What is the purpose of content marketing? The simple answer is to create and share relevant content so your target audience can learn about your brand and the business.
Most people consider content marketing to be just creating engaging blog posts, viral videos, and data-rich infographics that can attract the attention of customers.. The wide spectrum of content marketing involves so much more than high-quality visuals and enjoyable copy/text.
Content marketing is a small but integral part of your overarching marketing plan. And since marketing is changing, how we look at content must and will also change. Call it the aftereffect of a global pandemic or a natural order of life, content consumption pattern has changed a lot lately and brands must constantly upgrade their approach for better visibility and reach. And to do that, we need to factor in a lot of variables. There’s the use of website data, social media data, search algorithms, use of content management tools, and so much more to take into account, before creating anything.
So, what should you do to get your brand content noticed more than ever?
Let’s look at some of the best practices that we have been following –
Quality over quantity
Do you ever feel that there is more information than one actually needs today? You won’t be wrong to feel that way, as do we. It is because the online space is stuck in a repeat mode, with oodles of content (good and bad ) floating from one platform to another. Most brand owners believe that the more you create the better for the brand. The honest answer is – NO, it’s not! Content creation is not a retail consumer product, which you can mass manufacture to fulfill rising demand. Yes, you do need varied types of content but you don’t necessarily need an endless amount of it. Posting one blog per day or five social posts per day is not going to get you more customers or lead to conversions. It will only confuse your audience more. People need to process and assess the information that they get from you (the brand) and how they can use it for themselves. When it comes to creating brand content, the lesser the better is the way to go. The idea is to build a high-quality, niche, and limited content that is educational, informative, useful, and defines your brand as an expert.
Typically, there are two types of content – informative/educational or opinion-driven. Your brand is either sharing an opinion on an existing idea or sharing information/educating customers that can help them. So how do you create your niche within these two broad categories?
Create specialized content:
One of the best ways to do this is to stay updated on the latest developments in your consumer’s consumption pattern, buying behavior, social changes, etc. And then create content that is tailor-made to suit those changes. Listen, answer, repeat.
Explore new angles:
A new angle to something that already exists can spark interest in your audience and expand your reach. Informative content imparts knowledge. And knowledge is always powerful. Take tips, guides, tutorials, for example. Think light, easy, and quick reads. Research shows that listicles get twice as many shares and views as other traditional content formats. Opinion pieces on the other hand establish your brand as a unique voice in the clutter of voices. That’s why social comments and personal experiences are more valuable than research-driven content.
Bottom line, look at best practices but carve your own niche.
Repurposing what you have
There’s hardly any room for creating fresh content these days. It's not because you can’t, but because so many people are also doing the same thing. So, when your customer looks at your content, they don’t see something “new” per se. That’s why repurposing what you have will give a fresh take to what’s already there. The best way to do this is to repurpose your brand content by giving it a new twist. Like, keeping your website updated with newer information, revised visuals, or perhaps even changing the tone, language, and format of the content. It will add more relevance and relativity to your customer’s current situations
Why invest in content marketing?
Getting started with content marketing or even revising your tactics is not an easy task. Creating valuable content is difficult in itself, and then you also need the expertise of spreading that content across the marketing channels, both online and offline. There’s a lot of analysis and scrutiny that you will have to do. For instance, how will you research for the content? How to put a plan together? Does your content engage your audience or meet their expectations? Do you know why some content is succeeding while others are failing? Is your content strategy meeting your business goals? Sounds overwhelming, right? It is, indeed. A content marketing specialist needs to wear many hats. That’s why it needs an expert who understands both sides of content marketing – creative and analytical.
Studies say that 78% of companies with a successful content marketing strategy have a team of at least one to three content specialists. You could be one of them. And if you are worried about the cost factor, then let us tell you that content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates thrice as many leads as other paid activities.
Reach out to us and learn how can we create a tailor-made content marketing strategy for your brand and help you keep up with the changing marketing landscape.