By: Nic Sells
What is Content-Driven Marketing?
Content-driven marketing aims to attract and retain a target audience through the publication of useful and valuable content. A successful content marketing strategy helps to build brand trust and affiliation. It’s about providing real and lasting value to your consumers by empowering them with the knowledge to improve their lives and businesses.
Sound grandiose? Maybe. But that’s the idea.
And it’s nothing new.
In 1732, Benjamin Franklin published the first Poor Richard’s Almanac—a yearly publication that included weather forecasts, household tips, quippy content and more. Its purpose? To promote his printing business and create a following.
In 1895, John Deere printed The Furrow. The publication shared, and still shares, agricultural tips and current events. Its purpose? To build John Deere brand loyalty among farmers and ranchers.
Michelin (you know, the tire makers) created the first Michelin Guide in 1900. The driving force behind the much-esteemed dining award started as a guide to help drivers properly maintain their cars and find lodging while on the road. Its purpose? To educate people about how to have better driving experiences. (And, ultimately, to sell more Michelin tires.)
You get the idea.
How Does Content-Driven Marketing Look?
Content marketing can take the form of blogs, vlogs, videos, website page content, social media, infographics and much more. The sky’s the limit—any way to get valuable information in front of your audience flies.
Writing informative blogs that answer common questions can help establish your business or employees as subject matter experts in your industry. Blogging can also be an effective way of telling your brand’s story. Blogging can offer insight into your company, its employees, philosophy, history and ideas. And regular blogging efforts can garner something much more powerful than clicks: brand affiliation and consumer trust.
Vlogs (video blogs) are short informational clips. And, no, vlogs aren’t only social media influencers recording the details of their daily lives. Rather, vlogs can be an essential part of any content marketing strategy. Vlogs are an effective way of “stretching” the content you’ve already invested in (via blogs) and reaching a different audience, on a new medium, in another way.
We’ll keep this short. In a world of dwindling attention spans, engaging videos capture and hold your audience’s attention. Unlike the written word or infographics, users can watch or listen to videos while doing other things (like pretending to work) or even while on the go.
A website is, arguably, the largest and most aggressive marketing tool. It’s the foundation from which all other digital marketing strategies and tactics build. And with engaging, creative and valuable website page content, you’re sure to win the hearts and minds of your online guests before they even check out any of your other great content.
Social media is . . . well, social media. According to some reports, the average time people spend on social media per day is three hours (yes, that’s three—per day). With so many active users on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and LinkedIn, brands need to spend some time there, too. Simply put, companies need to maintain a presence on social media to connect with both current and potential consumers and drive traffic to their websites. And, along with being part of a content-driven marketing strategy itself, social media is a great place to promote your other content.
Infographics are visual representations of information or ideas. A well-produced infographic can help communicate complex ideas or make specific information easier to digest. There’s really no better embodiment of the definition of content-driven marketing. It’s vital to get noticed fast with visually enticing content in a world of decreasing consumer attention span.
The world is your oyster when it comes to a content-driven marketing strategy. Plus, the industry is always expanding. Seemingly, every day there’s a new form of content strategy: in-game marketing, webinars, Zoom meetings, eBooks (ok, those aren’t so new, but you get the idea). And answering trending topics online with targeted content can enhance your SEO efforts. FORTHGEAR can help you create blogs, vlogs, videos, infographics and more for your content marketing strategy. We also can help you with the management of social media channels. And we keep abreast with the latest trends and strategies. Plus, we understand that great content offers little value if it’s never found. That’s why we plan and execute integrated content-driven marketing strategies that get your efforts in front of customers and prospects.
