Today’s audiences want to feel valued. They want to know businesses appreciate the time and money they spend as customers.

Among other methods, companies can show that they value their customers by providing relevant and engaging content.

In light of this, businesses should view content marketing as a priority. However, many struggle to identify the right tools they need to accomplish their marketing goals and show their customers that they value them.

Understanding content marketing platforms

According to a 2017 HubSpot report, 69% of digital marketers claim that converting leads is their top priority. However, those same marketers struggle to implement the right technologies to meet their needs. Furthermore, 72% of marketers have seen success with a solid content marketing strategy but still struggle with how to manage their content.

Without a proper plan, and without a system with which to successfully scale your content, your business may struggle to maintain quality content production. As a result, your marketing plan as a whole will be less impactful to your audience. Essentially, consistent quality content shows your audience that you take the necessary steps to provide them with helpful and engaging information.

In order to manage your content marketing successfully, there are two main systems to choose from: web content management systems and content marketing platforms. A web content management system, such as WordPress, is a more basic technology used best for smaller content projects.

On the other hand, content marketing platforms are specialized systems for larger, more detailed content plans. Platforms allow you to increase awareness and gather more leads. Additionally,  they increase revenue from your content in the long term.

When is a content marketing platform the best choice?

Overall, content marketing platforms support a collaborative workflow. With this in mind, they’re the best choice for your company if:

• Your content creation involves many people.
• The volume of content you want to produce is more than one or two articles a month.
• You need an efficient way for your audience to find and consume your content.
• You want better analytics to measure success.

Understand your content needs

In order to understand content marketing platforms and their benefits, you need to understand your company’s actual content needs.

For example, if you want to produce an article only occasionally, a web content management system is a reliable solution.

However, if you want to produce a significant amount of content regularly, whether in-house or via outsourcing, a platform may be best. By using a platform, your content production will increase. This, therefore, improves your leads, revenue, ROI and more. Content marketing platforms help grow your content at scale, all while tracking its performance.

Migrating your content to a platform

If you decide that a platform best suits your needs, what do you do from there?

Decide which content to repurpose

There are many different types of content marketing that you may already have in your inventory. Think blogs, videos and infographics. If you have any of the following content already created, consider repurposing it:

• Blogs. Blogs drive organic traffic to your site, boost SEO and increase thought leadership. Notably, businesses who use blogs effectively are 13% more likely to have increased ROI. 
• Reports and white papers. Long-form content like these add more detail to your publication inventory. These in-depth analyses showcase expertise and boost thought leadership as well.
• Podcasts. With 29 million podcasts available and the medium growing in popularity, a podcast is similar to an episodic radio show. They’re so popular that an estimated 132 million people will listen to them by 2022. In light of this prediction, podcasts are an innovative option to consider.
• Videos, infographics and alternative media. Videos and other visual content are ingrained in our culture, with 75 million Americans watching a video online every day. Infographics, videos and even Snapchat stories are invaluable because they are quickly consumed and easily shareable.
• Newsletters and email. Emails and newsletters are more traditional forms of content. However, the personalization (like a personally addressed email) shows that you care about each individual customer. For this reason, they’re great ways to build brand loyalty.

In addition to the above content types, if you have existing content that can be turned into evergreen material, you can save your business both time and money. Evergreen content stays “fresh” – meaning that it doesn’t need to be updated often and is relevant for your readers all the time.

For example, listicles, how-to guides, informational videos, product reviews and tips are all types of content that can be repurposed as evergreen content.

Refine your workflow

The Content Marketing Institute has a handy guide on content marketing. Specifically, it highlights how to define your content management workflow and keep your production on track to ensure ROI.

The first step is to understand your current workflow and where the delays happen. What stages are slowing you down?

Next, you need to identify each stage of development. Importantly, note how content moves throughout your system. This will help you establish consistent guidelines and operations for each piece of content.

Then you need to identify who your team is, such as writers, editors and managers. In some cases, outsourcing to a content provider can be the most cost- and time-effective solution.

If you decide that outsourcing is your best option, try to find a provider that offers a streamlined solution. For example, a provider who offers a content marketing platform can greatly improve your content creation processes.

Tempesta Media’s content marketing platform

Tempesta Media offers a streamlined content marketing platform that can help you publish quality content at scale. Our platform is designed on multiple subscription levels, and depending on the level you choose, features include:

• SEO and readability optimization. Our system checks each article for these to boost your engagement rates.
• Bring Your Own Writer (BYOW). Even if you already have a writer, you can utilize our other features. For instance, our editing-only services, plagiarism screenings and SEO optimization helps to ensure your content is of the highest quality.
• Additional user seats. You have the option of including additional people, or seats, to your account. As a result, multiple team members can manage your content.
• Unlimited revisions. You can send your content back to your editors and writers as many times as necessary until you are 100% satisfied with your content.
• Assignment scheduling and editorial calendars. After approving your editorial calendar (your topic outline), you can schedule the due dates in advance. Thus, you can plan your content marketing program months ahead of time.
• Licensed images. You can add images to your content to boost engagement rates and improve the flow of your articles.
• Publishing. Our platform is connected to HubSpot and WordPress for easy publishing.
• Much, much more. Contact us to receive a full list of benefits for each subscription level.

Tempesta Media’s content marketing solution is the answer to your content marketing headaches. If you’re ready to produce quality content at scale, contact us today to schedule an appointment.