Most people look at blogging as an insurmountable task. Especially when you write a few blogs, get tired of writing, run out of ideas, and see almost zero results from the hard work you put in to write the blogs. You think to yourself… “How long does it take for blogging to start working and actually pay off?”
[As a side note, we’ve committed to average one blog post a day for an entire year. Check back with us or subscribe to our newsletter to see what our results were.]
Here’s the deal: Over 200 million people in the world use at least one ad blocker. With these pieces of software becoming the norm for Internet users, it is no wonder that content marketing is the top priority for more than 50 percent of marketers. However, despite these facts, most people give up soon after they begin. There isn’t a business in existence that isn’t concerned with return on investment, and content marketing – such as blog posts and social media activity – can be very easy to get discouraged over and forget about.
Does Content Marketing Really Work?
It can be very easy to begin asking yourself this question. Whether you’re spending your own time – and therefore money – on writing content for your marketing strategy or simply paying someone else to do it, it can take some time to really begin seeing tangible results from content marketing. But, rest assured, content marketing really does work. So much, in fact, that leaders in content marketing see nearly eight times more site traffic than those who ignore or fail in content marketing. Because of this, it is not only important to start working on content marketing strategies but also to dedicate time and resources to making your efforts as successful as possible.
How Long Does Blogging and Content Marketing Take to Work?
This can vary from case to case. The amount of time content marketing can take to work is based on several variables, such as the effort put into creating the content, community engagement, how much content is produced and things like that. In general, however, a good number to bank on is about six months. With a good, honest effort and a little bit of know-how, you can take meaningful steps towards building a strong base from which your content marketing strategy can really begin to work. Of course this can begin working sooner or later, with some sources saying as soon as three months and some as late as a whole year.
How to Be Successful in Content Marketing
Of course, as with all marketing, it’s important to make an effort to be as successful as possible. This is especially true with content marketing, which is much more “slow-burn” than traditional advertising and generally takes more time to be successful in. Because of this, naturally, the important question to ask is how can you be successful in content marketing and what strategies can you employ to achieve as much success as possible?
Produce Quality Content
This is much easier said than done. However, it is one of the most important pieces of advice you will ever receive in content marketing. It is important to not just pump out dozens upon dozens of low-quality blog posts and social media posts. Content should be thoughtful and fulfill a purpose. Your purpose could be to inform readers on an issue, sell a product your business offers or simply entertain your readers. Whatever route you end up taking, it is important to make sure that each individual piece is as strong as it can possibly be.
Build a Community
Posted content should be designed to keep an audience around. Think of your content as more of a good book series than a single short story. Basically, the best message to take away from this piece of advice is to always leave your audience wanting more. There are a variety of ways you can accomplish this. Allow for community feedback through comment sections and forums, serialize your content so that readers have a reason to come back and read the next piece or use in-browser and e-mail notifications to notify readers that you have released new content.
Be Consistent
There can never be enough said about the value of keeping your content consistent. Whether you’re creating books, television series, music or marketing material, it is perpetually important that at the very least you keep the quality of your new content on par with the quality of the previous. In addition to this, it is important to keep consistently releasing content itself. It can be a daunting task to not only produce quality content but also have to consistently produce it. However, being consistent is as important as any other piece of advice you may receive on being successful in content marketing.
Be Patient
Patience is a virtue. This is true throughout life and especially in content production. It’s easy to become discouraged after a few months of not seeing click-through rates and site traffic where you want it to be. In spite of this, it is important to be patient and keep moving forward. With enough effort and patience, you will begin seeing the results you’re looking for, and in the end, content marketing can start to work for you.
Conclusion
All in all, content marketing is one of the most rewarding marketing strategies you can employ. Although it can be easy to get discouraged, with a little bit of patience and effort, you can begin seeing results from your content marketing and reach success you may have never thought possible.