You’ve heard the buzz. “Content is king,” they say… “Content is everything,” even. Do you think that is true?
Is traditional marketing not as effective as it used to be? Many will claim that it is not. Traditional marketing is quickly being replaced – and it’s not with digital advertising or marketing. The answer is content marketing, which begs the question, what is content marketing and is it possible to employ content marketing in your business? The short & simple answer is – YES.
What is Content Marketing?
So what is content marketing, then? Well, it’s pretty simple. Content marketing is the use of that content — any of it — to help meet a marketing goal for your organization. Content is not just text on a website, or an article or info graphics… it’s a combination of text, audio, video and just about anything that can communicate a message.
Content marketing could be acquisition of potential customers, retention of existing ones, making more people aware of your brand or your products, or something as simple as sharing a testimonial of a client.
Content marketing is creating specific content for your customers which becomes invaluable to them. By educating your customers with free content, you build a trust that translates to sales eventually.
Why use content marketing
Content marketing plays out differently than traditional marketing, which relied heavily on television and radio advertising. If you think about it, most people like to watch shows either in a streaming, DVR, or online uninterrupted format. No one in particular likes commercials.
Enter the smart phone, laptop, tablet and any other Internet accessible device and we are back to the question of utilizing content marketing. Video seems to have played out as center stage in today’s digital media landscape and hence creating content that can be better than just commercials seems logical.
The strategic use of content can drive consumers to pay attention to your brand.
How does it work
You may be wondering how content marketing works and how it is going to enhance your business and bottom line. Content marketing involves utilizing digital & social media to push out your name, your brand, your message, your product. While content marketing is not a selling tool on the surface, it is a subtle form of sales. Utilizing various social media platforms, content marketing allows you to target different groups of people based on demographics. You have the ability to tailor a specific message to each group in their preferred social media platform and interact with them.
Should you be able to target the right demographics, you can interact with your customers and obtain feedback from them without much effort or money.
This ability to connect and interact with your consumers will open up conversations, and eventually lead to building up relations… ultimately affect your bottom line. As you build relationships in a various channels, you will build the trust that evolves into customer loyalty.
The result
The end result, customers want to purchase something from a business with whom they have a relationship. Content marketing is prevalent everywhere, it is not a new concept but brands that are not investing in the adoption of content are loosing out on an opportunity.
At this point, content marketing is set to replace most forms of traditional marketing simply based on the consumer’s desire for interaction.
