It should come as no surprise that content marketing is a HUGE part of “New SEO”.

After all, New SEO is built on quality, first and foremost. And there’s no strategy that enables you to really inject quality into your market like content marketing. Through content marketing, YOU have complete control over how your business is seen, and who sees it.

Now, before we go on much, let’s talk about what content marketing is NOT. Content marketing is NOT:

Submitting articles to article directories is bad news for anyone at this point. Even though article directories still exist, they are a VERY risky business. You can end up getting penalized by Google for having your content on a poor quality site, and in all honesty, MOST of the article directory sites are poor quality. This is an area where YOU CANNOT CONTROL your content marketing. Why give up your control?

Guest posting on low-quality sites that only accept guest posts – Why put your content on low-quality sites? This is where a lot of business owners go wrong. They think if they have their content EVERYWHERE, that it is better marketing. That is NOT TRUE! The more quality places you have your content, the better, but poor quality backlinks or inbound links on your page will get Google’s attention, and not in a good way!

Posting in forums with your link in the signature – This looks like SPAM, not only to the users in the forums but to the search engines as well. If you have something valuable to post in a forum, post it, but leave your link out of it.

All these ideas are centered around “old SEO” techniques. As such, not only do they not work nearly as well now, using these strategies is much more likely to hurt your business’s rankings rather than help them. There are techniques that can make these methods benefit your business, but it just isn’t worth the risk, especially to a new SEO specialist or a business owner.

Content marketing is about value. It’s about connecting with your ideal audience.

Think about it like dating. There are some people that will like you for who you are. And there are some people who won’t like you no matter what you do.

Business is exactly like that. And with content marketing, we find the people who already want what we have to offer. This dramatically increases sales, conversion rates, opt-ins… you name it!

SO, figure out who your audience is, and then write to them, and for them!

First, Find Your Message, Create Your Frame

In order to do effective content management, you have to have a business that provides through solving a NEED in your market. If you don’t have a business that solves a need, no amount of content marketing will help.

Some people have the bizarre idea that they can launch a garbage business and make money through “marketing”. But marketing is only really effective if you have a business that actually provides value. If no one wants what you’re selling, no amount of marketing in the world is going to help you!

This need can be many things. A need for a product, a service, a review, or even just information. Think about how you search on Google, the days of inputting keywords into the search box are over, and the days of entering a question instead have arrived. So, do you answer the questions that your audience is asking Google? If not, Google is not showing them your site, no matter what you do!

Therefore, the first question to ask yourself is, “what definite need does my business solve, and who does it solve it for?”

This question will let you figure out what your business is all about. It allows you to create a frame that you project your business through. Let’s take a look at an example.

Steve Jobs and Apple Computers solved a need – they gave millions of people access to easy-to-use computers. That was the value they offered. But their message was something else… it was a message of revolt. 

It was about putting power into the hands of the individual.

At that point, Apple’s content marketing strategy would consist of two angles:

We provide value – our computers are easy to use and through them, you can accomplish amazing tasks.

We’re adamantly against being ruled by systems of authority, and through computers, you can resist this.

Who will be attracted to this? People who are interested in increasing their quality of life with technology, and strong individuals who resist authoritative control. In other words, Apple’s ideal customer!

In essence, your frame is what you provide to customers, and what customers are looking for. 

Filter Information Through That Frame

Once you have your frame, it’s time to get practical. This is where your content marketing strategy comes into play.

Let’s go back to Apple

One of Apple’s most effective commercials was the “1984” commercial (LINK). 1984 is an incredibly popular book, and it has a distinctly anti-totalitarian theme to it… exactly what Apple’s frame was.

So they took the information (1984) and filtered it through their frame – “technology helps eliminate totalitarianism and gives power to the individual”. The end result is the commercial that helped turn Apple into a super-brand.

How can you do this practically? Well, let’s say you run a company that offers natural sleep aids. Part of your frame could be resistant to synthetic chemicals that may negatively affect the body.

You could write an article titled, “10 Ingredients in Sleep Aids that Could Be Killing You”.

This will attract your ideal customer: people who are conscious about their health AND want to get to sleep easier.

If you consider the method behind this strategy, it’s brilliant really. There are tons of sleep aids on the market, so use what is different about yours to market it. Write quality content that is easy to understand, offers a clear view of your point, and leaves the reader feeling as though you are a trustworthy source. If they trust what you say, chances are, they will trust what you sell.

Content Marketing is About Qualifying

Thanks to social media, there’s a niche for practically everything. The era of the entrepreneur is upon us. So given the fact that there are communities for virtually everything, the whole goal of marketing should be to find that perfect group of people who are already looking for what you have to offer.

This is where content marketing excels.

So, consider Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and all the other major social media platforms. If you don’t have an account by now, you are missing out on a TON of quality traffic.

If you have quality content to share on these platforms, your followers, fans, and subscribers will share that information with their friends.

Think about this for a minute. Even if you only have say, 200 followers on Facebook, and you post a top-quality piece of content that those 200 people find share-worthy, it can reach millions. Yes, millions!

How does this happen when you only shared it with 200 people? Because of the social networking MEGA highway. Those 200 friends could share your content, and everyone on their list sees it, then they share it, and so on, and so on.

The same goes for Twitter, Instagram, and other social platform sites.

Conclusion

Ok, so what did we learn?

Quality content is MUCH more beneficial than quantity content.

Submitting to article directories could potentially hurt your business.

Posting on forums with your link in your signature is NOT a good practice.

Posting on low-quality blog sites will ONLY hurt you.

Content should answer a question, solve a need, or provide some value to your readers.

If you have a business that is not worthwhile to a specific audience, no amount of marketing will help you.

Social media is the boss! Get on and start sharing.

So, where do you start?

Start with your business. Make sure it offers something people need or at least want. Know who your audience is, meaning – know their likes, dislikes, where they shop, how they shop, and what they expect from your business. Listen to them.

Start writing valuable content. Keep it high quality and clear. Avoid worrying about a specific word count. When enough words are used to say everything you need to say, you’re done, that simple.

Start marketing in ALL the right places. 

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