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In 1996, Bill Gates wrote an essay titled “Content Is King.” It began: “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.” The phrase already existed, but Gates popularized it just as business was beginning to catch on to the Internet. Twenty-five years later, this holds true more than ever and often is expanded to “Content is king and distribution is queen.”
For marketers today, integrating a strong content marketing strategy is a necessity. Many companies don’t understand exactly what this means, how it works… and if it actually does work.
At its core, content marketing is a strategy built on delivering relevant content with the goal of connecting with current customers and attracting new ones. A successful content marketing strategy builds and nurtures a relationship, establishes trust and value, and creates long-term, paying customers. The inclination is to promote your goods and services, but content marketing is a long game that requires patience and testing, consistency and creativity, and most important, a plan. Let’s break it down.
When integrating content into your marketing strategy, it’s vital to have a consistent plan to create and deliver relevant content to your audience and/or to those you want to attract. This takes effort, attention, and a committed schedule. Whether you create monthly or daily themes, be sure to plan ahead. Decide the concept or title of the article, the message of the video, and the corresponding social posts well in advance. This will allow you to slice and dice your content for multiple purposes. For example, shoot a behind-the-scenes video, write an article featuring the video, post it on your blog and YouTube, share a snippet of the video on your social channels, and/or create a graphic with a quote from the video to share on your social channels later. One article or video can be repurposed in many ways, but only if carefully planned out!
Content can be created in a multitude of ways including articles, blogs, videos, podcasts, social media posts, graphics, downloadable content, press releases, email newsletters, and how-to guides. Video continues to be very powerful and should be a part of any content strategy. Not all video must be professionally produced, but consider your brand standards when creating them. At larger brands, every video may have a copywriter, designer, social writer, and videographer behind it. If you can’t afford a full production team, just be sure to have a quality copywriter and designer who truly understand your brand, your core message, brand voice, and how to engage with your audience.
Remember, content must be geared to your customers and what they want or need. It isn’t always about selling. Your goal is to develop and nurture a relationship. So be resourceful, entertaining, and informative — and meet people where they are. Here are some ideas:
Content marketing is a massive effort. If it’s not working, it’s a huge waste of time and resources. Pay attention to the data and insights on your website and social media channels. They all have built-in platforms to help you understand what’s working and what’s not. Most important, continue to improve what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. Stay ahead of trends as best you can. If something is not working, stop and try something new.
The Internet is constantly evolving, but one thing that hasn’t changed is that people are constantly looking for great content. Content is still King! The opportunity is there to connect and engage, build and nurture, and, ultimately, drive sales and ROI.
Liane Caruso is a franchise marketing professional specializing in digital marketing, social media, sales and marketing alignment, and strategy. She launched helloCMO, a franchise marketing consultancy dedicated to fractional CMO or outsourced CMO engagements for franchise brands and suppliers. Find her on LinkedIn or contact her at 813-786-0206 or liane@lianecaruso.com.