content marketing

• Content Marketing


  The technique of creating and distributing valuable and relevant content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

  
• Content Marketing is not new

  
• Contemporary Content Marketing includes


  • Newsletters and news feeds (RSS)
  • Videos
  • White Papers and Reports
  • E-books
  • Infographics
  • Case studies
  • How-to guides
  • Question and answer articles
  • Photographs
  • Blogs
  • Games & Apps

  
• A contemporary example: Blendtec


  • A struggling manufacturer in a competitive marketplace
  • In 2006 emailed a video 'What should we blend?', to its customers, featuring the CEO Tom Dickson
  • 2013: 180 videos, 700,000 YouTube subscribers: 700% increase in sales
• Principles of Creating Content


  • Develop the customer 'Persona'
  • Create the Engagement Cycle
  • Develop the Brand Story
  • Develop the content marketing channel plan

  
• Develop the Customer Persona

  • Know the person you are selling to – more than their demographic
  • Behaviours, individual needs, buying cycle
  • Customer Motivations, Goals and Frustrations
  • Why should this person care about your company?
  • What Unique Value Proposition do you offer this person?
• Create the Engagement Cycle

  • Map the Customer's Buying Process and Customer Journey: Awareness Information Search Price Purchase Decision Alternatives Short List Purchase Post-Purchase Experience Re-Purchase Advocate

  
• What is the Brand Story?

  • How does the customer perceive / experience your brand?
  • What does your brand promise the customer?
  • Why is your brand new, different, challenging?
  • What is your brand's history?
  • What does your brand help the customer to achieve?
• Develop the Content Marketing Channel Plan

  • Where will the customer view your content?
  • What device will the consumer be using?
  • Why would people want this content through this channel?
  • What do we hope the consumer will do with the content?
  • What are the objectives of each channel as they relate to the engagement cycle?

  
• Content Marketing should go beyond conventional segmentation to communicate directly and in a relevant way with individuals

  
• Content Marketing should be planned and designed to achieve specific customer-focused objectives

  
• Content Marketing should be integrated with the entire communications / promotional mix

  
• Content Marketing should be relevant, useful, findable, sharable, creative and fun

  
• Recommended Reading


  • Chaffey, D. (2015) Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice. 6th ed.
  • Fill, C. (2013) Marketing Communications: Brands, Experiences and Participation. 6th ed. (Chapters 21 and 22)
  • Pullizzi, J. (2013) Epic Content Marketing (Chapters 10 and 11)
• Recommended websites


  • www.contentmarketinginstitute.com
  • www.hubspot.com
  • www.smartinsights.com
  • www.quicksprout.com/the-beginners-guide-to-online-marketing-chapter-1/

  
• Activity 1: Create your Customer Persona
• Activity 2: Create your Content
• Content Marketing can be used as part of an overall digital marketing strategy to drive traffic, generate leads, and increase sales.
• The goal of Content Marketing is to build trust with potential customers by providing them with useful information that helps solve their problems or answer questions they have.
• E-books are longer-form content pieces that provide in-depth information on a specific topic, often used as a lead magnet to capture email addresses.
• Case studies are detailed examinations of a particular topic or situation, showcasing a real-life example of how a product or service solved a problem.
• Content Marketing is the creation, distribution, and promotion of valuable information to attract and engage your target audience.
• The goal of Content Marketing is to build trust with potential customers by providing them with useful information that helps solve their problems or answer questions they have about your product/service.
• The key elements of successful content marketing include identifying the target audience, creating high-quality content that meets their needs, promoting it through various channels, measuring its effectiveness, and continually refining and improving the approach based on feedback and analytics.
• Content Marketing involves creating valuable content such as blog posts, videos, infographics, ebooks, webinars, podcasts, etc., which attracts and engages the target audience.
• Creating valuable content is essential for attracting and engaging potential customers, building brand awareness, and establishing thought leadership in the industry.
• Content Marketing is the creation, distribution, and promotion of valuable information to attract and engage your target audience.
• Infographics are a visual representation of information or data designed to make complex information easily understandable.
• Whitepapers are authoritative reports on a specific subject, typically written by experts in the field.
• Whitepapers are more detailed than e-books and typically focus on research findings or industry trends.
• Content Marketing aims to educate and inform the target audience about products or services offered by the business.
• Content Marketing involves creating high-quality content that provides value to your target audience.
• Webinars are online events where experts share knowledge and insights about a particular topic through live video streaming.
• Webinars are online seminars where participants can listen to presentations from industry leaders and ask questions.
• It involves creating high-quality content that provides value to your audience while also promoting your brand and products/services.
• Blogs can be an effective way to share knowledge and expertise related to your industry or niche.
• Case studies showcase real-world examples of how a product or service has helped a customer achieve success.
• Videos are engaging visual content that can be used to educate viewers about products, services, or topics related to your business.
• Content Marketing is not about selling but rather building relationships through helpful content.
• Content Marketing can be done at different stages of the sales funnel - top (awareness), middle (consideration), bottom (decision).