We have all heard of the five Ws for journalism: who, what, when, where and why. They are the elements of information gathering needed to get the full story. But the five Ws do not just apply to journalism — they can also apply to your business strategy in marketing.
Whether it is a customer service representative resolving a customer complaint or your marketing team brainstorming a new business strategy, the five Ws are essential to relaying concise information to your audience. Here are a few tips to follow for developing a sound content marketing strategy.
Who?
Within your marketing efforts you need to figure out two things: who is the audience you are trying to reach and who will be in charge of handling the content marketing efforts to obtain that audience? Let’s begin with who the audience is. You need to understand your community, including users and potential users, to succeed as an organization. Know your demographics and their interests. The better you know who they are, the better you can deliver value to that audience.
The second “who” is within the company itself; who will handle the marketing efforts? Will you hire an intern, someone within the company or will you bring in an outside company to handle those efforts? Whatever is decided, make sure the “who” understands your audience. You want them to have a clear understanding of what your business is all about, while also appealing to a wide audience.
What?
What makes your company different? It’s important to determine what makes your company stand out from the crowd of alternatives. You don’t want to provide the same information company X is — you want to make your company different. Think about your community as a whole and ask yourself what they care about. Then focus your efforts on that type of content.
For example, if you are a bakery and recently changed the type of eggs you buy due to the effects they have on your products, blog about that experience. Offer relevant advice that will help your audience.
When?
When you post your content can determine the success of your marketing strategy.
In the world we live in, time is money. Think about when you will post content. Will your company post once a month, once a week or once a day? This can be a difficult question to answer. However, a good rule of thumb is to post at least once a week at the same time and day. The more regularly you post, the better your SEO will be. Another tip: Most online traffic occurs between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST.
Where?
Where you post content has become increasingly important, and due to the growth of social media, there are now many options to choose from. However, one of the best places to share content continues to be your company’s website. There are several ways to do this, but the most effective tends to be blogging. This may require creating a separate company blog on WordPress if your company’s website does not have its own. If you decide to go that route, make sure to link the blog to your website to make it easier for people to access your content.
Why?
Asking “why” helps business leaders define what they want to achieve from their business strategy. Why are you doing all of this? Do you want to generate leads? Improve brand awareness? Become an industry leader? When your business figures out its goals, you can then create a marketing strategy that achieves those goals and works for you in the long run.
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By considering the five Ws in your marketing strategy you can reach a bigger audience, communicate your vision, influence people in your industry, help market your services or products and engage in dialog with others in your industry. All these things will help your business grow and can help you become a trusted authority in your field.
Do you still have questions about social media content marketing? Contact us today for a complimentary consultation with our CEO-President, Erika Taylor Montgomery. She would be happy to share more about how marketing and public relations strategies can be beneficial for your business!
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