Which Kind of Influencer Is Right for Your Customer?
Are you making the most of potential partnerships with influencers? The distribution of your content by influencers is key to reaching new audiences. Here are different types of influencers you should consider:
| Type | Description | Their role in your promotions |
|---|---|---|
| Friends, family, and work colleagues | This is your customers’ inner circle and their social graph on social media platforms. |
Your customers trust these people implicitly. Make every effort to speak to your customers’ audience through their social networks. |
| Subject experts | These people are the thought leaders. They know their stuff and have a loyal following. |
People listen to their recommendations, so try to pick influencers whose expertise compliments yours. They can build trust and gain loyalty for you among your customers |
| Professionals in high positions | These people get their power from the position they hold in industry. |
People like to follow those who have real power in their industry, hoping that they will gain status. Choose this type of influencer if you are looking for customers who want their own power and influence. |
| Celebrities | You know these folks. Everyone does. They have a high profile and get lots of media attention. Don’t overlook the Internet celebrity who is famous for being famous online. |
You get referred by celebrities by forming an alliance with them. People pay attention to those in whom a celebrity shows interest, so don’t hesitate to work with them if you are in an industry that values any kind of celebrity, such as fashion. |
Roles That Content Marketing Team Members Must Play
When you establish a working system for your content marketing efforts, you need to have the following roles covered by your team. You may not have the luxury of assigning different individuals to these roles, but they must be filled. Consider the following:
| Title | Description | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Content Manager | Person who understands the customer and the buyer’s journey |
Determines the content topics and formats |
| Editor | Person who establishes publishing guidelines | Ensures that writers turn in a quality piece of content |
| Writer | Person who produces the articles and blog posts | Provides a wide range of publishable content |
| Designer | Person who maintains the brand and design guidelines | Ensures that all web properties look cohesive and professional |
| Content system administrator | Person who maintains the Content Management System (CMS) guidelines |
Ensures that all production systems for web content are functioning |
| Web administrator | Person who maintains security guidelines | Ensures that the web properties are secure and the documentation for the system is kept up-to-date |
An SEO Checklist for Your Content
In the past few years, Google’s content focus has changed from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to quality content. The Google algorithm is now constructed to favor quality over quantity. That doesn’t mean that SEO is not important, however. It still makes a difference as to how easy it is for your customers to find your content. Here is a five-point checklist to ensure an effective SEO strategy:
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Choose long-tail keywords (LTK): Research shows that LTKs convert the best. LTKs are phrases that more effectively target what the user is looking for. For example, your customer is more likely to search for “small battery operated space heaters” than “heaters.” The results for “heaters” would be too long and unfocused. Make sure to know the LTKs that your customer is using.
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Put keywords where they belong: Having the right keywords is only half the battle. You have to make sure to place them in the right spots in your content to make an impact. One key way is to include it in your title. Google gives you only 55 characters to display your content. Think about that when you choose your keyword locations.
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Monitor your results regularly: The web provides you with many ways to monitor how well your content is doing. Check your analytics to monitor whether you’re hitting your goals.
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Optimize for video content: Videos are great attention getters. The key is to make sure that they don’t take forever to load. No one will wait around.
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Look at your mobile content: Make every effort to provide usable mobile content. Go to the Google “Mobile-Friendly Test” and test whether your site is readable.
Metrics to Consider When Evaluating the Success of Your Branding
Monitoring whether you’re successfully applying your brand values is critically important. Here are a few measures that you should use to check whether you are successful:
| Type | Analytics |
|---|---|
| General company measures | Market share, ROI, and gross revenue |
| Brand awareness | Reach and engagement with social media |
| Brand loyalty | Retention and frequency of purchases |
