Content marketing is the creation and sharing of material that aims to create interest in a brand, product or service without explicitly promoting it.
So, what does this actually mean?
Simply put, it’s using content (blogs, videos, webinars etc.) as part of your marketing activity.
The key point is that no direct sales pitch is included. It’s about building brand awareness and brand equity in a way that results in sales in the long run from both new and existing customers.
It might sound daunting, but most brands are already doing it. For example, if you’re posting on social media, that is a form of content marketing.
Our job is to help people think more strategically about it.
Content marketing secrets
More than just blogs
As mentioned in the introduction, the term content refers to more than just blogs, despite what the internet might say. When you Google the topic, you discover a lot of information relating to blog posts and SEO, but content can take so many different forms.
Newsletters, videos, podcasts, quizzes, white papers… these are all examples of content, and there are so many more!
Don’t be restricted to thinking that content marketing is just about blog posts.
Sell less
Another key part of the content marketing definition we outlined in the introduction is that the key to content marketing success is focusing less on the sale.
Of course, the ultimate goal is to sell more. But the direct impact of content marketing is to increase awareness of your brand, product or service as well as build relationships with your audience.
If you’ve heard of the Know, Like and Trust principle in networking, using content in your marketing is the equivalent of this concept.
Storytelling
One powerful way to connect your brand and your audience using content is by harnessing the power of storytelling.
We call this Show, Don’t Tell. Essentially, instead of stating the features and benefits of your product/service, you showcase them in different ways.
Maybe you pride yourselves on customer service. Instead of saying that, you could share customer testimonials saying how good you are to work with.
Clear messaging
To determine what you are going to Show, Not Tell, you need to identify your key messages.
Consider 3 to 5 things you would want your clients to say about your brand if they referred you to a friend. These are your key messages.
Just remember, you don’t say these messages verbatim within your content. You allude to them and allow the customer to join the dots.
Build a customer persona
Building a hyper-specific customer persona can be so valuable to your brand as it allows you to make more strategic decisions about your content.
What type of content do they prefer? What are the factors that influence their decision-making? Who do they listen to? Where do they hang out? What are their biggest pain points?
Look for inspiration
If you’re looking to up your content marketing game, the best advice we can give you is to look for inspiration everywhere.
Whether it's competitors, suppliers, or people completely unrelated to your field, the more open you are to finding inspiration, the easier it becomes to generate ideas.
Once you get into the habit, you’ll notice content inspiration everywhere.
Wrapping up
In conclusion, content marketing is a powerful way to build brand awareness and foster long-term relationships with your audience. Like the vast majority of the world of marketing, there’s no set formula for content marketing. But these tips should help you increase your chances of success.
If you’re just venturing into the world of content marketing, we would recommend building a content marketing strategy. And if you’re not sure where to start with that, our previous blog post covers the 3 essential parts of any successful content strategy.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
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