Spoiler alert! Social media isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to growing an online audience. It is definitely important to maintain a presence on social platforms aligned with your specific demographic (as long as the social media powers-that-be allow us to do so ... sigh). However, the reality is that social media is just one small drop in the bucket when it comes to attracting, acquiring and converting more of your dream consumers in the digital realm. A successful content marketing strategy aims to expand your digital footprint by being proactive, intentional and consistent.
What is content marketing? Without all the bells and whistles, content marketing is the process of creating and publishing valuable, consumer-first content with the goal of reaching, captivating and converting your target audience into a loyal community.
As a sexual health and wellness brand, business or entrepreneur, well-executed content marketing is non-negotiable, more so now than ever. A few reasons for that include:
1. The sex toy industry is oversaturated — let’s call it as it is! Turnkey, white-label sites once provided the opportunity for anyone to become a pleasure products e-tailer, with thousands of sex toys pre-loaded onto a website, eliminating the need for an expensive web designer and in-house fulfillment. However, the evolution of third-party marketplaces provided a similarly generic shopping experience with lower prices. As a result, the bar has been raised for pleasure products e-tailers, as generating sales simply by listing products is virtually impossible. For example, indie retailers like Enby, Feelmore and Spectrum Boutique continue to create massive impact through their top-notch product selections, value-packed sexual health education and community inclusivity. There is no denying their commitment to delivering a remarkable consumer experience. They listen to and understand the needs of their community, and their content marketing reflects this.
2. Keeping educational content confined to your online blog is not enough to cut it anymore. Companies like Dame Products are investing ample time and resources into separate websites in order to create a larger digital footprint (while possibly attempting to circumvent advertising restrictions for sexual wellness brands). For example, Dame’s education-based website, Swell, is “a digital platform that explores the ins and outs of sexual wellness and human intimacy.” This strategy essentially delivers a valuable, education-centric experience that not only acquires more online visibility through SEO and potential social media shares, but ultimately drives traffic to their products-based ecommerce site. They are doubling down on their production of content, meeting the needs of their target audience, and bolstering awareness for their primary website in one fell swoop.
3. We are existing at a pivotal moment in time, specifically as business owners in the health and wellness industry. The pandemic has transformed consumer preferences and expectations, especially as it applies to next-level self-care practices and prioritizing personal wellness. As a result, we have the opportunity to meet consumers where they are at: ready to invest in luxury products and valuable education that enhances their overall quality of (sex) life. The pleasure products industry at large experienced record sales in 2020 — and various retailers have almost unanimously agreed that penis strokers and anal toys have seen a huge uptick since the pandemic began. We can assume that couples and singles are generally more curious and open to experimentation. This is your time to shine by using your unique voice and lived experiences as a catalyst for consumer connection.
Here’s another spoiler alert: There are no shortcuts to successful content marketing in 2021 (and beyond). If you are not delivering compelling content consistently on the digital platform of your audience’s choice, they will (easily) find what they are looking for elsewhere.
Given the policies and restrictions that sexual wellness businesses tiptoe around to avoid account suspensions, it would benefit everyone to approach their content marketing strategy as if social media was going to disappear entirely tomorrow. (Sadly, for a multitude of brands and individuals in our industry, this is already a reality.)
Examples of Content Marketing
Blogging: Go beyond your own website! Ask if you can acquire a guest blogger spot somewhere as a pleasure products expert for additional online visibility.
Ebooks: What are you passionate about, in regards to sexual wellness? What’s the one topic that you can speak about forever? Products only sell themselves so far; it is your unique, magnetic energy that customers are ultimately investing in.
Email Newsletters: If you aren’t regularly building your email mailing list, please research the value of email marketing immediately!
Infographics: Create content that is visually engaging, easy to understand and informative. (Tip: generate new infographics from your past blogs).
Videos: Use YouTube, short-form videos for Instagram Reels and/or Stories — ideally all of the above. (If you haven’t brushed up on Instagram’s latest updates as of mid July, get familiar ASAP. Spoiler alert No. 3: They are now focused on short-form video content as a way to compete with TikTok.)
Podcasts: Get niche-y with it. Do you consider yourself an expert in one specific area, because of your lived experiences? Example: sex, intimacy and menopause. There is ample room for this conversation to grow in the mainstream health and wellness space, which is not only a huge avenue for exposure, but shares a very important message with individuals just like you. That relatable content is everything when it comes to building trust and fostering community.
Workshops: An educational workshop can be executed over a series of pre-recorded Zoom videos, within a private Facebook group, or even by enabling a membership-based option on your website. Additionally, enlisting and compensating a certified sexual health educator to teach one of your workshops is a bonus, because you’ll ideally receive exposure to a larger (aligned) community through the speaker’s own promotional efforts.
The great thing about these various types of content is that one educational video can be repurposed into a week’s worth of social media feed posts. Always strive to maximize your content throughout as many mediums as possible, because you are maximizing your time as a result.
All that said, it is understandable for content marketing to feel overwhelming, especially for entrepreneurs with limited time, resources and/ or staff. However, following a few core principles may help you navigate this crucial, ever-evolving component of a successful business.
Long-Term Strategy
Step One: Whether it comes down to keeping up with your social channels, blog posts and/or email newsletters, it is imperative to lock in your long-term strategy, as opposed to posting only on your preferred social media, and on the fly. Long-term means making peace with the fact that content marketing will be an ongoing project, indefinitely, if you want to compete with the brands who are relentlessly taking up space in the digital realm.
Step two: Determine the amount of time you can dedicate in one day to churning out content for the month(s) ahead. From there, identify what you are capable of creating in that amount of time. Successful content creators typically spend one day batching out a month’s worth of content (or more). Spending one day out of the month on content creation will make the rest of your month so much easier!
Step three: identify the types of content that you want to publish in one month, and stick to that schedule going forward. Example of a basic content marketing strategy:
- One educational email newsletter per month
- Two value-driven blog posts (bi-weekly)
- 12 Instagram feed posts (three per week)
- 12 Instagram videos, Reels or Stories (three per week)
- 20 unique Facebook posts (five links per week. Re-share other sex health articles, link to your blog, or newsletter signup form)
Long-term hack: Get to know your analytics tools. Social media analytics will show you which posts received the most saves, shares, likes and views. Email marketing analytics will confirm the number of open rates and clicks to your website. Website analytics will show you if a visitor came via Instagram, or through an organic web search for a specific product. While social media analytics may not always be accurate, examining all analytics tools as a whole will help guide your content creation strategy based on what is generating the most views and positive interaction across all of your digital platforms.
Quality > Quantity
It’s not when you say it, it’s how you say it. Great content is empathy in action. What point is your ideal consumer at in their sexual wellness journey? What is their experience with pleasure products? How do your unique voice and/or lived experiences set you apart from the competition? The easiest way to empathize with your customer is to envision them as a former version of you. This enables you to see things through their eyes, to clearly understand their pain points, identify their motivations and deliver content that is specifically for them.
There is nothing wrong with directly asking your customers what they want. This will yield much more engagement and long-term loyalty than taking a guess, or following the lead of a competitor (please avoid both at all costs).
Quality hack (hot take incoming): “Sexual empowerment” is generally an overused phrase in this industry that lacks depth if the company in question isn’t specifying the how and the why. How does your personal story drive your business initiatives, product development and/or product selection? How can you add more vulnerability and humanity into your brand story?
OK… Quantity Counts Sometimes
One component of content marketing where size does matter is your blog word count. According to various online reports:
- Good: 300 words
- Better: 1,000 words
- Best: 2,500 words
Blog word count is beneficial for:
Keeping the reader on your site for a longer amount of time — this increases the likelihood that they will continue to explore your products and services.
Enhancing your search engine ranking — this allows your content to be discovered more easily by more users.
Resonating with your target consumer — value-driven, compelling content will inspire your reader to share on their networks, and grow your reach.
Content is one of the most valuable tools that you possess as a business owner. Your purpose as a content creator is to deliver information that your audience needs, in a way that aligns with their beliefs, preferences and values.
Stop thinking about selling, and start thinking about helping.
Casey Murphy is the founder of Bold Type Marketing and a sexual wellness industry vet.
