CONTENT MARKETING IS FOR LIFE
NOT JUST A CAMPAIGN
How many times must a consumer be exposed to your marketing message before it changes his or her behavior?
According to one study, subjects “voiced a greater preference for the product after receiving three ad exposures” compared to those who received “either one or five.” Others contend that a consumer won’t purchase your product or service until they have been a part of your campaign seven times. Still, others say that 20 is the magic number.
This disparity often leads to arguments whether brands should be advertising or doing content marketing to convert consumers. This is further compounded by the continued misunderstanding about the differences between content marketing and advertising.
WHAT IS CONTENT MARKETING?
Content marketing can mean many things to many people and it doesn’t help that it often mischievously refuses to stick to that name. You may have seen it in a variety of guises including “custom publishing,” “branded content” and “corporate media.”
Whatever the moniker, the definition is the same: content marketing is the practice of brands creating engaging and helpful content so as to build a relationship with an audience that may make a purchase in time. Critically, it is non-salesy, preferring to educate, entertain and empower, over the impulse to solely profile product.
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Compare this to advertising campaign; which is usually shouty, interruptive, product-focussed and, by virtue of being a campaign, is decidedly short-termist, aiming on achieving attention ‘spikes’ rather than long-term engagement.
To be sure, content marketing is not advertising. The strategy, tactics, and even the goals of content marketing are different. Yet so many companies still treat digital content as an ad campaign — which is detrimental not only to their respective brands, but to the entire content marketing arena as well.
CONTENT MARKETING VS. ADVERTISING
Content marketing and advertising do, however, share some common goals. Both seek to cultivate positive brand associations in the minds of a target audience but only content marketing has the power to develop brand advocates. These are people who trust your brand and understand it; because they’re so passionate about what you do, they take it upon themselves to evangelize.
That kind of clout can’t be measured in numbers of retweets, “likes,” or any of the metrics that traditional advertising chases. Though an ad campaign may yield short-term spikes in sales, a network of brand advocates has lasting power.
It helps to remember that content marketing is not designed to convert immediately – the goal is long-term, continuous engagement. The more time consumers spend interacting with your content, the more educated they become. In the meantime, they begin to see your brand as a credible resource; keeping you ‘top of mind’ and, eventually, they will see something relevant that triggers a response. Content marketing may take longer to convert leads, but over time, it significantly drives down conversion costs.
IT’S A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT
When you’re planning a content marketing initiative, remember: it’s a marathon not a sprint. Any solid initiative needs at several months to yield impact. The day-to-day, however, is important as well. Evaluate and iterate constantly.
Typically, the biggest pain points in launching and sustaining a content marketing initiative are the creation of content itself and the ability to maximize the value of the content. But being prepared for these challenges allows you to invest your resources strategically from the outset.
Establish a content creation pipeline with clear deadlines and a division of labor. Ensure that your social, email marketing, and PR teams all leverage your content to maximize their know-how to repurpose any piece of content you publish and meet their departmental goals. And take a holistic approach to evaluation. Instead of just looking at sales figures, expand your analysis to include SEO, social engagement, brand loyalty, and talent recruitment.
Once it’s up and running, a successful long-term content marketing plan will pay lifelong dividends . If you don’t see those immediately, don’t despair. Just focus on providing your audience with the most engaging content possible.
SOME EXAMPLES
There are many standout examples of content marketing. These include, L’Oreal which has Makeup.com – a site that talks about style and beauty issues without overtly pushing L’Oreal’s own product line; General Mills offers dieting advice and tips at Tablespoon.com; Red Bull has created Red Bulletin – a high-octane magazine for thrill-seekers and sports fanatics; American Express have created OPEN Forum – a portal of helpful articles which cover issues faced by small business owners.
In none of these examples are the brands explicitly saying ‘buy this, buy that, buy now!’ (as an advertisement would). Rather, they are publishing and distributing content that engages and attracts customers and prospects, empowers their lifestyles and – hopefully – builds a relationship.
As a result, user communities have emerged, making both the blog and the forum vibrant and dynamic. And because they’re actively improving people’s lives, brand equity compounds daily.
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