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Whether that’s a blog post, a short video or a podcast, content is king. But it’s not the content that matters. Rather, it’s how you use that content to promote your business.
But content marketing is a complex sport. There are many moving parts, and if one train carriage is missing, the entire strategy will fall short. Explaining this to your boss is especially difficult, and when you struggle to present a good enough ROI, it becomes impossible.
Here’s how to explain your content marketing strategy in simple terms so your boss can buy into it and let you get on with your job.
Explain what you do as if your boss was a family member
The truth is: your boss doesn’t need to understand marketing like you do.
In most cases, they won’t have a background in marketing, they won’t understand the true value of content, and they’ll only concern themselves with financial forecasts.
To preface your content marketing strategy, then, it’s critical that you explain what work it is you’re doing down in the mines. And the best way to do that is to speak in laymen’s terms. Like your family, they don’t need to know what’s in your toolbox specifically, but rather, that you’re capable of using the tools.
This means explaining the ‘why’ of everything you’re doing. Why is social media curation important? Why is email marketing important? Why do you need a CRM to help you automate tasks? If you can explain the ‘why’ of what you’re doing, you’re a step closer to getting your boss on board.
Focus on the metrics, not the numbers
Despite Sinek’s speech above, your boss is employed for two reasons: to manage people and to manage money.
Explaining the people side of what you’re doing is relatively easy. But, explaining the hard numbers can be tricky. If you can simplify this, you’re onto a
But, proving a return on investment is tough, especially considering content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. To get an approval, focus less on where your budget is going, and more on how your budget has increased growth for the business. That includes reporting on metrics like:
- Website visitors
- Lead conversions
- Social media growth
- Freshness signals – how often is your site being indexed
By showcasing these metrics, the ‘how’ of how you spend your budget is already answered for.
Identify your alternatives to content marketing
Today, there are very few alternatives to content marketing.
Business growth exists almost entirely online, and as a result, you need to concentrate your efforts on areas like indexing well on Google, gaining visibility, and building a strong, reputable brand that’s considered a thought leader in your industry.
To showcase the worth of content marketing, it’s important to highlight what alternatives your boss has that will achieve a similar result.
PR, outbound marketing tactics and partnerships are all important, but will they drive organic traffic over the long term? Will they make your business an authority figure in your field? Will they help you build a sustainable, growing business over time?
Highlight your time saving abilities
There are a lot of spinning plates involved in content marketing. Writing a blog post alone involves ideation, research, writing, editing, proofing, optimising and publishing. Add social media, email marketing, website marketing, CRM management and other SEO work to that equation, and your workload stacks up.
Highlighting your ability to save on time, then, is essential to getting approvals from your boss, especially if you’re trying to get them to spend on new technology. Automation is your new best friend. Showcase its time-saving effects, and you’ll have yourself an approval in no time.
Avoid detail, focus on outcomes
There’s a lot of small details involved in content marketing. From understanding the depths of Google Analytics to analysing website metrics, there’s a lot to consider. To get a strategy approved, however, your boss doesn’t need to know it all.
By stripping the in-between nitty gritty work out and showcasing how you’ll save time, money and continue to drive results, then, is the key to getting your content marketing strategy approved.
Of course, approval is just the first hurdle. Now you’ve got to put your strategy to work, which might mean seeking outside help.
For more information on how I can help your business achieve its content marketing results, contact me here.
