Guest article from Fusion Accountants
Content marketing is the most powerful method of marketing on the web. It is consistent, cost-effective, and simple to do and it works well for any size or type of business, and is particularly suited to freelancers.
In this post we are going to briefly set out the benefits and show how you can start content marketing for your business. It can also be a relatively low-cost method of putting yourself on a level playing field to compete with your nearest and bigger competitors.
Here are some great reasons why content marketing is the right thing to do for a freelancer.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is the practice of providing something for free to potential customers, to build up trust, credibility and to develop your brand.
The aim is not to explicitly promote your services, but to develop awareness and to make sure that your site is the first place that people go to when they have a question in your realm of expertise.
A good example is a graphic designer who puts out ‘how to’ videos that focus on some of the popular design packages, or a project manager who demonstrates their knowledge of scheduling.
What are the benefits of content marketing?
Using the example above, the first benefit is fairly obvious; if our freelancer helps people understand how to carry out simple tasks then when it comes to more complex projects, the client is instantly going to think of them.
Good shareable content does two things for your website; it increases the number of clicks, and it increases the shareability of your assets. Both of these are helpful in terms of enhanced visibility as search engines promote sites that have content that visitors find useful.
As people read your site they will dwell longer and will often consume more than one piece of information. People who enjoy your content will also return more often and all of these are seen as markers of a useful site and consequently help your content rise to the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Having good quality content also helps with credibility and this is exceptionally important for services companies that want to demonstrate their expertise.
Types of content marketing
Content marketing can take many forms from a simple blog post to a full-scale campaign.
If you just want to hit single keywords or phrases, then blog posts work well as you can target these for the areas you are looking to develop.
Video works if you want to explain complex concepts or show how to carry out practical tasks and with 88% of marketing professionals saying that it has a positive Return On Investment (ROI), it has to be worth considering.
For services companies, longer pieces such as white papers and reports work really well and if you want to develop content that shares brilliantly then you cannot beat a good original survey.
Developing engagement is the whole aim of a content marketing strategy and webinars and podcasts are exceptionally useful in this respect. A live webinar that allows attendees to ask questions of the presenter helps the company to develop a following that could eventually turn into evangelists.
Infographics are helpful if you want to get your readers to share your content and do not forget to develop suitable content for socials like LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok.
How to develop your content marketing
The first place to start is to decide what outcomes you want from your marketing strategy.
Do you want to sell more of a particular service? Do you want to build a mailing list? Do you want to increase your Instagram following? The type of outcome will determine what you produce and how you utilise it.
You may want to enlist the help of a content marketing specialist in this respect. They can let you know what would work well for you and what is less effective so that you make the best use of your marketing spend.
The marketing world is full of fellow freelancers and so it is a simple matter to find people who can help you produce individual elements of your plan. Blog writers, videographers and podcast producers are all available should you need them.
The best advice is to speak to people in your network and see who they recommend or use reputable platforms like Upwork to find freelancers with excellent reviews.
The key to a successful content marketing strategy is consistency. You are much better off producing a single, 700-word blog post every week on a Monday than a 10,000-word report that you only ever publish once, and this is because search engines value constantly updated sites.
Once you have produced your content do not think that it is enough to simply post it on your own website. Make sure that you share it on all of your social channels and if you already have a mailing list, get a newsletter out that tells people where they can find your new post.
Content marketing – perfect for the freelancer
Being a freelance often means that you have a varied workload and some really interesting projects to highlight and that’s why content marketing is ideal for you.
Readers love stories about real jobs you have worked on and challenges you have faced and so you should have a wealth of material.
Writing regularly about an interesting aspect of your work is just as valid as a long article about some technical aspects of your sector.
Try a variety of different approaches and see which one works best for your business. Often content marketing is about trial and error until you hit upon that perfect formula for your situation.
Fusion Accountants in London is here to provide support to freelancers and their businesses. We understand that your job is not the usual ‘9 to 5’ as your role demands juggling numerous clients and projects at one time. Whether you work as a Limited Company or Sole Trader, we provide comprehensive accounting & tax services for freelancers.
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