According to Google, Content Marketing can be described as:
“A type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.”
We have seen a vast rise in content marketing as part of overall marketing strategies in business. This realisation of the importance of good content comes from the need for online conversations to now reflect real-life conversations. They must be two-way dialogues and not one-way broadcasts.
So how do we create good content?
First off, know who you are speaking to. Who is your audience and what are their interests? Secondly, we must listen and engage with our customers, before we can seek to influence them in any way. Building relationships and trust are as important online as they are in real-life.
Finally, we must have very clear aims and objectives of what it is we want to achieve. What is it we want the customer to do having read and engaged with our piece of content? Is the content going to stand alone? Or will it be part of a larger story? A clear content strategy is vital in achieving our overall marketing aims.
Content can be influenced by many factors throughout the year – seasonal, political, legal and financial. Each business will also have its own particular annual cycle, where certain issues become more important at certain times of the year. One of the masters of creating content in such a way is, without a doubt, Ryanair who take great pleasure in creating topical marketing material (sometimes a little too topical!)
So, when you are creating content for marketing, be customer focused. Offer a good mix of created and curated content, and become a valuable source of information for your customers. Be mindful of the 80/20 rule and don’t alway hard sell – make conversation too.
And don’t be afraid to take a leaf out of Ryanair’s marketing strategy and have some fun every now and again!