What to look for in a Content Marketing Agency

According to HubSpot, Content Marketing involves the "planning, creating, distributing, sharing, and publishing of content to reach your target audience" (source). 

At mbudo, one of our many hats in our role as Inbound Marketers is to be a Content Marketing Agency, so we know exactly what you should be looking for. In fact, take this opportunity to learn the 7 keys to Content Marketing. Below, discover our tips for finding the right Content Agency:

First step: making an agile content plan

The agency you choose must know how to make a content plan. It should include content ideas and an editorial calendar that is 1-3 months out, but agile enough to pivot for current events, new goals, or unexpected challenges. This content plan should coordinate content with your company's objectives and campaigns. 

In this post, you can witness mbudo's expertise in creating content plans and other content strategies for technology-based companies. 

Marketing to different audiences at different points in time

You've no doubt heard of Buyer Personas (BPs). Well, these are different types of people who are in your target audience. The agency you choose really needs to know everything about your Buyer Personas in order to effectively write content for them. They should research and understand the characteristics of your BPs and find out what makes them tick. The Content Marketing Agency you choose must know the ins and outs of your company's products and services; only then can value be provided through content. A thorough training on your part will be very beneficial to them. 

There are a ton of factors an agency needs to take into consideration: The purpose of the content - is it to educate or resolve a pain point? The tone of voice and writing style. The point in the Buyer's Journey. Could the content be useful for Sales reps?

At mbudo, we start every content-based project with a content audit; this way, we see which content has already been created and if/where any gaps exist.

A Content Marketing Agency should explore different content formats

Only having a blog or newsletter doesn't cut it anymore. Your content provider will need to explore and utilize a variety of relevant and trending content formats. Some of the formats we use at mbudo include:

• Blog Posts: A blog is a great way to build up your content base and provide valuable information to leads. 
• Ebooks: This is the in-depth knowledge that is going to educate your leads and customers. In this category could also fall Case Studies, Whitepapers, guides, and checklists. 
• Videos: Short videos are very popular right now, but don't rule out long form video either. Animations and gifs can also set your content apart from the rest. 
• Infographics: Presenting information in a visual way can completely revolutionize your content. Consider infographics, images, memes, charts, statistics, etc. 
• Presentations: This is often aligned with Sales as they tend to be more formal. Webinars, tutorials, proposals, or pitches are other examples. 
• Podcasts: Audio material is increasingly popular and has a niche following. Interviews and Q&As are part of this category, and can be both audio and written. 
• Email Marketing: You're most likely already using Email Marketing in your content strategy, and that's good because it's one of the most dependable forms of Content Marketing. Different options include newsletters, nurturing emails, promotions, etc. 
• Social Media Posts: This catchy, attention-grabbing, valuable content, often limited to a small number of characters. If your brand isn't on social media, you'd better get there...fast!

Optimizing content for SEO...always

SEO is and always will be one of the most important aspects of a piece of content. Search Engine Optimization makes it so that we include relevant keywords and phrases in our content that our Buyer Personas are actively searching for. After all, digital content that can't be found isn't very useful! How can you distinguish a great content agency from a mediocre one? Great content agencies include SEO services like keyword research and content optimization, alongside an overall SEO strategy. 

mbudo has a wealth of expertise in SEO. Discover our SEO how-to guide for beginners and check out our write-up on HubSpot's SEO strategy tools, which employs Pillar Pages and Topic Clusters to create digital relationships between pages, thus positioning the content organically.

Extra perk: collaboration with the Design Department

Content isn't only about what is written (or said or shown), it is also about the manner in which it is presented. We already spoke above about the various content formats that agencies should be working with today, but we need to take it one step further. Content Marketing Agencies should be able to wrap up their content and design into one amazing little package. 

Oftentimes, content and design is performed at the same time, with team members bouncing ideas off of one another, creating mock-ups, and then revising the content or design as the project progresses. This is the ideal situation your business should be looking for in order to create the perfect marriage between content and design. 

Did you know that mbudo offers clients content and design, all-in-one? We have found it's the best way to ensure a successful content strategy. 

Publishing & distributing content is just as important as content creation

Your company will no doubt have a Content Management System (CMS), but if you're still in the market, we recommend HubSpot. This platform does everything from hosting your blog and website to building workflows and chatbots...read our write up on HubSpot!

As every Content Agency should know, social media is the best way to distribute content these days. However, don't rule out newsletters, press releases, RSS feeds, and other methods that are still in use. The strategy should include owned, earned and paid distribution. And from mbudo, we can recommend you focus on these 4 social media KPIs. 

A Content Marketing Agency can't forget to automate & report

Content should be just one part of a Marketing Strategy. If your emails aren't part of a lead nurturing strategy, why are you spending valuable time and resources on content that isn't leading to a sale or customer loyalty? Marketing automation can be included in a content strategy in a number of ways, via nurturing emails, chatbots, CTAs, etc. Find out if automation is something you want to pursue and if so, make sure the content provider you choose has experience in automation (Just FYI, at mbudo, we're experts in workflows!) 

Reporting should also be involved in a content agency's repertoire. We should be able to find out how many leads or customers came from a certain piece of content. We should know which pieces of content are working - and which aren't. At mbudo, we use HubSpot's built-in reporting tools to measure our content efforts. One our key services includes monthly reports and status updates. 

If you're looking for an Inbound Marketing Agency that specializes in content creation, content strategy, and content management,mbudo Inbound Marketing Agency in Madrid. Content Marketing is one of our areas of expertise, and if you're considering outsourcing your Marketing, we can also help you with other parts of your Marketing strategy like customer life cycles, automation, design, etc.