Let’s get this out of the way. There are a lot of cliches around content marketing.
“Content is king!” “Connect on a human level.” “Create synergy in your marketing efforts”.
You know, that kind of stuff. But the truth is, the cliches aren’t wrong.
Digital marketing has long evolved past being just digital and is really just marketing. Any solid, robust, marketing effort is going to extend its impact beyond a single mechanism and jump off the screen into the tangible environment and vice-versa.
Marketing needs to be driven by purpose. In most cases, especially with sales, marketing is an effort to create a connection between a product or company. The marketing drives the connection, the connection drives the sales. And so on. There’s a flow and process to it all.
But it’s not quite as simple as that. And this is where we start to lean on the cliches. How do you create a connection with a customer? For many, the answer is content.
Content can be many things; written words via a blog, audio through a podcast, photography in all kinds of manners and of course, video. All of these can be identified as content and all serve a similar purpose; engage the end user in a meaningful and direct way that creates a connection and encourages further discourse or action.
At the core of all effective content is heart; there’s that human cliche.
But particularly when juxtaposed to the surrounding digital environment full of automation and invisible bots, content created with heart has the ability to engage consumers in a meaningful way that evokes emotion. As soon as a brand is able to invoke emotion in a potential customer, the sales cycle is truly spinning.
Content is a great lead generation tactic but it goes well beyond in terms of impact.
Good content can elevate a brand to a thought leadership position within its own industry. Carefully crafted messages delivered via a blog or podcast; something that’s longform, can provide customers an insight into the thought process behind a business or product, become a platform for executives and decision makers to showcase the capacity for leadership and truly give an insight into humans behind a brand.
Good content is a window into access and everyone loves good access. Beyond that, content has many technical aspects. Used effectively, content can drive traffic to your site and feet through your doors.
In a time when everyone is connected, the opportunities are rich but also very diluted.
Coming up with a content strategy that will be effective in terms of creating connection is vital.
Choosing the right creator that can relay your vision can make or break a marketing campaign.
And don’t forget about budgets. Budgets are always the great equalizer for ideas.
Content shouldn’t just be part of your marketing plan; it’s the heart of your marketing plan.
