• 25 Jan 2021
  • 6 Min read

5 tips to take your content marketing strategy to the next level in 2021

Content marketing is one of the most integral components of any online marketing strategy. When done right, relevant and high-quality content can drive organic traffic to your site, boost sales, and build brand awareness and loyalty. Best of all, it requires relatively low investment compared to other forms of marketing or advertising. When you consider all the benefits that content marketing can offer for your businesses, it’s little wonder that the phrase “content is king” pops up so frequently in the world of marketing and SEO. 

However, that’s not to say that it’s a walk in the park to create brilliant content. It takes time and careful planning, and you probably won’t see results overnight. But, if you get it right, you’re likely to see strong returns on the time and money you invest.

Here, I’ll share some tips you can use to level up your content strategy this year, from diversifying your strategy to repurposing your existing content.

1. Know your audience

Perhaps the most crucial part of designing any content marketing strategy is to make sure you know your target audience inside out. For your content to be effective at attracting a valuable, relevant audience, you need to have a thorough understanding of exactly who they are and what their interests and needs are likely to be. If you know this, it’ll be much easier to design the sort of content they’re looking for.

For example, are your audience looking for short, to-the-point answers or are they more likely to seek long, informative guides? Do they favour video content or other media? Do they typically make a decision quickly, or will they carry out more intensive research? If you use your audience research to inform your strategy from the outset, it will set you up for success later on.

2. Think outside the blog

Are you producing the same types of content again and again, or are you finding new and exciting ways to engage your audience? Many brands fall into the trap of never taking their content marketing beyond regular blog posts, but doing this can really limit your reach. Diversifying your content marketing can help you to connect with new audiences, so it’s certainly worth including a range of different platforms and types of media in your strategy.

There are so many other ways to create and publish content for your brand, including videos, newsletters, infographics, ebooks, downloadable templates and resources, and even interactive games and quizzes, to name just a few. So, if you’re stuck in a bit of rut, make this the year you try expanding your strategy to include new forms of content. For more inspiration, check out our round-up of the five types of content you’ll want to create in 2021.

3. Prioritise quality over quantity

While it’s good to publish content regularly, this shouldn’t come at the expense of quality. Your content won’t be more likely to perform well just because you’re creating two or three posts a week. So, focus your resources on creating the best content you possibly can, and try to avoid publishing filler pieces that don’t add much quantifiable value to your site, just because it’s been a while since you last posted.

Doing so will not only produce the best results, but it will also help ensure you’re getting the best return on your investment. It’s more economical to spend a bit more time and money on a few high-quality pieces of content marketing, rather than spreading your resources too thinly.

4. Optimise for search — but keep it natural

Although the dark days of “keyword stuffing” tactics are long one, it’s still important to target at least one or two relevant, high-volume search terms in your content marketing. This will greatly increase your chances of ranking well for your desirable search terms, driving more organic traffic to your content. Using an industry tool (like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush) can help you to find the most valuable keywords to target. You can also look at the “People Also Ask” feature on the search engine results page, which will show you what sorts of questions searchers are asking.

Another way to help your content rank well is to include internal links. Of course, you’ll already be linking to your key products or services along with a clear call to action in your content. However, taking the time to add links to other content marketing you’ve produced — preferably using optimised anchor text — will help to share authority across your site and boost the performance of those pieces.

That said, be careful not to let your on-page optimisation interfere with the quality of the content. While factors like keyword density and internal linking can contribute to rankings, they’re not the be-all and end-all, and the quality of the content is always the most important factor. So, keep your optimisation elements as natural as possible, and don’t shoehorn them in if it’s going to affect the user experience.

5. Update, refresh, and repurpose your content regularly

It’s a common mistake to treat content marketing as a one-use item, and lots of brands fall into the pattern of neglecting content after it goes live. But taking the time to revisit, refresh, and strategically repurpose your existing content every now and then will help keep it relevant, fresh, and engaging. Doing so will also ensure you’re getting the best return on the time and money that you’ve invested in it.

The best way to refresh your content is to make time for a scheduled review once every six months or so. Review your performance metrics to identify content that could do with a boost. Then, think carefully about how you could tweak or expand that content to make it even better.

For example, could you add new information to bring an informative guide up to date? Or do you have access to new resources that you didn’t the first time around, like video content, better imagery, or other media? Could you add value with a free downloadable resource? There are lots of ways to update your content to give it a new lease of all life, all of which are often easier and more cost-effective than starting from scratch.

Creating a good content marketing strategy takes time and careful planning, but it can be well worth it. If you’d like some help with content creation, why not let a professional agency take care of it? At Glass Digital, our talented and experienced content team have designed and implemented successful content marketing strategies for clients across a range of industries.

We also offer technical SEO and outreach services, which, when used in tandem with a great content marketing strategy, can help you achieve stellar results across your site. So, if you’d really like to take your online marketing to the next level this year, be sure to get in touch to find out what we can do for you.


Lydia Carroll

Head of Content

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