The tendency to shift and adjust a business's marketing strategy towards content marketing is nothing but growing. But why is it so? How is content marketing gaining such a raise? Well, it is simple, yet to answer that, let us first firmly understand what it presents of itself. So… Let's go!
What is content marketing?
Content marketing refers to any content, be it blog articles, videos, photos, infographics, newsletters, social media posts, or emails, that is distributed to potential buying customers.
When you give information to the people who seek it with no charges and educate them on a particular topic, you develop your brand image as more of a giver than a taker. If you do it properly, the customers realize that you care for them and begin viewing you differently. They raise their trust in you, so when the time comes for them to purchase the product, they will most likely choose you.
Why choose content marketing?
The good part about content marketing is that potential clients find you, and not vice versa. Instead of complicated sales and persuasion tactics, you get a narrowed targeted audience who knows what they want and have also developed a certain degree of trust for your product, so there is no need for further persuasion.
The key to content marketing is to execute it correctly and delicately. Not only this, but it assists your digital marketing by providing additional content: e.g., you can write short copies, like demo versions of your blog articles (for example), and post them on social media as engaging and educative content. This hits two birds with one stone. It also vastly contributes to your SEO by building up quality content on your website and acquiring natural inbound links to increase search engine visibility.
How does content marketing work?
So how does content marketing function? You attract potential buyers using profoundly researched information by creating valuable, reliable, and educative content for different audiences who may be researching a product you sell.
Note: thorough consideration is required in each purchase state of your customer's journey.
Let us go back to the four steps of the buying cycle and look at each of the customer journey stages that lead to purchase. See what content they can need in each stage to attract them to buy from your business.
Number 1: Awareness
A customer might need the product you offer but is unaware of the matter. So, in this stage, you need to address their need and create content that would be relevant to a person who has a problem and is not yet presented with a worthy solution.
Number 2: Research
So now that your customer knows there is a solution to their "dilemma," naturally, they will start researching a product to purchase. For instance, if a person realizes they need air conditioning in their home, they will start researching companies or models best suited to their needs. Here, you can present content addressing potential customer pain points and suggesting solutions.
Note: Always be delicate with suggesting yourself as a solution. You don't want to come off too persuasive. Just little hints, little touches, but generally address the topics you were supposed to.
Number 3: Consideration
The customer begins to compare prices and suppliers to determine the best purchase suited for them.
Number 4: Buy
Well, the title says it all: this is the stage of the purchase. If we were to discuss traditional marketing, the last two stages would be the best fit for your advertisements, but since we are talking about content marketing, it is best to use them in the first two stages: awareness and research. You help your customer identify their problem and allow them a glance at your solution.
What is an example of content marketing?
First, you must understand if you are capable and have the appropriate resources to start content marketing. As mentioned before, content can be in different forms: blogs, social media posts, or tutorials. If you don't have the time, it would be better to hire an agency. Yet, if you do, you can begin by blogging. Though it might seem somewhat challenging initially, you will get the hang of it with time. Remember, practice, practice, practice!
Note: It is one thing to have good writing skills. Writing an engaging blog article or a copy post is entirely another. So consider looking at some of the quick do-s and don't-s of content writing.
For starters, you can concentrate on the following fundamental questions to create your content.
1. Who is your audience?
To shape your content, you first need to identify your consumer. This allows you to shape content in the most desired way for them. It might take some time, but you should sit and ponder upon WHO your customer is to understand how you can approach them.
2. What is your preferred format?
As covered before, content creation appears in a variety of forms. When you analyze your user, you will understand what format is the best fit for them to communicate your message effectively. For instance, if your target is a 25-35 years old parent, you should consider a quick content format because they probably won't have time to sit through and read a 3-page article about anything. So, think carefully.
3. Who will edit and proofread your content?
It is essential to let someone else proofread and edit your content. Why? Because they will notice the loops in your text and give you the fresh perspective of a reader outside of the sphere. It would help if you had a new glance at the work before the audience gave you criticism.
4. How will you distribute?
Thinking about the first question will automatically give you the answer to this one: which medium will you use as yours to disseminate your content? If, for instance, you are targeting teenagers and youngsters, perhaps you should consider starting to create content on social media such as Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. If your target is older, maybe use Facebook or other mediums like journals and books.
When you are done with these four basics, you need to jot down a schedule that works for you and start writing. Remember to track and measure your results to understand what works in your tactics and what you should experiment with further.
Conclusion
Content marketing is no piece of cake. It requires a lot of time, effort, creativity, and consistency. Yet once you put your brain in that "preset," you will realize that opportunities of such nature are all around you. If you want to learn more about concrete examples of Content Marketing, Social media, and SEO involvement, check out our article on the topic.