We have all heard ‘content is king’ and as cliché as it is, the truth has always remained…readers will engage if you provide something worth consuming. With platforms agnostic, and clutter everywhere in every category, what stands out? Potential customers are being bombarded with information at a rate never seen before. This makes standout content even more important. In this environment communication must center around the customers, the consumers. Your content must attract people rather than interrupt them, and it is important to prove that it’s more about them than it is about you. With more and more companies turning to digital content marketing, what does this mean for you? What does this mean for your brand?
What is content marketing, really?
The official definition is a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services. Basically, in a nut shell, it is an opportunity for you to convey your knowledge about your product to the world in a way that is valuable to your client, your customer. And while not necessarily promoting your brand per se, it doesn’t mean you’re not establishing your brand as an authority. Example, you operate a carpet cleaning business…hence you are the carpet cleaning master of content. You create a blog letting your customer base, potential customers and really the world, know about how to prevent mud stains in carpet this rainy season. You have shown your knowledge, introduced yourself and your brand as well as created content of value to your client. This, simply, is digital content marketing.
Where do I start?
Start by putting yourself in the shoes of the consumer. With the access to technology we have now, consumers spend significant amounts of time researching before making a purchase. With this amount of time spent online with a potential brand, valuable content matters because instead of feeling sold to, they tend to be more responsive when they can access good and informative content and make the choice to engage with you.
This isn’t just about you or your product. Think beyond your brand and ask yourself the following questions:
-What do my customers or potential customer’s need? Want? Concerns? Potential product/service questions?
-How does your product or service impact consumer’s lives?
-How could your product knowledge benefit them?
-How can you present your knowledge in an engaging and entertaining way while ensuring your content is informative and meaningful?
-Extra Bonus – Search Engine Engagement
Now the best part; this content you are creating to promote your company is recognized by Google and other search engines as relevant content for your website in association with the service and/or product you offer. This boosts your organic search results, lifting you higher and higher in search…for free!
Everything I mentioned above is just a piece of your marketing puzzle, albeit a large one. Content marketing can set your brand apart from everyone else in your industry by adding you…the unique flair to your content that only you can provide. Create a relationship with current customers while introducing yourself to potential new ones. By engaging with your content, they can tell what your brand is all about.
At MultiPoint Content Strategies, we created our own definition of Content Marketing. First, it’s a verb in our book, not a noun.
Contenting. (kon’-ten-ting). verb
Origination, development and design of substantive information or creative material intended for unique commercial programming and placement.
Hey, that’s what we do!
