Jumping On the Bandwagon of Content Marketing

Peter A. Liefer II | Posted: December 12th, 2016 | Updated: July 26th, 2022

“Every time we start a new project, we always ask ourselves the same question: What can we do better and different?”  -Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO

Gone are the days when traditional marketing dominated the business arena. With new technologies on the rise, companies are now ditching the drab static brochures and print advertising to give way to blog posts, social media, and brand narratives to keep up with today’s trend. And why on earth not? There is no better way to reach out to one’s target demographic than to shift to content marketing.

What is content marketing?

According to the Content Marketing Institute, the leading global online resource of all things related to content marketing, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

The need for businesses, whether small, mid-size, or big, to connect to their target market in a more engaging way gave rise to what is now known as content marketing. It is no longer enough to just inform the market about their brand. Nowadays, businesses are competing to send their message across the worldwide web with a bang. And this “bang” means creating an impact loud enough to land them on top of the Google search engine.

How is it done?

There are many ways by which businesses communicate to their audience through content marketing. It could be done through compelling and organic written, visual, audio, or audio-visual materials to cover all bases.

In terms of visual, for instance, some businesses make use of graphs and charts to keep its audience engaged. This way, a complex message will not get drowned in a pool of words. Another example would be the use of infographics. Who does not love pictures? Infographics provide a different approach to presenting your ideas in a more creative way instead of the usual play on words. They’re appealing and shareable too.

On the other hand, in terms of content marketing through effective textual approach, some companies incorporate customer interviews on their websites. By showcasing client feedbacks and stories in their content, businesses are able to establish their brand’s trustworthiness and credibility. It could also be a means to establish rapport to the audience by getting them involved with the brand.

What are the elements that comprise a great content marketing strategy?

The first and probably the most important of them all is the goal. The end goal will determine the process that businesses will take in their content production cycle to achieve their desired results. For instance, should the end goal be to establish brand awareness? Is it to invite new customers? The end goal is crucial because the flow of the content should run to achieve the company’s objectives.

The second element necessary for a great content marketing strategy would be its core message. But to be able to create a riveting message, it is important for a content to begin with “a headline that instantly commands audience attention,” according to Entrepreneur. The headline will determine if the blog or article is worth reading or not because it is the first thing they will see in your article. If the headline is bold, catchy, and inviting, then the core message should be able to follow through to achieve customer conversion.

The third element involves the audience or personas. The Content Marketing Institute notes that “a deep contextual understanding” as another key element of an effective content marketing strategy. Of course, to be able to formulate a good marketing approach, businesses must be able to have a clear understanding of their target demographic. Oftentimes, companies make the big mistake of making their content more about hyping the product and less about communicating and addressing the needs of their users.

How effective is content marketing strategy?

The statistics do not lie. The Content Marketing Institute enumerates a few key points as to why content marketing is effective and advantageous to businesses, namely:

  • Content marketing leaders experience 7.8 times more site traffic than non-leaders 1
  • While content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing, it generates more than three times as many leads 2
  • Content marketing drives higher conversion rates, nearly six times higher than their non-adaptor competitors 3

Content marketing is so powerful that businesses allot a huge portion of their budget to it. This is why everyone is abuzz about content marketing- it produces great results.

What does SEO have to do with the success of content marketing?

One of the reasons why content marketing is so effective for a lot of businesses is because SEO complements their content marketing strategy. The former determines the essential keywords, link backs, and whatnot, and the latter executes and puts them to good use. SEO is like the fuel that keeps the car going- the car being the content. It is the reinforcement essential for the execution of a good marketing strategy.

As blogger Lee Odden puts it, “Think of SEO this way: If a customer-focused content marketing program is the sandwich, then SEO is the mayonnaise. It touches nearly everything and enhances the overall flavor of the sandwich, but on its own, it’s not very appetizing.”

In conclusion, it is not surprising why more and more businesses are jumping into the bandwagon of content marketing. It is fast becoming the norm. Businesses are allocating a chunk of their budget for content marketing because they know that this is worth their resources. Even big established brands such as Nike, Rolex, and Whole Foods are continuously innovating their content marketing strategy because they acknowledge the fact that it is important and necessary. If businesses want to keep up with their competitors in this age of digital marketing, then they have no other choice but to step up their content marketing game so as not to fall behind.

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