There are a ton of brands and products out there. Whether you are a solopreneur or a big business, chances are that there is a lot of competition out there in the market for you, already.
How do you beat it?
Prayers. Ardent hope. Luck. All are fine.
But how do you ensure that your target audience chooses you over everyone else?
The answer lies in content marketing.
Content marketing is the practice of creating and publishing content that is useful to the end audience. It helps the audience understand not the just the product and its benefits better, it gives them a better understanding of the industry, how the product can help improve their lives, adds to their knowledge of the product making them feel smarter and in control.
In the words of the Content Marketing Institute:
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
How does content marketing work?
What happens when you create and share content as such, is that the Target Group (TG) keeps seeing content that helps them gather a better understanding of the product and information over time. This information comes along with your brand placement, thereby improving brand recall, boosting credibility and trust and establishing you as an authority in the space.
So, next time, when the need rises and the TG is looking for a product in your niche, your name flashes in their mind first, along with the thought "Hey! These guys know what they are doing and they are pretty accessible on the internet. I already know a ton about their product, maybe I should give them a shot."
You want to be in that position, where the customer thinks of you first when making a buying decision and content marketing is what makes it happen for you.
Although, attribution to sales is difficult when it comes to content marketing given its abstract nature, following are some benefits of this strategic marketing approach that makes it a no-brainer:
Increased sales when people choose you over competition given your authority in the market.
Decreased costs as your PPC and ad spend reduces given your brand recall and loyalty
Increased customer loyalty because of the credibility you've built around your brand
Proven to be a cost-effective strategy, content marketing generates three times the leads at 62% less cost compared to traditional marketing approaches. - Relevance Insights
Content Marketing: Yes or No?
If you are a business, chances are that you are already using content marketing in some way or the other. Let's face it, there's no marketing without content. Whether it is social media marketing, PR, PPC, SEO, Inbound, or Email Marketing, you need good content.
But how do you track if all this content is really helping your business?
Surely, there should be some method to the madness.
That method is called content strategy and content planning. There are a ton of ways in which you can use content for your business, but it is easy to lose your marketing message in the variety of channels available.
This is where, content strategy and content planning comes into the picture. It helps you understand what your primary message is and helps figure out the right channels, and mode of delivery for it.
What is NOT content marketing?
Content marketing is NOT posting random content about your product in a random manner. It is not talking about your product features on all platforms. It is not sending Mother's Day emails once in a blue moon. It is not tweeting out a couple of times in 2 weeks.
Content marketing is a consistent effort. If you want it to work for you, you need to be structured about it. It's okay to send out a Mother's Day message, but is there any way you can tie in something witty about your brand without being over the top. Yes, if you can, if you are clear about your marketing message, your TG and branding, and the channel you are using to deliver the message.
What all do you need to get started with content marketing?
Content marketing is a full time job but it is something that's non-negotiable if you really want to grow your business.
You need to get started with a content audit first to find out what all you've been doing and how that has been faring.
Next you need to figure out a content strategy followed by a content plan, as to how, where and what of your content marketing efforts.
This is followed by the actual posting and measuring the effect of your content on various channels, followed by fine-tuning and optimising it to make it work even better for you.
This could sound like a daunting process. Think of content marketing like the "Puss in Boots" looks cute and simple but packs in a punch. Know that, done right, it's going to work miracles for your business.
Want to grow your business 📈 at reduced acquisition cost over time and improved customer lifetime value? You need a strong content marketing strategy in place and we can (oh so totally!) help you with it. Let's talk.