In today’s dog-eat-dog internet, conventional marketing is becoming less and less effective. Though the days of billboards, ads and brochures are not gone by any means, a standalone and/or complimentary content marketing strategy is a must do.

Rather than overtly pitching products or services, content marketing is intended to stimulate interest in products or services by creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent materials. These materials are designed to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and — ultimately — drive profitable customer action.

Here are three tips to help you incorporate content marketing into your overall customer outreach strategy.

Come up with a Plan

You don’t have to be a genius or a guru to know that a well thought out, clearly defined marketing plan is necessary for businesses across all industries, adult included. And because of the massive amount of technology available today, marketing plans are no longer simple strategies.

The intent of marketing is to reach the largest audience possible, so your plan must be wide, varied and multi-tiered. Consider the 1-2-3 listed below to help define and refine your focus in a cost-effective way.

1. Define (and Redefine) Your Audience

Figure out who your audience is – both the audience you have and the audience you’d like to reach. Figure out target age, gender, lifestyles and income. Figure out interests and how people spend their time (both online and off). If you have already done this, reassess. Do your existing profiles still stand?

Think about your content marketing as a spotlight concentrating on these specific audience profiles. This will save you costs associated with marketing to unresponsive audiences.

2. Create an Editorial Calendar

Create an editorial calendar that schedules out what you will be talking about per month or season — or whatever timeframe you choose. The purpose here is to help ensure you remain consistent when delivering your content. This will also help you plan out what you are doing well in advance.

3. Follow a Distribution Timeline

You must publish content for the right people at the right time. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your content, but make sure it is appropriate for current events. Holidays, large sporting events, awards programming, health and awareness “holidays” and important news items can all be tied into your marketing strategy.

Mix Up Your Content

Variety is the spice of content marketing. Switch up your content topics, as well as delivery methods.

If your content is an article one week, consider combining it with a video or podcast the next. Alternate the format and length of your content too — concise 600-word news posts one day, fun listicles the next. Ebooks and white papers are also options that can substantiate your brand as informative and thorough. If you take these on, make sure to do them well.

Content form possibilities are really endless. Just remember to always keep your target audience in mind and check stats to see how your different content forms perform over time.

The More the Merrier: Guests and Experts

One creative technique to create content is to invite guests and experts to contribute to your site and space. Experts, bloggers or other professionals certainly get the need to promote in their own way. With this arrangement, they get access to your audience and you get access to their expertise – it’s a win-win.

Bonus: Don’t forget to be creative with your guest choices. Shoot for the moon with innovators that will tickle your audience. That person you would just loooove to talk to? Hit them up! Even the avant garde/off-the-beaten-path guest can connect with audiences in real and significant ways. Regardless of who you select though, always make sure to circle back to your target audience.

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Remain competitive within your verticals – participate in content marketing! Prioritize the work up front and watch it pay dividends down the line.

Image via Dominik Gwarek.