Content Marketing Tactics

In this post, we cover some of the latest content marketing tactics, but also some of the tried and tested.

Do check out our ROI of content, it may be that you are already doing the right things and just need to make some adjustments to your content strategy, or how you frame success.

Do also read our article on the factors that drive content ROI.

What is the difference between a tactic and a strategy?

A strategy is a plan of action against a goal, a tactic is something you might do within your strategy. They are interlinked. But a tactic is to help deliver against your overall strategy.

What are the most effective content tactics?

The top three most effective tactics are:

1. Consistent calls to action through your content, 1/3,2/3 and at the end.
Less than 20% of people make it to the bottom of your content. Give them the next steps for people in a rush, people that already get it or people that want to know more.

2. Check your load time
No one is waiting for your content to load. Make sure it is snappy. We see up to 60% of people will give up after just a couple of seconds.

3. Optimize your promotion to time of day
There is no point paying or posting when prospects aren’t paying attention. Optimize your distribution around the times of day that your market is actually paying attention.

List of content marketing tactics

Keep in mind, this is continuously updated, so if you have some goodies you’d like to share (with attribution) please do email us or send us a note on LinkedIn. We’d love to include it.

We’re trying to keep it as succinct as possible, with links to complete walkthroughs of the tactic (if warranted) and any data supporting this tactic.

Usability tactics

• Print your content out. Does it print nicely? This is how search engines see your content.
• When you share it social? Does it pre-populate with an image and text/links?
• Try a screen reader (i.e. text to voice) – is it reading appropriately?
• Try load your website on a relatives phone or device when you visit. Do this as often as possible.
• If you turn images off, can you still navigate your content?
• Pick up Jakob Nielsens book on Web Usability. Re-read it.

Content Marketing Lead Generation Tactics

• Make sure your CTA’s are up to date, especially on older pieces of content that are driving decent search volume.
• Older content as a rule of thumb, see most of its eyeballs come through from search. So, make sure you capitalize on this knowledge by creating user flows that are tailored to these visitors (CTA’s, messaging, etc).
• Use story forms, that is turning your sign up form in to a story. Improves conversion rates. See an example on our Enterprise page.
• Place multiple calls to action in your content.
• A/B test different messaging.

Content Marketing Lead Nurturing Tactics

• Start an email newsletter, as a softer call to action and keep top of mind. For example, based on Nudge data, we know that Email newsletters drive 124% higher attention for travel brands. For more industry data points, click here.
• Marketing automation can be a bi-product of your newsletter for example, for people to get another perspective of you and what you do. A great way to keep your subscribers engaged.
• Do content retargeting, if someone visits a certain page. Follow them with key messages. i.e. visiting sign up page, with the latest product features.
• Virtual or private events, only distributed to your lead lists.

Content Marketing Distribution Tactics

• Place Google Business Posts on your local listing, often forgotten but free coverage and additional search ranking.
• Email newsletters are viewed as a bit unsexy at times, but based on Nudge data, they are the best source for driving quality clicks to content. So don’t underestimate this old, yet faithful distribution source.
• Turn your content into Twitter threads. We do this with our newsletter, which extends its reach by 15-20% (depending on the week). Here’s an example.
• Make sure your tag and category pages are looking good, have relevant titles and descriptions; because, if indexed, this is a good way to drive relevant search clicks to content too.
• Email signatures, use these to help promote your content amongst your very customers or prospects.
• Push your content to Apple News, Google AMP and Instant Articles. Ensure all link back (and have calls to action) to the mothership.
• Record a brief conversion via audio or video of your content. Providing a synopsis.
• Reuse/repurpose existing content for new channels. To give an example, thousands of TVs in doctors’ offices across the U.S. will now display repurposed video content from several Meredith brands by using Health Media Network’s existing relationships with healthcare providers. By doing this, Meredith has ensured new monetization opportunities for existing content that’s already collecting revenue elsewhere (e.g. YouTube or connected TV). As long as it’s well thought-through, it’s an easy way to get more out of existing content.
• Add your content to FlipBoard and build a sub-magazine.
• Take some of your best pieces and re-share on Medium and LinkedIn.
• Pay for content distribution via alternative channels like OutBrain, Quora, Google Search Feed Ads, Twitter, Gemini, Reddit, LinkedIn.
• Ensure you are sharing via your LinkedIn page.
• Remove old or irrelevant content from Google. Combine posts which cover the same topic.

Content Marketing Optimization Tactics

• Set a recurring event in your calendar, to go improve your content.
• Content analytics gives you a continuous feedback loop, which enables you to analyze, rework, and improve your content/strategies, i.e. measurement allows you to squeeze more juice from the lemon.
• Get Mechanical Turk to UserTesting or another service, to go and review your content, to provide video feedback – from people that know nothing about your company. This will help find any pointy edges.
  • Soon you can use ChatGPT or Google Bard to do this as well.
• Vice versa, pay someone to go research ’your solution’, i.e. go research the top ‘content analytics platforms.’ And see what they find, what influences them, but also what their ultimate decision was.
• Use Google Search Console to see where your content is ranking and prioritize improving pieces that will have the biggest impact.
• Take your long form, or pillar content, and cut it up in to smaller discrete pieces which each answer a main question.

PR Tactics

• Ink long-term partnerships with someone (e.g. influencer, brand, publication, etc) who has a relevant audience to you. This can be costly (although it doesn’t have to be if you partner with more niche players), but if you’ve done your homework, this will ultimately pay for itself. You’ll gain the trust and attention of a new audience and you’ll have a fruitful content-partnership for a long time. Here’s a good example of this, where Peloton partnered with Beyoncé.
• Pitch your newsletter as a topic for a podcast or news broadcast.
• Syndicate or create a new form of an existing content series for publication elsewhere.

Re-energize yourself

• Browse forums, subreddits on content marketing.
• Dig up some old podcasts and re-listen.
• Treat yourself on Amazon by getting some books from your fav authors.
• Get out and work in a cafe for a morning.

You should explore using a platform like Nudge which gives you a fresh lens on how your content is performing.

This is part of our Guide to Content Marketing,

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