The Importance of Content Marketing

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4 minutes read. April 16th, 2020.

Building relationships with audiences through creative content...

Content marketing is a strategically planned approach which aims to build relationships with audiences by supplying them with high-quality informative and entertaining content. The end goal is, like most elements of branding, to attract both new and repeat custom. By supplying audiences with relevant and useful content (relevant being the keyword here, but we’ll get to that), brands can establish a meaningful connection with their target market whilst improving people’s lives at the same time.

Whether released via your brand’s own website or external sources such as social media, the list of content marketing options is seemingly endless. Here are just a few examples:

Blog posts and website articles
Social media posts
Videos
Photos
Newsletters
Infographics
Press releases
Podcasts
Q&As
Quizzes and surveys

There will doubtless be those who believe that content marketing is a waste of time and effort. Whilst there’s no argument that creating and releasing content on a consistent basis does requires both, the importance of content marketing as a key player in modern branding cannot be overstated enough.

Content marketing paints your brand in a positive light. Producing informative and impactful content demonstrates that your brand shows concern for people. Being perceived as a useful resource of expertise will increase trust and reliability and, in turn, will establish a connection with audiences. Brand connections ultimately drive purchases.

There’s also the added bonus of content being shared on social media, generating yet further free attention towards your brand. The bottom line is as follows: presenting your audience with an enjoyable experience will drive action, whether it be sharing your content, engaging with your brand on an emotional level or making a purchase.

It’s worth bearing in mind that content marketing is most definitely a long-term approach, one based on strategy and careful planning. And if the term ‘content marketing strategy’ is enough to strike fear into your heart, let’s see if our bitesize summary of the basics can’t ease your mind...

Relevance

As touched upon above, it’s the golden rule. It’s not about simply spamming your audience base with meaningless content – each piece must bring true value to people’s lives. Perhaps you could release a series of problem solving ‘How To…’ articles, or informative videos which are explained via a demonstration of your brand’s expertise. Whatever route you opt for, create a learning journey for the audience, keep them entertained and remember: it’s not always about directly selling your brand’s products or services.

Audience

In order to gain an overarching knowledge of what content is relevant, it’s really a case of understanding your target market. Once you have successfully identified your audience, you can then choose which methods of content marketing are the most appropriate. The demographic of your target market will dictate three key things: the content, the format and the channels through which content marketing is released.

It’s worth researching topics that are closely linked to your audience’s needs and beliefs. A brainstorming session will deliver an array of subjects that your content marketing can cover. It’s important to keep in mind that verging too heavily on endless industry-related content might start to wear your audience down – after all, content marketing should be about creating an enjoyable experience for people, not an overbearing one. Throwing in the occasional light-hearted (perhaps topical or newsworthy) post will be a welcome surprise which will prevent things from getting overly serious.

Overall, the content that you produce should reflect the history and values of your brand – this will enable audiences to understand the benefits that your brand brings to people.

Analysis

Making use of analytics tools will enable you to understand what content resonates with people. Analysis provides the perfect opportunity to learn and adjust your content according to what your target market enjoys. It can’t hurt to check out your brand’s competitors, either – see what they’re posting about (and how often) and you might find ways of improving on what they have to offer. If your brand is doing things better than its rivals, it won’t go unnoticed by potential customers.

Consistency

You can’t simply sit back and relax after releasing one piece of content – it’s your responsibility to ensure that your content marketing is consistent and timely. If you regularly produce high-quality, relevant content, people will look forward to receiving it on a regular basis (perhaps even at a specific date and time). Ensuring that you are organised – with the help of an editorial calendar – will stand you in good stead. You’ll be able to clearly plot your brand’s content marketing strategy as well as prepare releases for specific dates (think national holidays or seasonal posts, for example). Additionally, acquiring a backlog of content for future releases will ensure that you needn’t worry about rushing to string something together on short notice.

Aside from keeping your audience informed and entertained, consistent content marketing will boost the chances of your brand’s website ranking higher in searches. Google uses publication patterns to automatically detect which websites regularly publish content – the reward for your brand comes in the form of being bumped up the rankings, an invaluable benefit of content marketing and a free way of increasing your audience reach.

Although content marketing is no small affair, the lay of the land is fairly simple: the consistent release of high-quality content will paint a picture of a well-rounded brand that cares for its audience. Content marketing might well be the first point of contact between your brand and your audience – invest time into getting things right, and it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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