As the world goes digital, more and more contracting companies will find it necessary to build a solid online presence. Fairly often, business owners understand that they should invest money in website promotion and content production, but they don’t have a clear idea of how to do it right. Do you?
Today, we will talk about designing a content marketing strategy for your contracting company. If you want to boost your digital marketing efforts, keep on reading for five key steps to get you started.
1. Analyze Online Behavior
To create a remarkable content marketing strategy, you should have a clear understanding of who your audience is and how those people behave online. Research the answers to the following questions:
● What websites do your clients visit most often?
● How much time do they spend online?
● What kind of information do they look for (e.g., how-to articles, behind-the-scenes videos, price information, etc.)?
● At what time of the day/week does your target audience search for new content more actively (on Monday from 8–10 a.m., on Friday from 5–6 p.m., etc.)?
● Which social media platforms do your clients prefer to use (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram)?
● What type of content do they prefer to consume (e.g., blog posts, infographics, social media posts, and videos)?
2. Learn the Basics of SEO
The main purpose of building a content marketing strategy and growing online presence is to make your contracting company visible on the web. Once you understand who your audience is, the next step is to grow that presence. One of the most powerful tools that serves this purpose is search engine optimization (SEO).
As you probably know, Google and other search engines work the following way: “Web crawlers” scan different webpages for specific keywords to find out whether they match search results. Crawlers choose pages with the most relevant, quality content, and they display them at the top of a search results page.
In other words, if you want to get your company noticed at the top of the page, you should create your content with SEO in mind. You should choose the keywords that match your clients’ search queries, and you should improve text readability. Here are the most basic SEO tips for you from the Search Engine Journal:
● Find relevant keywords using tools such as Ubersuggest and Google Keyword Planner.
● Choose long-tail keywords over short-tail keywords. For instance, use the keyword “contracting company hiring near me” instead of “contracting company.”
● Use bullet lists, headings, and subheadings to break your article.
● Keep your sentences short, preferably fewer than 20 words.
● Start a new paragraph every two or three sentences.
● Avoid using passive voice or sophisticated, rarely-used words; make the text easy to read.
3. Audit and Update Your Website
Your website is a digital business card for you and your company. If you want it to work effectively, you should keep the web content relevant and up to date.
Audit your website. Check every page. Does each page present relevant information? Does the website comply with SEO guidelines?
Rewrite existing content, if necessary. Consider adding new pages and new content to your website to add more value to your target audience where needed.
4. Start a Blog
Blogging and content marketing go hand in hand. So if you want to set up a successful content marketing strategy for your contracting company, you should also consider starting a blog.
How can blogging help you grow your business?
● Blogging can help you get to the top of Google search results and get your company noticed;
● It will allow you strengthen your relationship with your clients; and
● It will help you build your thought leadership.
How to get the most out of blogging?
● Choose blog topics that your target audience finds interesting. Answer the questions that haven’t been properly answered yet.
● Use low-competition, high-traffic keywords.
● Add one or two links to authoritative and trustworthy sources to every blog post.
● Add at least one internal link to every blog post.
● Dispense the links equally across the whole post.
● Create high-quality content that stands out. If you don’t have an in-house content creator, consider hiring a freelance writer or take advantage of guest blogging.
In a nutshell, guest blogging (or guest posting) is the act of writing content for another company’s website. This content marketing tactic is used to attract traffic and bring it back to the site and boost the domain authority using external links to high-authority domains.
You can take advantage of guest blogging in two ways:
1. You can use it as a tool to get backlinks. Write blog posts for websites in your niche and you will get backlinks and improve your website ranking.
2. You can use it to source free content. Start accepting guest posts, and freelance writers will create content for your blog.
5. Build a Social Media Presence
What is your target demographic? For example, if you target Millennials and Generation Zers, you should create accounts on Facebook and Instagram and regularly publish updates.
Why is this so important? Before reaching to a contracting company, modern clients tend to check both the company’s website and social media accounts. If a contractor isn’t present on Facebook and other social media platforms, it looks suspicious.
To build trust with the target audience, you should create social media content. Here are a few content ideas you can use:
● Publish industry and company news;
● Share stories of your happy clients to boost engagement;
● Reflect on current events to build thought leadership;
● Introduce your key employees to your followers to win their trust;
● Share behind-the-scenes photos and videos to show your team “in action.”
Wrapping Up
In the 2020s, a well-written content marketing strategy is a must for contracting companies. So if you don’t have a strategy, it’s time to write one.
Focus on your target audience and those people’s preferences. Try to create content that resonates with your clients to achieve the desired results.
Just remember that you are a contractor, not a content strategist. It’s okay to make mistakes. If you want everything to go smoothly, don’t hesitate to get professional assistance. Your investments in content strategy will hopefully see a big payoff.
About the Author:
Jessica Fender is an educational blogger and content marketing specialist at GetGoodGrade, a resource for writing college website reviews. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with colleagues-marketers to help them use only the best and proven marketing strategies. For more information, contact: GetGoodGrade.