4 Keys to Raising Your Content Marketing Game

Content marketing has been, and will likely continue as, one of the most effective tools for businesses of any size to drive brand awareness. As Google and other search engines continue to refine their algorithms, businesses need to quickly step up their game when it comes to content marketing. Are you sure that you are doing enough to stand out from the increasing competition? The steps below will help keep you on your game when it comes to content marketing.

1. Quality vs. quantity.

First and foremost, understand that quality content is far more important than quantity. Far too often, many entrepreneurs and small business owners fall into the trap of believing that if they just churn out enough content, it will be enough to drive exposure and awareness. In the early days of the Internet, a strategy of churning out mindless content chock-full of keywords was sufficient.

Today, this is no longer the case. Google has made it abundantly clear it is looking for relevant, quality content. Your content marketing goal is to create quality content your readers want to read. That will give them a reason to keep coming back for more.

Related: April 21 Is Your Last Chance for Mobile Optimization Before 'Mobilegeddon'

2. Use data to drive content marketing.

Do not overlook the opportunity to leverage data to improve your content marketing strategy. Brands have a wealth of tools at their disposal today to mine different types of data to use in their content marketing strategy. For instance, after analyzing your data, you might find it beneficial to post more content on Tuesday, when engagement is higher, than on Friday when everyone is getting ready for the weekend.

Based on your data, you could determine which topics have higher levels of interaction and decide to increase the number of posts on those topics. Keep in mind that content marketing is highly personal in terms of what works and what does not. The only way to know what will work for your brand is to test it and track it. Tools such as Google and Bing webmaster, Twitter Analytics, and HootSuite can help you to determine which pieces of content are driving the most traffic, and gauge engagement on social media.

Related: Can Content Marketing Help Companies Reach Consumers When They're Young? (Infographic)

3. Keep it concise with infographics.

Consider experimenting with infographics. As more companies produce an ever-increasing amount of content across a broad spectrum of blogs and social media platforms, the attention of your audience is more divided than ever. Consequently, you need to deliver as much information as possible in a concise format. Infographics allow you to do that. It is little wonder that they have become a favored content medium.

While not every piece that you post should contain an infographic, if you have not already used these tools in your content marketing strategy, consider giving one a try to see what it does to drive traffic.

4. Make the headlines.

Finally, make sure you include headlines and sub headlines in your content. This will make your content more easily digestible.H1 and H2 tags are also heavily weighted in Google's Panda algorithm, so they could help to improve your SEO.

Related: Google's Latest Search Update is a Reminder to Focus on Quality