Content Marketing
Understanding your customers’ needs and wants and creating helpful and inspiring content for every step of their journey.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a long term strategy that aims to build a strong relationship with your target audience, by giving them high quality, engaging and relevant content on a consistent basis. At the heart of content marketing is trust. The objective is to build credibility so that long before customers are making a purchasing decision, they have already given you their loyalty and trust.
“Content marketing is the gap between what brands produce and what consumers actually want.”
Taking an interest in your customers
Content marketing is about showing that your organisation actually is interested in and cares for them. In a world where we get bombarded by advertising, content marketing takes a different approach, it’s not trying to sell a product, but create a connection and establish trust. The result of this trust is that people may then go on to buy your product or service.
Building trust through content
When customers don’t feel like they’re being sold to, the barriers will come down and allow your message to be received. People who trust you may go on to buy from you, but sales opportunities are a by-product of producing helpful and thoughtful content.
Turning a problem into an opportunity
Let’s take an example. My washing machine has broken down. Rather than immediately getting my credit card and buying a new one, I may turn to Google and search for, ‘common washing machine faults’ or how to repair my washing machine. This may be followed up with further searches such as ‘washing machine repair or servicing’
Ultimately, I may end up searching for new washing machines to buy. The point is that the journey between experiencing pain and finding the solution is rarely straightforward. If you sell washing machines, then helping people along this journey (even if you don’t repair them) will position well when they do choose to buy a new one.
The journey between experiencing pain and finding the solution is rarely straightforward. Content can help bridge that gap.
Create content that your audience will love reading
Let’s take another example from a previous client. They make wellington boots. You don’t buy a new pair every year, so creating content that engages their audience will help to build trust in their brand. A large proportion of their customers own dogs. So the sort of content that works well for them is a ‘guide to walking and dog-friendly pubs’
What are the benefits of Content Marketing?
1) Builds relationships
At the heart of content marketing is being helpful to your audience. Educating, solving a problem, saving them time, giving them a free resource, making them smile. Ultimately this helpfulness pays back, because your audience starts to value you and believe in you
2) Builds trust
Creating helpful content really does help build trust with your audience. When you create value without taking anything in return, your audience is more likely to trust your advice and recommendations. It says to them, we’re not here to sell you something, we’re here to help you.
3) Helps SEO
Google loves customer centric content. It paves the way into Google’s good books, because it aligns with their own strategy. Good, helpful content will always translate into better organic performance (SEO) and rankings.
4) Improves retention
If you can map your content to every step in a users journey, giving them just the information they need, when they need it – you’ll see an improvement in customer retention and encourage repeat sales.
4) Increases sales
Although this should never be the focus, good content will ultimately lead to more conversions, enquiries and sales. It’s the by-product of being helpful and is an extension of great customer service.
Icebreaker
In order to find out if we’re the right kind of fit for each other, I ask all clients to fill out my icebreaker. This allows me to follow up with meaningful responses so that we can get down to roots of where you need help.
“I have no hesitation in recommending Steve as an expert in digital marketing. He is also just ‘one of life’s good guys’.”
Chris Elliott
“Steve took the time upfront to understand our business and translate that understanding into a digital strategy focused on delivering sales growth.
Russell Fraser
“Steve is approachable, thoughtful and dedicated. He sets his bar high and is always thinking ahead and coming up with creative and practical ways to approach digital marketing.”
Anna Lewin
“Steve has superb skills in digital growth strategy and digital marketing. He is a delight to deal with and I would wholeheartedly recommend him”
Nigel May
“Steve is creative, fun and consistently produces great results. I have worked with him many times over ten+ years and have no hesitation in recommending him.”
Simon Hook
“If you want help with digital strategies for growth or to generate sales via digital, I absolutely recommend Steve”
Tim Ollerenshaw
“Steve is truly passionate about understanding not just the goals of a campaign, but the business behind it.”
Stephen Emery
“I’ve worked with Steve for a number of years now, and he has a near unique ability to make the mystical world of digital make complete sense.”
Pete Freeman
How to create a content marketing strategy
Content marketing takes on many different forms including, written articles, info graphics, videos and podcasts. They can be shared across all digital channels too, but how do you go about developing a content marketing strategy and start producing great content? Well I use the following 6 steps as a guide with clients.
Define your goals
It’s something I keep on banging on about, but defining your goals is so important. Goals tend to be broader with content marketing, such as increasing visitors, increasing engagement and time on site. But you’ll want to keep an eye on conversions too, such as sales, enquiries, mailing list and social media.
Define your audience
Who are you trying to reach and build a relationship with? Defining your audiences at the start is essential to building a list of content that will help them. Failing to define your audience will result in miss directed content that performs poorly.
What are your customers pains?
Find out what the pain points or problems your audience are experiencing. Speak to them on the phone or do a survey. Understanding their needs will mean you can create content that helps meet those needs and solves their problems.
Map your content
On most purchase decisions, the journey a user takes involves, problem recognition, research and competitor evaluation before a decision takes place. Try to map your content to each stage of the process that your customer goes through.
Brainstorm content ideas
Get your ideas down on paper. The best way to do this is get a few people together and throw some ideas around the room, or if you’re doing this on your own there are some good alternatives to brain storming ideas here.
Your tone of voice
How do you want to be perceived? Fun or serious, casual or formal, relaxed or serious? Make the decision based on what your audience will find most acceptable and then stick to it.
Decide on channels and format
Where are your audience (ie facebook, youtube, Google) and what are they doing? Choose the format that is most appropriate for the audience and the channel they are using. Don’t forget, most content is easily transferable into different formats. An article can easily be made into a video, an infographic, or even a podcast.
Set budgets
There is a cost to creating good content even if it’s just time. Set a monthly budget. Good content is always well researched and takes time to write, so don’t expect a 2,000 word article for a tenner. If you need a good copy writer, drop me a line – I know several.
Be consistent
Set up a schedule for creating content in advance, with topics set out for the following 6 months. Content is more about the quality of individual pieces, than the number of pieces that you produce.
Measure everything
Although your ultimate goals may be to increase sales, this will be more indirect, so you’ll want to measure softer metrics such as page visits, engagement, time on site and follow through actions, such as sign ups to a mailing list, as well as sales and enquiries.
Frequently asked questions
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How I can help
If you’re looking for some free friendly advice on how to use content marketing for your organisation, just drop me a line, i’d be delighted to have a chat.
