Content Marketing is nothing new and has been around since the very first advertising and marketing agencies started promoting their clients. Utilising content as part of your overall marketing strategy is essential, but where the difficulty arises is how to do this effectively using digital media available to us in the modern age.
There are a number of misconceptions around using content in your marketing strategy and campaigns, let’s discuss a few of these and debunk the myths and get to the truth of the matter.
How hard can it be, all you need to do is write a few blog posts and send out a newsletter every month, and those who are interested will find it and love it, right?
Wrong. Effective content marketing requires in depth research, planning and expertly constructed content in a variety of mediums and formats that will target a very specific user base to address their wants and needs. Ultimately you want to engage, educate and influence your existing fan base, and build that base even further to become your ultimate brand advocates and assist with your marketing.
Well yes, it does, but not like you might think. Content must be used effectively to drive potential customers through the sales funnel and that is a long term process. The user needs to be guided through the phases from prospect, to lead, to customer and finally to repeat buyer, and each piece of content you create must fit into this process.
I know who my clients are and what they want from me, I don’t need to do research, silly. It’s sad to say that from experience there are a large number of brands and businesses that don’t have the faintest idea of who their target audience is or what their needs are when it comes to content consumption.
In depth research is required to firstly identify who exactly you need to speak to and also which additional audiences you may have not even considered. You need to find their issues, questions, wants and needs to be able to speak to these effectively.
An effective content strategy must be planned well in advance, taking into account significant industry happenings and brand events like new product launches or business anniversaries. All this must be planned while staying agile to ensure breaking news or unplanned events are incorporated into your strategy at the drop of a hat.
In most cases you will have a number of people working on your content marketing efforts and will require input from designers, developers and content writers.
Effectively briefing the objectives and outcomes of each content marketing campaign and individual piece to all involved is of huge importance. If everyone is not on the same page, a content marketing campaign could potentially drag on with team members pulling in all directions.
Too often content creators and brands have a lax attitude when it comes to quality of content, opting rather for a funky design or interactive element. Sure, a good looking piece contributes positively to overall perception of the piece, but don’t underestimate the consumer, they will spot errors and call you out for it so fast your head will spin.
I think I’ll share this content on Facebook and Twitter, that should do it!
Probably not, but utilising your brand’s following and fan base is definitely a good start. There are a number of additional factors to consider such as the fact that all platforms for promotion are not equal and don’t all tailor to the same audience. Your promotional efforts need to be targeted and personalised to speak to the right audience where they consume their information.
Have you considered who the influencers or ‘sharers’ are in your industry or perhaps teaming up with other brands or individuals to gain as much exposure as possible?
Probably one of the most crucial steps of effective content marketing is the evaluation of results and take-aways from the success or failure of a campaign or piece. How you evaluate the success of a piece or campaign will rely heavily on the objectives and goals that were set for each. A few questions to ask yourself are:
If you’re serious about content marketing, building brands and impressing clients, it’s best you learn to break these eight misconceptions now. All too often, what should be marketing gold is diminished to nothing more than a flat piece of ‘content for content’s sake’ that will never be seen or heard amongst the competitive noise of the digital environment. Like with everything else – if you’re gonna do it, do it right.
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