Content
marketing is one of those sleeper-strategies that can give you a competitive
advantage.
Content marketing has been around for more than 100 years. John Deere & Company, one of the world’s largest tractor manufacturers, is believed to be the first, with a newsletter (The Furrow) in the late 1800s.
Because of the increasing power of Internet technology, content marketing has been gaining traction over the last several years, and self-publishing has become cheaper and easier to do.
With the declining acceptance of interruption marketing (e.g., TV and radio ads, junk mail, etc.), consumers have been looking everywhere for content that will help them make smarter purchase decisions. Some studies have shown that consumers actually enjoy doing their own research. They want to be educated about a product or service, not bludgeoned over the head with TV and radio ads.
Tons of media coverage recently has gone to extol the virtues of social media. However, brand managers should not lose sight that “it’s education-based, relevant content” buyers are really looking for — not social media, per se. Social media conversions are recognized as important to building a brand, but great content is considered better.
Most marketers today are doing some form of content marketing. Some are spending up to 25% of their marketing budget on it. However, few are aggregating their bits and pieces into some structure that will allow them to visualize and harness its full potential.
Today, every brand should have a formal “content-marketing” plan. It’s a four-part equation. First, you need to define your objectives. Second, is about the content you need to use or create. Third, you must decide what form your content will take. And fourth, you need to plan how will you market that content so that it gets seen, and acted upon, in a way that helps build your brand.
No longer do magazines, newspapers, radio and TV networks control the distribution of content. Today, with the democratization of publishing, the ball’s also in your court.
The challenge is to learn how to create relevant content that provides customers the knowledge they need to know, and deliver it in a convenient and compelling way.
Over time, if you do it right, you will gain the confidence of the customer and become a trusted resource — a key first step in getting someone to buy.
Content marketing has been around for more than 100 years. John Deere & Company, one of the world’s largest tractor manufacturers, is believed to be the first, with a newsletter (The Furrow) in the late 1800s.
Because of the increasing power of Internet technology, content marketing has been gaining traction over the last several years, and self-publishing has become cheaper and easier to do.
With the declining acceptance of interruption marketing (e.g., TV and radio ads, junk mail, etc.), consumers have been looking everywhere for content that will help them make smarter purchase decisions. Some studies have shown that consumers actually enjoy doing their own research. They want to be educated about a product or service, not bludgeoned over the head with TV and radio ads.
Tons of media coverage recently has gone to extol the virtues of social media. However, brand managers should not lose sight that “it’s education-based, relevant content” buyers are really looking for — not social media, per se. Social media conversions are recognized as important to building a brand, but great content is considered better.
Most marketers today are doing some form of content marketing. Some are spending up to 25% of their marketing budget on it. However, few are aggregating their bits and pieces into some structure that will allow them to visualize and harness its full potential.
Today, every brand should have a formal “content-marketing” plan. It’s a four-part equation. First, you need to define your objectives. Second, is about the content you need to use or create. Third, you must decide what form your content will take. And fourth, you need to plan how will you market that content so that it gets seen, and acted upon, in a way that helps build your brand.
No longer do magazines, newspapers, radio and TV networks control the distribution of content. Today, with the democratization of publishing, the ball’s also in your court.
The challenge is to learn how to create relevant content that provides customers the knowledge they need to know, and deliver it in a convenient and compelling way.
Over time, if you do it right, you will gain the confidence of the customer and become a trusted resource — a key first step in getting someone to buy.
Brand managers who learn to master this seismic marketing shift, and properly staff and fund this strategy, will be the big winners in the years ahead.
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