Why content is still king
Traditional marketing is becoming increasingly ineffective. Think about it, do you typically like it when your day is interrupted by loud, in-your-face advertising which attempts to sell you something you weren’t in the market for? Or do you generally like to take your time, do your own research and come to your own conclusion about what product or service is best for you?
As a result, modern digital advertising, such as banner ads, is becoming less efficient. More people than ever are using ad blockers as they surf the internet, precisely because they don’t want to see unnecessary ads. Consumers have access to more information than ever. In a click, they can evaluate hundreds of brands, assess whether that brand's values align with theirs, and read about how other people have experienced that brand. So how do you reach your customers in an increasingly crowded market without using traditional marketing tactics?
Enter content marketing.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a form of permission marketing. By permission marketing, I mean a type of marketing that involves the customer opting to engage with you, rather than the interruptive style of marketing described above. Content marketing is a strategic marketing strategy that revolves around creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to a clearly defined audience, in order to attract and retain customers.
“These days, brands are responding to new expectations from customers by providing relevant content through the entire purchase decision process.”
Content marketing is a long-term strategy. The goal behind any content marketing strategy should be to genuinely add value to your target customers lives. Your audience should look forward to reading your content, gain insight from it and look to you for advice in your related industry (aka, thought leadership). You can create a brand experience and build customer relationships through the generation of compelling content.
Content comes in many formats. Virtually all marketing activity requires solid content behind it, including social media, search engine optimisation (SEO) and PR. Through persona research, you can establish which format is going to be most engaging to your target customer. Here’s some examples of types of content, many of which you will have seen before:
Blog posts
Videos
Social posts
Infographics
Case studies
eBooks, whitepapers and guides
Podcasts
Ideally you will understand which types of content are relevant to your customers and where they are likely to consume it. For example, if you know your customer likes to consume video content on instagram, then it’s worth investing in this type of content generation, rather than creating long-form eBooks and promoting them on Linkedin.
SEO - content marketing’s elusive sidekick
There’s another reason content is still as important as ever. It’s estimated that 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine. And with the majority of users not scrolling past the first page of search results, it’s vital that companies engage in SEO to improve their ranking.
And what’s one of the best ways to do this? Content. Experts have identified content as one of the top three factors that will determine your search engine ranking. Furthermore, 72% of online marketers describe content marketing as their most effective SEO tactic.
So in addition to building an exceptional brand experience and positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry, content marketing will improve your search engine ranking and drive users to your website. Seems worthwhile to me.
Do you need help with developing a content marketing strategy? Let’s chat. Book a virtual coffee here.