#searchdecoder

Content marketing is one of the most popular marketing topics of 2013 and rightfully so; it’s considered the “bread and butter” of communicating with current and potential customers - it’s how businesses can competitively gain exposure. Scott Donation recently wrote an article in Fast Company about the importance for brands to be thinking about their own content marketing strategies and why it matters.

The ideas go back to the human love for a good STORY. And it does make sense. I agree with his rationale - they are “shareable and shapeable, constantly changing based on those they touch and those who touch them. They carve the quickest path to the heart and the mind…” If your messaging isn’t relevant or doesn’t add value to people’s lives, then the efforts and marketing dollars are wasted.

From the business perspective, really great content can change brand perception, increase awareness, creates a desire to buy and garner brand loyalty.

In the digi-world we live and breath, it becomes even more important to focus on strategic digital strategies that can help to amplify communication in meaningful ways. Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach wrote a great book called Content Strategy for the Web which was delightfully witty and very helpful for this area.

Not sure where to start? Start simple.

Blogs on your own sight are a great way to attract customers and begin the story. Shawn Graham wrote a great blog post about using your own blog on your ecommerce site to share great content and start conversations. He keeps it simple.

Below is a summary of some good tips for creating powerful content for brands.

Top 5 Content TIps

1. Know your WHY - what value do you add?

Ask yourself what your product or brand’s role is in people’s lives? What are your brand values? Why do you exist as a business? People are emotional and intuitive and identify with brands that align with their own values. Some brands that know their WHY are Honest Tea and Clif Bar. I happen to also love Simon Sinek’s book called Start with Why. If you don’t have time to read, watch the video here.

2. Data - driven insights help keep you stay connected and relevant I wrote a post earlier on the importance of data. Deriving insights has alot of power and ensures that you understand your own business endeavors and that you are relevant and connected to your customers. Understanding your customer and business data helps to discover new products, messaging and innovations that can create a sustainable competitive advantage. This also includes having a real approach that is linked to your KPI’s.

3. Talking about yourself all the time is boooorrrrrrinngg

Content should provide utility, information, education or be entertaining. But how do you create great content? Well, for starters, start listening to what your audiences need and want to talk about. Social listening tools and surveys are a great start.

4. Give people a reason to SHARE their stories about your brand

People don’t want campaigns, they want good experiences and value. Really good experiences really do make a differences - they come back to you and more importantly they share THEIR STORY about your brand with other people. Brands are very powerful and people who love you and have a reason to share their experiences, definitely will. I think loyalty has taken on a different meaning today than it did 10 or 20 years ago but there is nothing like having great consistent customer experience and one that can be amplified on social channels and in conversations.

5. Know where and when it makes sense to tell your story

If you don’t have the right communication channels and timing, it doesn’t matter what story you have to tell because nobody will see it. This is a tough one because there are so many variables at play when communicating to people, a very complex mix of art and science for sure. This is where testing comes into play. Test, test and re-test to ensure you understand, reformulate and optimize your approach.

Inbound Marketing is a relatively new term in the world of marketing and media and it's important for a lot of good reasons. First and foremost, it is content that is conceptualized, created, shared and optimized by the company that creates it. It can include podcasts, video, eBooks, newsletters, whitepapers, SEO, social media and content marketing.

As opposed to push marketing, it's a pull medium that earns the attention of customers. It may sound like ALOT of work, but if you are passionate about your business and want to create authenticity, then it's not work! Also, inbound marketing costs nearly 60% less than outbound marketing. With a little bit of time and attention to SEO/SEM, content strategy, and understanding your customer behavior in the online environment, any company can work towards showing up online when people are searching for them/their products & services the most.

NYU has just launched a great initiative called the "Inbound Marketing Clinic" that focuses on providing businesses and academics with a greater understanding of the field.