Most affiliates know about content marketing, but not everyone knows how to do it properly. Research published by SEMRush in 2021 revealed that only 11% of marketers would define their strategy as “excellent”.
Despite the many challenges that come with developing a killer content marketing plan, they can be overcome. Below, we share our top tips when it comes to crafting a content plan specifically for online sports betting and igaming affiliates.
Know Your Audience
First things first, you must know your audience and the information it is seeking. This includes identifying your core demographics and discovering the key topics they want to read around. You can do this via keyword research as well as analyzing competitors.
You also need to determine where your audience’s attention can be found. This ensures your content reaches its intended target. You can use social listening tools to determine this, and it’s also worth looking at your previous referral traffic to identify the most important channels.
By understanding your audience before putting together your content marketing plan, you can be certain you are creating the content your audience is seeking.
Choose Your Content Types
Armed with a clear understanding of your audience and the information they are seeking, you can then consider the different types of content you want to create.
Examples of content types include:
- News
- Reviews
- SEO guides
- Previews
- Explainers
- Comparison features
- Interviews
You won’t really know what works — and what doesn’t — until you start publishing content and analyzing audience engagement.
That’s why it is always worth including different content types in your initial plan and then fine-tuning your strategy based on the data.
In addition to the types of content you want to produce, you’ll need to consider the format.
Audio allows your audience to digest everything on the go, so you might want to consider creating a podcast. You could also try video, perhaps recording video interviews with interesting people from the industry.
Create a Manageable Content Plan
When you know your audience and have considered the content you want to create, it’s time to put together a manageable plan.
One of the most stifling things you can do is plan a rigid 12-month calendar. It’s good to have plenty of ideas, but you need to think about how you’ll react to changing trends.
Instead, three months is more than enough; you can shelf your other ideas for later.
If you’re short on hands, it’s a good idea to outsource your content creation. Doing so will not only give you access to additional writers with their own ideas and styles, you’ll also be more likely to stick to regular publishing.
Take Your Content Marketing Strategy to the Next Level
Creating engaging content is more challenging than it has ever been, but complicated doesn’t mean impossible. The principles remain the same; research your audience and cater to their needs.
As you progress in your content marketing journey, revisit what has and hasn’t worked. After that, you can tweak accordingly, and that ultimately will allow you to enjoy long-term success.