With the advancement in technology, the behavior of customer has also changed drastically. Gone are the days when we had to walk in the store to actually seek information about a product. With the growth of the internet, users perform their own research; look for online feedbacks before deciding what product they want.

Content marketing is a content driven marketing strategy which focuses on creating and promoting highly valuable, informative and relevant content which educates the potential customers about the product thereby creating positive brand perception and enhances user base.  It isn’t explicit marketing rather it’s more of an informational content aiming to drive profitable customer action. Content which gets shared with the audience is closely related to the brand’s product and services which is crafted especially to provide an answer to most of the user queries in order to gain their trust and turn them into loyal customers.

Why is Content important?

No form of marketing can exist without content.  If marketing is a vehicle, content is the fuel which runs it.  Effective content can make a brand meet its business goal which they aim to achieve via advertising.  Brands must focus on creating fresh, engaging and timeless content which must inform the reader about the services they can offer and must be persuasive enough which compels the readers to get connected with the brand.

Means of sharing content

Social media has grown to be the primary source of sharing the content with the audience. The number of active users on social platforms like Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram make them the most preferred avenues for the brands in reaching out to their customers.  Brands can share their story which discloses more about their values and culture. The user engagement rate on these platforms is extremely high which creates an opportunity for the brands to interact directly with the audience.
There are multiple options through which brands create and post their content.

Let’s look at some of the most effective ones:

  • Blog Posts: Business blog are most widely used by the brand to promote their content.  A blog is a free source of information for the users and hence have become the foundation of content marketing.  If the blogs are published consistently, readers gradually began to take trust the brand and are most likely to convert from prospect to loyal customers.
  • Videos: There are certain users who are reluctant to read through the complete article and prefer getting quick to the point Information. For these users, brands can publish Videos explaining the specifications of various products they offer.  Videos are usually more engaging and keep the user interested for a longer duration.  They can be easily shared and thus get viral on social platforms which enhances the reach.
  • Newsletter: Brands publish a regular newsletter with the purpose of updating their customers about how the brand is doing, what new products are in the line and what new services are being planned.  The subscribers receive these letters weekly or monthly and certainly makes the users feel important.
  • Podcast:  Podcast has emerged as an effective marketing tool. These are audio files that are uploaded by brands for connecting and informing customers about their services. They are available on the internet and subscribers can easily download them. Companies which regularly upload the audio series are most likely to have a regular audience.  Podcast helps in building a strong customer relationship as they feel connected with the speaker. Also, these are easy to create and don’t require much budget.
  • Industry Forum: If a brand consistently publishes on forums like Forbes, they surely grab the eyeballs from users worldwide.  Posting authentic and relevant content on Forums enhances the reach and gets more traffic.  Brand with most readers on their articles is often regarded as Industry experts.
  • Infographics: Infographics is providing information using graphics.  A pictorial presentation is an effective way to attract more audience.  There isn’t much text but the graphics say it all.

Advantages of Content Marketing:

  1. More site Traffic: The most obvious advantage is an increase in site traffic. Online users are actively looking for information and if the brands are able to target them at the right moment with the required information, they certainly sneak ahead of their competitors.

With great content, a brand is certain to upsurge customer retention and customer loyalty.

  1. Increase brand awareness: It is always the feedback from the users which builds the brand reputation in the market. Brands which produce quality content often lead to satisfied customers who are most likely to spread positive word of mouth about the brand and usually recommend the product to their friends. Brands just need to be a focus on the content, keeping in mind the interest and likes of their target audience.
  2. Enhances the SEO: Content drives SEO. Without content, there is nothing to optimize. Better the content, higher is the ranking which benefits in terms of increased visibility and readability of the website. These websites show up among the top search results and the search engine sends the most relevant traffic on the website.
  3. Increased ROI: With increased brand visibility and better SEO brands can expect to achieve value for the money they have spent on content marketing campaigns. Brands must ensure consistent creation of content which not only gets them to repeat audience but also first-time subscribers.

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