Goals for Content Marketing
by Gaye Swan
If you are in the marketing, advertising, or public relations industry, chances are you’re at least somewhat acquainted with the concept of content marketing. In the most simple definition, content marketing is the creation and sharing of communication that is designed to provide value and information to consumers. As a strategic tool, it attracts and engages a specific target audience through relevant and consistent writing. Content takes many forms: blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, podcasts, social media posts, ebooks, webinars, and more. If you can write it, it can be a part of your content marketing plan!
As with any marketing strategy, the success of content marketing depends on setting clear and achievable goals. Establishing goals will provide direction and purpose, keep your writing aligned with your overall marketing/PR strategy, and measure your progress and success.
The primary goal of content marketing is not necessarily to make a sale or even directly promote a product or service. Instead, your content should aim to:
Educate and Inform. Address the needs, questions, and interests of your target audience. This goal establishes your brand as an authority and a trusted source of information.
Attract and Engage. Attract the attention of your target audience and engage them in a meaningful way. This goal increases brand awareness and loyalty.
Build Relationships. Foster long-term relationships with your customers by consistently delivering value over time. This goal builds trust and credibility.
Drive Action. Encourage actions such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, sharing content, or eventually making a purchase decision. This goal drives business awareness and growth.
With these aims in mind, you can refine your content marketing strategy further by considering these goals:
Awareness goals. Are you building brand awareness, increasing traffic to your website, or growing your social media presence? Determine your end goal to develop a game plan.
Engagement goals. Do you want to boost social media engagement or make sure your audience visits your website? Set measurable goals here – how many impressions you want before you revise your strategy, for example.
Conversion goals. Are you generating leads or increasing sales? Do you need to improve customer retention? What you write will depend on what you want your audience to do.
SEO Goals. Do you want to improve your search engine rankings or gain organic traffic? Keep your SEO fresh and relevant by checking out Ariana’s SEOs: SeO Worth It blog!
Last, be SMART in setting your goals for content marketing. The SMART framework is easy to remember – set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. For example, setting a goal to “increase blog traffic” is a goal – but “increase blog traffic by 10% through organic search” is specific. Specific and Measurable goals go hand-in-hand. To make sure your goal is Measurable, you need specific, quantifiable stats, like “increase newsletter subscribers by 25 in the next two months.” Keep your goals Achievable by knowing what your business is capable of doing; take into consideration your resources, staff, and skill sets. Relevant goals keep you aligned with your overall marketing strategy. If your goal is to become an established authority on a topic, don’t plan your content around fun posts on social media (unless you want to be an authority on fun, of course – a great goal for us all!). And finally, set a time frame. A Time-Bound goal – for example, “launch a bi-monthly podcast in three months with at least four episodes recorded” – keeps you accountable and on track.
Content marketing has become a cornerstone of marketing strategies for good reason. With properly set goals, this simple but effective tool allows you to connect with your audience in a meaningful way, build trust, and ultimately drive profitable customer actions. It's a versatile and powerful strategy that adapts to the changing preferences of consumers in the digital age.
