In today’s hyper-connected online world, traditional marketing strategies such as straight forward and intrusive ads are no longer as effective as they used to be even a few years back. Now, people skip through or edit out TV commercials and use ad blockers to get rid of those annoying popups on their web browsers. This reality has given rise to a type of marketing that focuses more on being informative and valuable to a potential client, which is also known as content marketing.
Content marketing is a marketing approach whose focus lies in providing relevant and consistent content with the ultimate aim of driving sales but whose immediate aim is simply to entertain, to enlighten or to engage. This strategy basically involves creating and distributing great content, something people would appreciate reading and sharing with the goal of turning these readers into customers.
Unlike other forms of marketing, content marketing does not focus on pitching to customers but rather enlightens them so that they can then make intelligent decisions themselves. In the end, it’s about bringing something of value to the audience.
But if you are really not focused on selling to these readers, why should an organization embrace content marketing?
In essence, today’s buying paradigm has changed. Consumers now prefer learning more about a company or its products through articles and social interaction rather than direct ads. This is where content marketing comes in. Under this paradigm, it’s easy to see why blogs and social media – one of the greatest marketing tools of modern times – are so popular these days.
The amount of traffic your website receives is related to your sales – that’s a basic fact. Instead of paying for ads to boost your traffic, content marketing can help you earn this traffic in a more subtle yet effective way. Note that in this case, most of it will be organic traffic. Since the content that you provide is geared towards offering a solution, you will get many people coming to your website for this information, and these visitors can subsequently be transformed into customers.
Another important reason why both small and large organizations need to embrace this type of marketing is its ability to help them engage their audience. Depending on your posts, you can get relevant comments which will tell you a lot about your current customers and potential ones. This makes it easy to tailor your services and products to suit them.
How To Make it Work
Although content marketing comes with lots of benefits for the organization, you can only reap these benefits if you implement it well.
For starters, ensure that you choose your domain well. This practice is similar to blogging in a number of ways. You need a niche that you are conversant with, one you can write about without straining. Once you have chosen it, keep your audience engaged with new content. You may not be able to post articles daily but do so as often as possible.
Secondly, understand your target market. Understanding it means knowing who your audience is and what they should do after reading your content. Furthermore, figure out how you are going to keep them coming. These aspects will help you in providing superior and customized content.
As much as you are posting these interesting articles, what do you intend to achieve with them? You need to define your end goal. Is it simply brand awareness that you are after, or more leads? What kind of voice do you want your brand to have?
Coming up with a clear target will help you when it comes to evaluating if this strategy is working for you. It can also help you identify changes that you may need to make in order to get the success that you are aiming for.
It’s been said before and deserves repeating: Content has and will always be king. If you keep this in mind as you generate your content, you will be able to keep your audience hooked and always waiting for more. You can then leverage this interest to achieve your business goals and grow your brand.;
