Can content marketing bring business? It seems to be a lot of work, is it worth it? These are the two most frequent questions I have faced while discussing content marketing. It is tough to come up with straight answers to these two challenging questions. Yet, these answers may help small businesses build a strong relationship with their customers.
Content marketing is not like traditional advertising, promotions and sales pitches. It is more about building a loyal fellowship around your brand. Content marketing targets a specific audience for a relationship through soft marketing techniques.
Content is King
In the last couple of years, businesses have realized the importance of creating and distributing valuable content. All those retweets, shares, pins, and likes have played their part to make brands realize what they could achieve by going viral on the Internet. Content marketing is the practice of digital media agencies to share original and desirable content to reach different marketing objectives.
People want to see how you play the game
There is no question about the content’s efficacy in online marketing. It is like building a relationship with your customers. On the other hand, potential customers take a measure of your knowledge and expertise, especially about the way you do your business. People show a keen interest in video tutorials, blogs and informative posts, about things they are interested in.
What kind of information should you share as a brand?
We were discussing modern day advertising techniques when suddenly one of the participants used an unknown term. We were a bit confused, so we Googled it. We got a lot of results, but without giving it a second thought, clicked Adage’s link. This is because it is a reputable resource for marketing & advertising and we trust the information it shares on its blog. Your brand should precisely be that type of resource for your readers.
Businesses and brands don’t have to hire a big media company to publish content. They can start with just a website, blog, YouTube and social media accounts. You can start with almost anything, whether it’s a list, a photo, an ebook, or a video tutorial.
Consider this example; a mother looking for a baby product, comes across your website. Apart from the product, she finds information about babies’ eating and sleeping habits. She appreciates the information and develops a relationship with your brand. You have become a trusted resource for her now and she is more likely to do business with you in the future.
Wrap Up
In 1996 Bill Gates famously said “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting”. The phrase “Content is King” has been around for a while. Businesses and brands could seriously amp their efforts to improve sales, building and managing brands through a proper content marketing strategy.
