A version of this article was originally published in September 2017.
The phrase, “Content is King,” has been thrown around a lot in the marketing world, and at Three Girls Media, we believe that sharing custom, quality content will really set your brand apart from its competitors. Everyone wants a piece of the content marketing pie because customized content is a crucial part of a well thought out marketing strategy, and can work wonders for the success of your company’s marketing campaigns. Why does content marketing work so well? Read on to find out.
What Exactly Is Content Marketing?
Many items fall under the overall content marketing umbrella, including blogging, guest articles, infographics, videos, social media updates, web copy and even email campaigns. According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is a marketing technique that involves the creation and distribution of relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and well understood target audience. They stress that content marketing provides these three key benefits to your business:
- Increased sales
- Lower costs
- A higher quality of loyal customers
This is done with the goal of driving profitable customer action, including website clicks, product purchases and phone calls to your business. It also helps strengthen overall brand awareness and aid in your brand’s name recognition.
Why Does Content Marketing Work?
How are you able to see success from this marketing tactic? Content marketing is different from traditional marketing because the focus isn’t on selling a product or service. Instead, the purpose of content marketing is to communicate entertaining, informative information to your customer base.
The difference here is very important for business owners to understand: traditional marketing forces a sales message at your customer, while content marketing is a way of getting to know and develop a personal relationship with prospective consumers to create a loyal following. This works because the consumer builds a relationship with your business through content, then eventually contacts you if your business meets their needs.
Here are three things to consider sharing if you’re looking to inject some new life into your marketing strategy by sharing high quality assets like e-newsletters, blog posts and social media updates.
See Content Marketing Success with These 3 Tips
1. Take a Trip Behind the Scenes
People love to look at what’s happening behind the scenes of any business, and social media has given companies a unique way of sharing different moments, especially the product process from ideation to market (just like How It’s Made).
What should you share? Read on for some content marketing ideas.
Try featuring something different, unique or funny about your company culture or introduce your team members. Since video marketing has been wildly successful, think about making a video of one of your products or ask an employee to do a fun live interview on Facebook or Instagram so people can ask questions or share their ideas.
2. Look to Your Fans for Advice
If you’re not sure what you should share about your business with your audience, consider asking your social media fans for some help. This is one of the best ways to engage with your audience, and can help them feel more involved, letting them know their voice matters. If your company revolves around a product or service, ask your fans for ideas on a new product angle and then choose a few; consider creating a poll and show customers how they directly contributed to your business. This is always a great way to get customer feedback and increase brand loyalty.
3. Don’t Forget To Have Fun
Social media has given businesses a unique opportunity to showcase their human side; every business owner should take advantage of this opportunity. Try not to share only serious blog posts or social media updates; make them fun and engaging. Consider using memes, infographics and even funny videos to show the lighter side of your business. Always keep it positive, and stay away from polarizing topics like politics or religion.
These are just a few ways to help inject some fun, relevant content into your marketing strategy. And if someone asks you why content is king? You can tell them it’s the way you are setting yourself apart from your competition.
Content Marketing: How to Get Your Followers Involved
Now that you know how to insert your message through content marketing in the form of shareable posts, articles, videos and images that can help your followers get a taste of what life is like in your company or when using your product, it’s time to get followers involved. Including your fans in a content marketing strategy will help them feel more valued and develop a deeper loyalty to your brand. Here are three tips for including followers in your world.
3 Tips to Incorporate Followers into Content Marketing
1. Offer Solutions to Common Questions
Your content marketing plan should offer educational, informative and helpful updates for fans, especially if they have expressed questions or concerns on social media. Pay attention to common issues your customers may have and offer them a solution by posting a picture of an item or product you sell that can help them. Problems can range from questions about how to use a product or be more widespread and relatable, like solving a case of the “Mondays Blues.”
2. Crowdsource Your Content
If you’re feeling stuck when looking for ideas for your content marketing strategy, consider crowdsourcing inspiration from your fans and followers! In addition to showing consumers their input is appreciated, you’ll increase engagement and get some great insight into what is important to them. Ask questions to find out what types of posts, articles or images they would like to see the most; you’ll never know when you’ll find your next great idea!
3. Show Your Appreciation: Highlight a Customer
To really get your followers involved with your brand, consider highlighting a customer of the month! To do this, include a picture or video of a real customer using your product in action (with their permission, of course). Make it as personal as possible; the commentary about your brand should come straight from them. Your fans will see a more human side of your company and may even strive to be your next showcased customer!
Let Three Girls Media Take Care Of Your Custom Content Marketing
Offering solutions to common problems, asking your crowd of followers for their ideas and showcasing a fan using your product will help social users feel more included in your content marketing. Three Girls Media can handle all this and more! Contact us today to set up a free 30-minute consultation with no obligations.
How do you reach out to fans and encourage their engagement? Please share in the comments below!
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