Valuable content has become the cornerstone of smart digital marketing programs big and small—whether in the form of social network fodder, a dangling carrot in PR a campaign or the PPC result of a search query. But content is only as good as the digital property on which it lives—and many are in a sad state of disrepair.
Make sure your content “home bases” are in good working order BEFORE embarking on any content program by asking yourself these four questions:
- Can your website’s content management system (CMS) support your plan? WordPress is the most popular website CMS for many reasons. One of the big ones is that it allows for the seamless growth and management of your content library. Flexible customization makes it easy to serve website visitors with the right content at the right time. If your website CMS is lacking a workable blog engine (or you don’t have a CMS to begin with), it becomes difficult to add content in any organized, effective way.
- How’s your landing page game? Promoting high-value content via social media and paid digital efforts (just to name a couple options) is a fantastic way drive traffic to your website and capture leads. But what happens post-click? Dedicated landing pages that put engaging content front-and-center can help you avoid disappointing your visitor with a misdirected, lackluster or convoluted experience.
- Are your properties primed for deeper engagement? Building on question two, what happens after your visitor lands on the page and (hopefully!) consumes your content? Do they immediately bounce off? Do they wind up down a frustrating rabbit hole of in search of additional information? Do they have a chance (or the proper motivation) to provide you with their contact information or otherwise convert? Never forget why you’re offering up the content in the first place—and the action you’re hoping your prospects take. Encourage it with well-planned design, messaging, functionality and site structure.
- Are you ready to measure and optimize? Before implementing any content program, make sure your site analytics are set up in a way that allows you to effectively assess impact. From gauging your most popular content and analyzing referral sources to in-depth visitor tracking, this data is the brightest guiding light for future content ideation.
