Formulating an effective approach to Content Marketing

Many consumers are unmoved by traditional methods of advertising; they watch streaming TV to avoid ads or record TV programmes to skip past the ads, turn the page of a magazine ignoring the advert and use ad blockers online to avoid pop-ups. This has led savvy marketing and digital marketing departments to search for more effective ways of reaching a contemporary audience. In doing so, they discovered the potential of content marketing, or also called inbound marketing. It involves brands, companies or individuals taking a strategic approach to their marketing methods. Here, the focus is mainly on creating content which is helpful, reliable, consistent and appealing to an audience.

Creating strong content has a double effect on both websites and social media accounts. Primarily they attract more web traffic through organic searches. Secondly visitors are retained because they are interested in what’s being discussed. Furthermore, the end result is more positive customer reactions, whether that involves conversions, or just them signing up for a newsletter. Thus, becoming interested in the product or service being offered.

Successful content marketing strategies communicate with customers in a meaningful way. Without trying to sell them something directly. You provide information to your audience that educates them and makes them feel they can trust your brand. Rather than continually mentioning the benefits of what you have to offer. Once you’ve accomplished that, it’s likely that you’ll be rewarded for your hard work with loyal repeat customers who regularly come back for more. Hence, content marketing is being used online by everyone from small niche bloggers with something to sell, to start-ups and huge multinationals, but how are they doing it? Here are some examples of the types of content marketing you can utilise and how they work.

Some content can boost trust

Although people may be aware of what you have to offer, they may remain loyal to another brand. Your job is to change that behaviour by informing them about your service and building trust. You can use SEO articles to join up with more in-depth quality content to be more discoverable. And, of course, to show industry knowledge when people arrive. Producing a ‘How to…’ video or article with tips and advice is an excellent way of drawing people in, as are consumer reviews on third party sites and testimonials on your homepage from satisfied customers.

Informative content marketing strategies

When people know a bit about your company or service, they want to see what sets you apart from the competition. Use content to show the back story of your organisation. This communication can be achieved by

sending out a regular newsletter with interesting articles
setting up an FAQ section on your website
hosting an online seminar to engage on a more personal level with your audience.

To only name a few.

Consumer generated content

Once you have an active audience, they can be an invaluable source of free content. By getting them involved with your pages and social media accounts, you can provide proof of your reliability to newer customers and build a larger community. Reward existing customers who refer new people with discounts and vouchers. Ask them to create a video testimonial with software you provide and add a comments section, to start a discussion. When these are especially funny, moving or intriguing, inbound marketing in the form of stories told by customers can quickly go viral. And produce huge amounts of free publicity for a company.

Third party content is a useful tool

You don’t just need to rely on the content you create yourself. By integrating content that has been written by someone else, companies can enable their customers to understand more about their industry. Naturally, it should be insightful and of interest to the people who visit your page – if you filter the available content well, many people will appreciate the service you provide. Try embedding an RSS feed that has been customised to include details on your industry. Or simply retweet, share and republish content which is well written and relates to your business.

Content marketing that can convert

The type of content which converts visitors with a passing interest into paying customers is always going to be a high priority. Most conversion marketing has an emotional impact. Things like case studies which look at another customer’s journeys work well. As do lists of results and ROI calculators that reveal the economic benefits of switching to a product or service you offer.

At fmwaechter we can help you with your integrated content marketing strategy and execution. Please get in contact with us.

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