Creating a Content Marketing Routine

Most successful people around the world credit persistence and their daily morning routines for their success. Very often, though, we can get hung up on the end goal, which can distract us from doing things that can get us there. These principles apply to content marketing, too. It's easy to focus on the traffic volumes you want to achieve, or the number of leads you want to generate through that impressive email campaign, which is a result of endless client meetings and cups of coffee.

There is a process to reach any kind of goal, though. Rome wasn't built in a day. Instead, it was laid down, brick by brick, layer by layer. Right things were done cumulatively over a period of time, and it all came together in the end. If you're a content marketer struggling to achieve results, here are some essentials you might want to incorporate into your everyday routine.

1. Add to Your Repository

You're constantly bombarded with information every day in the form of blogs, infographics, news, memes -- the list goes on. As a content marketer, you can use this bombardment to your benefit. Take screenshots of interesting comments, save insightful blog posts, archive your favorite newsletters -- basically, start making a repository of interesting content. The next time you sit down to draft a content strategy for a client, you can use this repository as the first reference to bounce ideas. If you're short on quality information around you, DeepDyve could help you out.

2. Listen to Your Audience

The idea of keeping a repository closely ties in with social listening. Being aware of what your target audience is talking about makes creating relevant content that much easier. Take some time out every day to read comments on popular blog posts in your industry; track any mentions of your brand on social media; keep abreast of trending news in your vertical. You can always take help from social media monitoring tools. Google Alert is a good place to start at, and it's free. There are also tools such as Synthesio that can aid you in your social monitoring efforts.

3. Actively Network Everyday

Creating a great piece of content is just one part of the content marketing story. The other part is getting people to share what you have created; and that takes a good network of influencers, reporters, bloggers, and media outlets around you. Actively follow the biggest influencers in your industry and engage with them regularly. Build a rapport with them before you ask them for a favor. The same goes for media outlets and PR agencies. Take time out every day to communicate with these key players. It could be an email, a thoughtful comment on a Facebook post, or even a phone call if they're in your area.

4. Add to Your Influencer Rolodex

Speaking of networking, it's important that you have a list of key people in your industry. Again, this is an ongoing task. Every time you come across someone with a viable circle of influence, add them to this list. Tools such as Trello can come in handy here. Don't limit yourself to one channel. Cast a wide net -- YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, even Tumblr, depending on the industry you're targeting.

In addition, here are some other small bits that will increase your chances of success at content marketing:

a. Write down content ideas as they come to you. You will thank yourself later.

b. Open your content calendar at the end of every workday. See if you're on track. Make slight changes, if necessary.

c. Attack the most difficult tasks first. These are tasks that make you uneasy in the stomach or bring out the worst case of procrastination in you. Tackling them at the start of every day will free your mind for creative tasks later on.