding value with your content is important
- You can still use YouTube to grow your business – it isn’t too saturated
- Podcasts are blowing up – get started with one even if you have no experience
- Don’t ignore Google Search – it’s still relevant
And hey, if you enjoyed this article you might like the FREE Business Growth Strategies guide I wrote. You can get that here.
And if you’re really looking to start generating more revenue online Dan and I would be happy to jump on a call with you – inquire here.
Dan Garner
Kevin McClelland
