Content Marketing Tactics and Best Practices

Here are some practical tips on content marketing tactics that can use to complement their content-based online marketing efforts.

Much of the content marketing tactics information we promote on the Top Rank Online Marketing Blog provides process models, strategies, and approaches. However, this series assumes that the reader has already considered objectives, audience, design, and measurement and is looking for clues about the content marketing tactics that fit their planned digital marketing mix.

We’ll go through the list in alphabetical order and a reasonably consistent format. Below are the content marketing tactics I have decided on as articles are published. Be sure to connect with my agency team when you get a chance to review some of these posts and need help developing and implementing a content marketing tactics program.

Advertorial and native advertising:

Content that is for advertising purposes but structure is like news or articles. For example, informational ads are a common form of video advertising.

Blogging:

Content posts using blogging software that organizes pages chronologically and by category. Blogs also provide an RSS feed so readers can subscribe without visiting the blog’s website.

Case Studies:

“Truths tell, stories sell”, and case studies continue to serve a compelling purpose in telling problem/solution product and brand success stories.

Crowdsource:

In line with “collective wisdom”, this tactic may involve inviting a network to help solve a particular problem or contributing knowledge/expertise/options for a specific situation. The resulting content captures the attention of participating networks.

Content Curator:

Just as an art gallery employs a curator to find, organize, and manage the best art, a content curator does the same with information.

Digital Newsletters:

Newsletters provide a constant source of helpful information, announcements, and links to web pages that are most interesting to the reader.

Earned Media (PR):

Media relations often result in articles a brand contributes to industry publications or content excerpt contributions to a larger story published by online and offline news sites.

E-books:

Vital content training, especially B2B marketing and longer sales cycles, can be engaging, and an e-book provides a detailed look at a particular specialization.

Email Marketing:

From scheduled article series to special promotions, emails deliver the highest conversion rates of any marketing tactic online.

Gamification:

From frequent flyer programs to unlock badges on Foursquare, gamification is permanently embedded in our cultural DNA.

Influence content:

Collaborate with internal subject matter experts and industry officials – both are types of influencers; You can ensure that content reaches all new audiences with higher credibility than branded content.

Infographic:

An image is worth a thousand words, and an infographic can be worth a few thousand eyes and almost as many links, tweets and shares. Therefore, well-planned and executed infographics annotated and redesigned with explanatory text significantly impact social sharing.

Interactive tools:

Tools that allow user input and publish personalized results as content can be compelling, but tools can also answer questions or streamline a process.

Microsites:

Websites dedicated to specific campaigns, promotions or serving as a social hub can provide a focus on content that doesn’t quite fit into the corporate website or blog.

Mobile Apps:

The popular web is becoming increasingly mobile, so apps that provide knowledge and expertise can be very effective as part of a content marketing program.

Mobile Content – Content written and formatted specifically for mobile use is also of considerable value and is currently essential for some markets.

Press Releases:

While the format, implementation, and distribution are advanced, press releases are content. Press releases may continue to reach journalists, but they are also effective as direct-to-consumer content.

Online Magazines and Apps:

Creative web design can simulate the page-turning experience in a print magazine while offering a website’s convenience through online magazines. iPads are an effective device for consuming online magazine content.