Content Marketing is the strategy that manages to connect with your audience to gain their trust and show you as their preferred brand. It is 62% cheaper than traditional marketing and attracts 3 times more customers.
Here we will talk about what it is, how to do it, a couple of mistakes to avoid, some examples and success stories, and the explanation of why it is very profitable.
What is Content Marketing?
Content Marketing is the creation of useful and valuable content related to the interests of our audience under a strategy in order to achieve a commercial goal.
It is very important to know that it is always under a commercial goal. If there is no commercial goal it would cease to be content marketing and would become a normal content strategy that would only get a community difficult to monetize.
In addition, content creation allows us to attract and retain a defined audience and drive them to a purchase action in a natural way. In other words, they come to us because they are interested in us, not because we force them to see us with advertising.
We never interrupt the customer ‘s attention, but subtly show them who we are. And if they need your products or services, they know who to contact.
Difference between traditional marketing and content marketing
The difference is that one interrupts the user and forces him to listen to the message (Traditional Marketing). And the other is a process where the user seeks to listen to you because they are interested in your message (Content Marketing).
“Content marketing generates 3 times more customers (approximately) and costs 62% less than traditional marketing.” DemandMetric.
This is a great advantage of content marketing, in addition to generating 3 times more customers, it also costs 62% less than traditional marketing.
This has to do with the fact that there are fewer people involved and where you post the content, social networks or blog, it is free or very low cost.
And since the accounts are yours, the content will be there today, tomorrow and always. And if the content is relevant it will last very well over time, attracting traffic constantly.
On the other hand, in traditional marketing you have to pay for campaigns to attract traffic.
Why is content marketing important? And what are its benefits.
The importance is that it allows you to distinguish yourself from the competition and gain people’s trust through content that they are interested in. This way, they are more willing to listen to your proposals with attention.
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust builds revenue.” Andrew Davis.
Benefits from doing Content Marketing
Doing content marketing has many benefits, the benefits you want to achieve will depend on your company’s goals.
Here are several benefits that content marketing has:
- You increase your recognition, become a referent and earn preference among consumers.
- 62% less expensive and 3 times more profitable than traditional marketing.
- The larger the community, the more results you get.
- Long-term residual value (useful content is just as useful over time).
- More effective advertising campaigns, it is easier to sell to the community that already knows you.
- Educate your audience by helping them understand your product or service.
- Increase leads (users who have already submitted their data).
- Increase traffic to your website and/or landing page.
- Useful content increases engagement (emotional commitment).
Content Marketing Examples
Content marketing can be done in any format that can be consumed, such as: images; infographics; videos; guides/tutorials; magazines; e-books; templates; slide shows; apps; games; webinars, blog articles….
And of course, the audience always has to have free access to it.
Here are three examples of content marketing and its commercial purpose:
Facebook Blueprint
Facebook Blueprint is a platform where you are taught for free how to use Facebook, Messenger and Instagram for business.
Commercial purpose? Facebook makes more money by educating the audience. By explaining how to use their platforms to get the most out of them. Then people who learn, become customers of theirs. If they already invested before, now they will invest much more. And if they don’t invest, they will start doing so.
Romuald Fons
An entrepreneur who made content on how to grow on YouTube on the same platform (YouTube).
Commercial goal? He achieved it: He managed to position his digital marketing agency as the best in Spain. Or at least, he made it the best known in his country (which is what matters).
In one week of pre-sales he managed to bill more than 1 million euros with his “CRACETUBE” course. A course that was not cheap at all, but still sold a lot because it delivered a lot of useful content before selling. (Content Marketing).
Netflix
Netflix, a major entertainment industry, launched its podcast called “Nada que ver” alongside content creators with critical acclaim already earned.
Commercial purpose? Prevent millions of users from dropping their service because they don’t know what to watch on the platform. Great idea to help bored users, and build loyalty at the same time just by podcasting (audio).
Conclusion
These are 3 examples where if you analyze it, you will realize that the key to success was to create value content.
Sure, they did it with a commercial objective, however, they had to give value first, a lot of value, in order to get results.
“Content marketing is an engagement, not a campaign.” Jon Buscall.
Mistakes you shouldn’t make in Content Marketing
It’s good for you to know what not to do in your Content Marketing strategy to get off on the right foot.
1. Not understanding your audience
“Content marketing is like a first date. If you only talk about yourself, there won’t be a second one.” David Beebe.
Show them you care, and how do you do that? By knowing what they want and how they think.
The best way to do this is with market research. Where you use the scientific method to extract the most accurate data possible. That is, data extracted from observations, surveys and experiments that give us real factual information.
Leaving aside the subjective, which are argumentative data based on feelings, opinions and points of view. When it comes down to it, this data provides erroneous information that can cause the strategy to fail.
Commit to doing good market research. It’s not what we think we know about the audience. It is what we know about the audience with certainty.
“Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed.” Dan Zarrella.
2. Lack of planning
“A clear vision, backed by defined plans, gives you a tremendous sense of confidence and personal power.” Brian Tracy.
Planning helps us to be more productive in achieving our business objectives, without a good plan (and in writing, very important), we would be wasting time, and time and lack of productivity translates into losses for a business.
3. Not measuring results
“What cannot be measured, cannot be improved”. William Thomson Kelvin.
How do we know if we are doing it right? How do we know if it can be improved? How do we know if we need to change it or leave it as it is? Well, that is why it is essential to keep metrics to know whether to leave it like that, change it or improve if necessary.
There are people who are very successful in social media and very successful in business. But there are also people who are very successful in social media, but not in business.
“Stop counting fans, followers and blog subscribers like bottle caps. Instead, think about what you hope to accomplish with and through your community that actually cares about what you’re doing.” Amber Naslund.
4. Not having clear goals
What is your goal: Generate traffic?, build a community?, build branding?, generate leads?, sell a new product? There are many goals you can set, however, knowing specifically what you want allows you to create content aimed at achieving those goals.
“One of the best ways to sabotage your content is to not tie it to your goals. You have to know why you are creating content.” Ellen Gomes.
5. Content is unprofessional
With so much content on the internet there is only one way for yours to stand out and that is by offering quality content.
Not just anyone can make content. Look for copywriters, designers, SEO experts, etc., and rely on their knowledge to get good results.
“Write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.” Benjamin Franklin.
It’s not a matter of dignity, just that things well done, bring well deserved results.
6. Lack of personality
“The most powerful word in advertising is not “Free”, it is “You”.” Eugene Schwartz.
People like to deal with people. Don’t do what most companies do, a distant tone that doesn’t connect with anyone.
The goal is to earn trust, one-on-one, it works. And being different in how you say things also works.
Have a unique tone of voice and personality that fits your brand. Choose it according to your audience.
Conclusion
Content marketing is the strategy that allows you to connect with your audience to gain their trust and show you as their preferred brand.
Paying 62% less and getting 3 times more customers than traditional marketing.
Having a content strategy does not mean that you do content marketing. When you do marketing you do it under a strategy in which you are measuring results to always move forward.
The advantages of this strategy are many: less expensive, more community, more leads, more authority, more traffic, etc. And the content that is useful today is also useful tomorrow and always, always attracting traffic.
Don’t make the following mistakes:
- Not understanding your audience.
- Lack of planning.
- Not measuring results.
- Not having clear objectives.
- Not having professional content.
- And, lack of personality.
That’s it, we hope you have enjoyed the content. A big hug from the Katlinks team and have a great day!
