As a content marketer, I’m always looking for creative ways to clearly communicate with my audience. And while I regularly test new things, it’s easy to get caught up in a routine instead of stopping for a moment and trying something new.

There’s risk involved in moving your content marketing in a different direction, but if you know your audience well, you can experiment with them. Your content can be universally appealing to them while trying a different approach.

The great thing about a failed content marketing approach is that it teaches you a lesson — a lesson about what your target audience responds to, about what they want to see, about your voicing and your approach.

However, it takes making a risk with your content approach to learn these invaluable lessons. I know this because I’ve spent a lot of time failing. These failure gave me the information I needed to really succeed.

In spite of my many failures, I found a few channels that consistently gave me powerful returns. Here are my top seven recommended marketing methods.

Tip #1: Creative lists

Some of the best content that marketers can offer their audiences is through a creative list. This is the classic Buzzfeed mentality. But even Buzzfeed is not committed to a mindless list.

Rather, a really great list provides invaluable, insightful information in a fun way. Consider a pest control company that gives its audience a list of the top bugs to look out for in the summer. Identify what you can uniquely offer your customers and then come up with a creative list to showcase your expertise in a fun way.

Tip #2: Live video

Video is becoming more relevant and trendy than ever among social users — and this is one area that content marketers really should be investing in to get their messaging in front of users.

Customers want an inside look at your company. They want exclusive access to their brand — and producing a live video will give them that access.

Tip #3: Spin-off audiences

As a content marketer, you need to know your target audience like you know your closest relative or your best friend. You need to know who they are, how old they are, what they like to buy, and most importantly, what their additional interests are. From there, you can identify spin-off audiences that may be interested in your products and services.

Do target audience research using Google Analytics and surveys, and then identify the other audiences you can reach out to online to begin pushing your messages.

Tip #4: Have an eye for traffic

There are sites out there already that you can use to your advantage because of the sheer number of users they get. For example, consider the amount of traffic to sites like Etsy or IMDb.

If you can write unique content for one of these sites with high traffic, then you can send those users back to your website. You just need to make sure that what you are selling relates to one of these big sites.

Tip #5: Utilize LinkedIn

Expand your social stretch to sites like LinkedIn, where you can post valuable business advice that relates to your company and brand. LinkedIn users are business-minded, and they want tips that will push them forward in their careers.

If you can create content that fits in that category, you can drive them to your website. Think creatively about how your products can aid them and make life easier for their work lives and careers.

Tip #6: Start snapping

Snapchat is becoming one of the most trendy and popular social networks to reach Millennials. You can introduce your brand and messaging in fun and compelling ways through the function of the Snapchat “story.”

It’s important, however, that your content does not appear to be promotional. What you are really trying to do is give your users that immediate, live look into what matters about your business. You want to create energy around your brand and show those younger users why it matters that they have you in their lives.

Tip #7: See where your audience is on social

If you’re thinking about expanding your social platforms to beyond the traditional or trendy ones, then try to find out first where your target audience is on social. One great resource is a site called Buzzsumo.

You can type in a keyword related to your business, and Buzzsumo will tell you what the most shared content is related to that keyword and where it is popular on social media networks.

You can take it from there.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you’re not using these seven content marketing tips to get the most profitable return you can, then you’re missing out on easy ways to make big changes for your brand.

These seven areas often go untapped in our field because they are not the most popular or visible approaches. But sometimes, what your customers need is a surprise or a shift in your content marketing in order to really get their attention.

When users hear the same messaging over and over again — or if they become too accustomed to just one mode for your content marketing, such as a video — then you’re setting them up to expect too much regularity from you. Shake up your content marketing with these seven tips and determine what failures can turn into successes over time. You’ll be glad you tried!

Which of these seven have you found the best success from?

(Sourced from Neil Patel via www.inc.com)