 As a forward thinking marketer, you will recognize that traditional marketing like print advertisements, billboards, flyers or pamphlets, TV, newspaper and radio, is becoming less effective every day. There is a better way! It’s called Content Marketing. The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) defines content marketing as a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. The CMI also found that 92% of marketers say that their company views content as a business asset. It increases traffic and brings in high-quality leads, so it's no wonder why so many organizations are on board. However, this can only be achieved if marketers get the formula right. When creating content, marketers should create reusable content. For instance, a blog post is often well researched so it can be repurposed into something more visual, like an infographic or video at a later date. Marketers also need to create enough content for each step of the sales funnel (Awareness, Interest, Decision and Action.) At the first stage of the sales funnel, you should present content that answers customer questions and offers innovative solutions. It should be educational. After a certain level of interest is gained, you can reach customers mid-funnel via ebooks, webinars and blogs, posted on your social media platform. At this stage, users are looking for positive user reviews,a clear and powerful value proposition and social proof or evidence for your brand. Once you have convinced customers that your brand is top notched, they will purchase your product or utilize your services. According to a study by Reevoo, 70% of people trust images that come from consumers like themselves, instead of images which brands create. When you repost user generated content, you build consumer trust while gaining content which can save content producers and marketers, time and financial resources. It’s advised that marketers have a content approval process. Having a colleague review your content is vital, because it ensures that approved material maximizes each element, and gets published on time. Additionally it’s important to review content marketing performance. Social media analytics like page views, social media shares, and the time visitors spent looking at pieces of content can help marketers improve their campaigns continuously. Lastly, promote your content. Marketers should spend more time promoting their content than creating it. Content marketing is one of the best investments a company can make but without proper planning it can be one of their biggest pitfalls. Written by Amelia Ramjarrie
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