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Thanks to Google’s latest algorithm update, content truly is “king”. Yahoo just brought Katie Couric on board to bolster its editorial strategy, content marketing startup NewsCred just raised (another) $25 million in startup funds, and BuzzFeed seems to be taking over the world (or at the very least your social media feeds). But this content explosion does not guarantee quality. In fact, in the rush to jump on the content marketing bandwagon, many SMB companies are publishing subpar content that’s doing their companies more harm than good.

Content marketing is how you attract buyers to your message and bring them to your company, rather than paying to reach them through traditional media advertisements. At its very core, content marketing is any format that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers, and may include everything from thought leadership to branded content.

Like any effective marketing strategy, content marketing requires clear goals and benchmarks for success. Content marketing is also a long-term investment. While your business may not see immediate measurable returns, in the long run, effective content marketing will build your brand and improve customer relationships, two critical goals for your business’s long-term success.

Good content marketing is effective at all stages of the buying process

Content marketing isn’t just to educate potential buyers. It meets the needs of your buyers across ALL phases of the buying cycle.

• Early-stage content drives interest and awareness.

• Middle-stage content focuses on engagement and helping buyers move towards a purchase.

• Late-stage content keeps buyers loyal to your brand, drives referrals and upsells them on future solutions.

Content marketing is “one of the top marketing priorities for 2014”, according to B2B Magazine, and was listed as the top priority by the Altimeter Group. An effective content marketing strategy is key to powering your business’s inbound lead generation efforts. So here are our 5 top tips for professional services content marketing.

Top Tip 1: Find the pain point.

Your business must understand the marketplace in order to create content that builds relationships, earns trust with your consumers and, consequently, is more likely to be re-shared. The best way to build trustworthy relationships is to understand and address your customers’ pain points.

Consequently, it is key that your content talk with customers rather than talk at them. Give away advice, best practices and other free, solution-oriented content that fosters a constructive dialogue and builds a trustworthy relationship.

Top Tip 2: Solve, don't pitch.

Content marketing is not a self-serving tactic to solely promote your brand. In fact, you should rarely – if ever at all – directly reference your business or its products in your content. Instead, your content should be solution-oriented. Every piece should answer the question, “What do our buyers want or need?”

Remember, customers and clients prefer to connect with companies on a human and emotional scale. Solving problems with genuine useful advice does just this – while also establishing your professional services firm as an industry thought leader.

Top Tip 3: Put your own spin on the story.

Position your business as an industry thought leader with creative, original commentary on industry news. For example, do you disagree with a recent industry news story? How is your business approaching a common industry challenge?

Do not simply “re-hash” old news; put your own creative spin on the story. What you say and how you say it affects your business’s brand – be sure you’re saying something worthwhile, interesting and well-informed.

Top Tip 4: Go beyond blogging.

While your company’s blog is important, the blog is just one component of an effective content marketing strategy. To truly maximize content marketing opportunities, think beyond blogging: videos, infographics, Slideshare, webinars and other visual and interactive mediums are more likely to go viral than a generic blog post.

Whenever possible, add creative, thought-provoking images to your blog posts. Not only do people respond more favorable to content that includes visuals, but they are also more likely to share, re-tweet and re-post this content.

Top Tip 5: Be Personable

Yes, it’s important for your content to be professional in tone. But blogs and social media are also opportunities to show a more “human” side of your business. “Emotion beats promotion” by a factor of two to one, according to a recent Corporate Executive Board report.

While your professional services firm may be targeting other businesses, a company’s CEO won’t always be the person who reads your blog. Instead, a mid-level manager or even an entry-level employee may be your company’s first point of contact on social media or blogs. Humor and personality will help your business be more memorable and stand out from the competition.

Summary

For knowledge businesses like attorneys, management consultant, insurance brokers and financial professionals, content marketing is a godsend. It attracts potential buyers on their terms while they're conducting pre-purchase research and gets you in the game as they move towards a decision. Follow these five top tips and your content marketing will help you grow your business.