Content Marketing
Connecting with Content
Imagine a world without content. A world that is so abstract that it becomes a self-negating proposition in itself. One that cannot be addressed using words that set the context and induces the imagination in the first place. But, for a moment, let's give it a try. What would it…
Imagine a world without content. A world that is so abstract that it becomes a self-negating proposition in itself. One that cannot be addressed using words that set the context and induces the imagination in the first place. But, for a moment, let's give it a try. What would it mean if nothing were written, if the pronouncement "I give you my word" was sufficient as a contract? If all languages would be spoken text, except that "text" would not exist. Suppose we would have been texting with our friends but only with images but not text. If there would be products but without any expiry date or how to use instructions written on it?
Living without content would have been impossible 500 years ago and it still stands true. We all connect with content daily, be it from a magazine, song lyrics, Instagram caption, banners, labels on beauty products, and much more. Even different industry players are leveraging content in the form of content marketing to gain brand recognition & position. They are building a strong brand voice that captures their audience's attention and helps them differentiate from competitors.
The power of the content has never been greater than it is today. As Content marketing has now become one of the most effective methods of growing audience engagement, developing the brand presence, and driving sales, modern businesses must work to ensure they are creating valuable, high-quality content that supports and improves the customer journey.
3C's Of Content Marketing:
Content Creation
When it comes to content marketing, the first and foremost step is creating content. With more and more consumers demanding a personalized experience, brands should aim to create interactive content since it is the perfect way to grab the consumer's attention & increase engagement.
Curate
Brands should not just create content to gain clicks, shares, or page views but to create something that the audience finds truly useful. To create something useful, brands should know their target audience. After knowing the audience, one will be able to create content according to the interests of the target audience. Rather than just telling themselves about the brand, the focus should be more on how the brand's products and services can solve the audience's problems.
Circulate
Brands must spend 20% of their time in content creation, and the rest of it in content promotion. It is time to focus on content promotion & distribution through collaborations, cross-publishing, repurposing content, etc.
Brandbuilders & storytellers
These days brands are continually looking out for innovative ways to engage their target audiences to achieve their goals. The success and popularity of influencer marketing have made brands move towards a model that celebrates this and enables them to make a mark to establish
Relevance
To add credibility to the content by collaborating with an influencer who creates relevant content matching the brand's tonality.
Reach
By not jumping into the influencer marketing trend haphazardly and taking time to find an influencer that matches the brand. This way, they are able to deliver an authentic message to the specific target group that the brand is trying to reach, and be upfront about it.
Resonance
An influencer is known for its unbiased and authentic opinions. The fact that posts from an influencer don't appear as advertisement is one of the most significant benefits of influencer generated content. To resonate with the audience effectively, The brand should boost engagement in the influencer marketing campaign through user-generated & customized content.
Connecting creativity with content
Creativity is critical when it comes to standing out among the noises that distract the target audience daily. To start somewhere, here are a few ideas to kickstart conversations and improve overall brand recognition:
- Brands can take the help of blog posts as they are a cornerstone of B2B content creation due to their SEO benefits & help in the process of primary content distribution.
- Another way is to use gated content that can help generate leads as it requires users to fill in their details to receive access.
- As Robert Gerrish rightly said, "You just need one person to listen, get your message and pass it on to someone else. And, you've doubled your audience", podcasts are one of the best ways brands can talk to their audience.
- Foster authority & trust by using high-quality links that pass value from one site to the other.
- Optimize their blog posts for featured snippets to give quick wins and drive traffic from the SERPs.
- Create content that focuses on the target audience with the right keywords & generate high-quality links back to their website.
- If the content offered by brands is not meaningful or engaging, it can be tiresome, frustrating, and push the audience elsewhere. Creating share-worthy content in social media is the modern-day word of mouth.
- Establish a relationship with the audience by creating authentic content, such as personifying communication tonality to humanize the brand. This shows that the brand is interested in connecting with the audience and committed to building meaningful relationships with them.
- Focus on adding value to the customer's lifestyle, which helps to build a brand's reputation & establishing authority in the industry.
- Social media should not be used as a stopgap. Initiate direct communication with the audience. But do not bombard them with everything. Play with new ways to connect with the audience. For instance, one day, post a series of Instagram Stories to give customers a behind-the-scenes tour. Next, host a quick Q&A session via Facebook Live video streaming.
