Align your business objectives and goals – Content Marketing #2

Just like you wouldn’t head out on a road trip across the country without first firing up your GPS and inputting a crystal-clear destination, you can’t expect to enjoy any real success in the competitive business world we live in today without identifying your business objectives and goals ahead of time.

Why do you need clear business goals?

Can you answer the question “what does your business do?” in about 30 seconds or less? Your answer should be specific.

Too many otherwise savvy business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers the world over fumble when it comes to getting crystal-clear about business objectives and goals. They start businesses without a plan, not knowing exactly what they want to do, what they want to offer, what they want to charge, and who they want to do business with. This doesn’t pay off.

By identifying your business objectives and goals you will have a much clearer path to implementing specific systems to build, grow, and expand your operation as much (or as little) as necessary. You’ll know exactly what kind of business you’re creating, what you have to do to be successful, and what you can skip or avoid without any setback.

When starting with the end point in mind you better understand what you hope to achieve with your business and you can start building backwards from that idealized version by coming up with milestones you’re able to reach in incremental steps.

This holds true when aligning your Content Marketing efforts with your business goals. Linking the 2 ensures your efforts are focused, specific and made with the desired result firmly in mind.

Align your Business Goals with Content Marketing

Start by Reviewing your Current Situation

• What efforts are you currently undertaking in Content Marketing (CM)?
• What content do you already have?
• Are there systems in place?
• Do you have the required resources?
• Do you measure the success of your CM efforts?

Set Specific Intentions for Content Marketing

1. Who is your Target Market?
   Yep, back to your Client Avatars….! If you haven’t created these yet – you still need to. Remember
   – you may have more than one. If so – you will need to create content to suit each one.
2. What content will you create?
3. What action do you want the audience to do after consuming your content?

Start Gathering your Content Marketing Ideas

With your intention in mind, start to come up with a few general ideas for addressing key business goals your organization is looking to achieve with content marketing, Such as:

• Increased sales leads
• Greater brand awareness in the marketplace
• Increased customer loyalty
• Sharing relevant content
• Promoting events
• Announcing new services and products
• Acquiring new customers
• Building/nurturing relationships with your current audience

No idea is too crazy – write them down and encourage your team to contribute. Match your ideas with your Client Avatars and you will start to see the cream rise to the top.

Always try to “problem solve” from the end result in mind. That will provide you with clarity and focus. Create step by step measurable goals that allow you to course correct as necessary to reach your final objective. Stay flexible in the competitive business world we live in but don’t move too far away from your intention.

Next time – Creating Content – nuts and bolts.

DON”T FORGET! – Get your resource to create Client Avatars