Chapter 10 Filling the Funnel with Content Marketing • Create opportunities to engage with prospects seeking to learn more about their buying options. The list above illustrates how content marketing differs from other marketing levers in that the ROI has a long-term impact and is relatively consistent. How to Get Started with Content Marketing Content marketing starts with a desired result in mind. Why are you making content marketing a priority? What do you hope to accomplish? Before you start blogging, tweeting, or creating videos, you need a plan that outlines the following: 1. Specific goals and objectives. 2. The types of content you want to create and distribute. 3. The topics on which you’ll generate relevant content. 4. Which channels you’ll use to publish and share content. 5. The resources required to carry out the plan. Whatever your goals with content marketing, state them clearly in your plan and outline the specific objectives that will help your brand accomplish them. As you’re doing this, use the S.M.A.R.T. strategy to ensure your goals and objectives are: SPECIFIC MEASURABLE ACTIONABLE REALISTIC TIMED It’s easy to get ahead of yourself when planning out a content strategy and thinking long term about all the potential for great content. Make sure in your planning you acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses, recognize your resource limitations, and ensure the goals you set are realistic so that you can clearly define what success looks like for your brand. Doing so will keep you focused on that desired outcome and help you to avoid burnout in the content creation process. Once your goals and objectives are solidified, determine exactly which key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll use to measure success, and set a benchmark. For example: