Content Marketing in the Job Board World
We are increasingly living our lives and our businesses within the digital community which is causing traditional marketing guidelines to blur. Marketing is now becoming more personal and targeted, it is no longer about throwing information at users, but rather creating conversation with consumers and engaging with the lives they lead. In fact studies show that 70% of people state that they would rather get to know a company via articles rather than advertisement and 60% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site.
Successful websites no longer offer just a service but also strive to build a community; our capability to market ourselves successfully now comes from our ability to harness people’s relationships to each other.
Through this online evolution we are increasingly witnessing the benefits of content marketing which has now become a major tactic for SEO best practice. Once the buzzword of the digital year, content marketing is a phrase which can be heard bouncing off the walls of most offices with online business, but what does it involve and why is it so important?
So what exactly is content marketing?
Content marketing helps to build brand awareness, encourages brand loyalty, advocacy and increases relevant web traffic by creating consistent, reliable and valuable information. It involves using multiple channels to enable consumers to access your content which improves user experience. These channels can include:
- Industry news
- Press releases
- Podcasts
- Blogs
- Whitepapers
- Images
- Videos
- Infographics
- Webinars
- Slideshows
- Guest posting
- eBooks
Content marketing and SEO
Good content marketing has many benefits including increased brand awareness which drives site traffic and therefore revenue, as well as the ability to position your company as an expert within its industry by serving the needs of its users; it also has a huge effect on SEO.
Google have always championed the importance of user experience, creating communities and providing more than just a service. This way of operating was enforced when Google released two major algorithm changes in 2012 which saw 12% of websites have their rankings affected. The Penguin update affected unnatural links whilst the Panda update affected sites with what was deemed as thin or duplicate content. Google updated their webmaster tools with the advice to concentrate on user experience, provide good original, intelligent content and the links will invite themselves.
Content marketing emerged through the aftermath of the updates as the answer to good SEO. A comprehensive content plan means you continuously update your site with new and relevant information, in return Google see that you are updating your website continuously with relevant and useful information, which in turn improves your rankings within search engine results. Not only this but well researched, useable content is natural link bait. Create content that people want to use and you will invite natural links from quality blogs and sites, which creates a more natural link profile guaranteeing a positive effect on your rank.
The Importance of successful content for job boards
Successful content is shareable content. If you create a blog post or video that a jobseeker finds useful, they will share it across social networks, forums and blogs for similar users to see. It is this sharing that provides opportunities that press release sites could not dream of, a personal recommendation.
A great example of this is the Wiley Job Board Network who utilize their content very effectively. They produce highly relevant and well researched blogs regarding jobseeker advice and industry news. Alongside this they also implement tactics to add further value to their content. They also offer downloadable research papers and studies; at the bottom of each blog post they provide links to other pieces of their own content which are relevant to the subject. They build customer trust and increase the time spent on site.
Another simple but crucial tactic is providing social sharing buttons at the top of each article. Studies show that few people read an entire article; by providing social options at the top of the page they have doubled their chances of social sharing. The Wiley Job Board Network offers a complete community to their users and has enhanced their popularity, site traffic and brand awareness by harnessing the power of social media.
Do not be mistaken, shareable content and viral content are two very different concepts. Many companies online can offer to create viral content for your brand at a fee; this is a worthless, time consuming and often an expensive venture. Efforts need to be concentrated on creating content that your user base requires. Whilst videos of cats in shark costumes harness millions of views, it doesn’t help jobseekers with their job hunt (in fact it most probably hinders it).
Creating a content strategy
Content marketing in practice is more than just churning out as much content as possible. Your content needs to be thoroughly researched and strategized, but most importantly it needs to be targeted, otherwise you could waste a lot of time and resources.
Firstly, get to know your audience. Jobseekers are becoming incredibly technically aware, using not only job boards and recruitment sites, but also social media as part of their search for their perfect role. If you are creating targeted and relevant content jobseekers will continue to return to your job board even if they are no longer looking for a job. Ask yourself the question what do they need?
Get together with your team and have a brain storming session, the more people the better, it’s important to have a range of perspectives. Talk about content that your user base would be interesting in or would benefit from, including topical industry stories. Then think about the best way to showcase this information, this is your starting point.
Think creatively, your ability to be creative is of paramount importance for a successful content marketing campaign. Give your users a personality behind your brand; whilst advice guides and white papers are incredibly important, users will switch off if you do not provide them with character within the content. Remember you are creating something which your users will feel compelled to share with their family, friends and colleagues, it needs a hook.
Long term commitment
Once you have begun to create and post content you need to keep track of it. Analyze each posts success including not only traffic and conversions, but monitor people linking to each piece as well as social shares. This will help you build a bigger picture of your users and what they require. Use this analyze to adopt a data led strategy for future content generation, ensuring that your time and resources are being spent in the best way. You will quickly see which topics and areas of content are performing well so use this to influence future content.
Content marketing is not a one off campaign it is a serial commitment, the right time and resources must be devoted to your content calendar in order to see the best results. Companies which blog more than fifteen times a month get on average five times more traffic than companies that don’t blog. The benefits of implementing a coherent content strategy can make a huge impact on your business. If you are not already using content marketing now is the perfect time to start.
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