We always say, “Content is king—only if you do it right.” Having content marketing as one of our many fortes leads to our inboxes being bombarded with questions about it. One that struck us the most was:
What is content marketing and do I really need one?
Today’s digital age demanded businesses to upscale their marketing strategies to continue appealing to customers. The accessibility and versatility of digital marketing have driven both brands and customers to rely on the media. One of its kinds is Content Marketing; in the words of Rebecca Lieb, “[it] is the atomic particle of all digital marketing.”
Content Marketing is a marketing strategy used by brands to disseminate content related to their business in the forms of blogs, infographics, quizzes, etc. It may be loaded with information like an article or a delightful video; as long as it satisfies consumer interests and drives them towards your business. Content marketing is also one of the most sought-after marketing strategies. 94% of marketers among 39 countries are investing in this while 68% planned to increase their budget for content marketing this 2021 (The State of Content Marketing 2020 by SEMrush).
Now, you may think, since everybody is doing it, might as well dive right in. That’s a hard no.
To answer the question– yes you need to pursue content marketing. But remember that it’s not for everyone. It will not bring you instant consumer traffic or boost your brand overnight. Content marketing is a long-term commitment that requires a concrete strategy to build your brand. Added to this are consistent research and data gathering to guide you in making the right decisions.
Content marketing may sound a bit intimidating, but it’s totally worth it. Let’s crumble up the reasons:
Struggles in marketing since the pandemic
According to a study by PyXl, 46.3% of businesses said the pandemic had the biggest impact in terms of budgeting, assessing consumer behavior, and even planning out their marketing strategies. Along with this is the lack of resources to compete in the market.
Businesses are now directing their attention to digital marketing. Being cost-efficient and timely, the digital landscape is packed with different brands, which hinders others to stand out. However, you can always turn a dilemma into an opportunity by providing a solution and understanding the trends.
Marketing demands and trends
The competition is getting intense, digitally. Since not every business executive is capable of keeping up with the fast-changing marketing tactics, they opt to create a separate department or hire an agency.
Having adequate education and a hunger for constant learning with digital marketing is always an advantage. Trusting people to do the brand boost for you will also save you time while guaranteeing your brand engagement. It will be helpful if you understand the lingos together with your agency. At the end of the day, collaboration is key.
As mentioned, content marketing is the atomic particle of all digital marketing. Curating your content strategy (with your agency, if you will) provides you with endless opportunities to introduce and establish your brand’s character. With a lot of vehicles available, you can keep up with social media trends, connect with your clients of different markets, and gradually gain loyal consumers. It would also be an advantage to assess your customers’ pain points. By addressing such, you are acknowledging their personal experiences where you can also provide solutions. It will not only add up quality content but be able to build relationships with your consumers.
Building trust in your brand
Content marketing builds consumer trust in your brand.
Being genuine and consistent is a big part of this. Since you’re already providing quality content to your consumers interacting, and enhancing brand exposure, this will pave the way for them to trust your brand. Since content marketing aims to provide value while promoting the brand, make your consumers feel like a part of the community you’re trying to build. It will make them feel acknowledged and respected, thus establishing trust and loyalty in the long run.
Influencing consumer behavior
Believe it or not, content marketing can be one of the drivers of consumer buying behavior. Researches have shown positive influences of content marketing on consumers’ buying behavior. An example is an Empirical study on the impact of short video content marketing on consumer’s purchasing intention based on the integrated model of TRA and ELM in 2019, where it shows that content marketing is effectively influencing consumer behavior thru emotional impact and information dissemination. Added to this are the study, Website content, and consumer buying behavior: The mediating role of electronic word-of-mouth in 2020. This emphasizes how websites’ contents are effective in attracting consumers and the importance of word-of-mouth.
Having these studies, content marketing is not just a mere trend online that businesses have to consider trying, but an effective tool for consumer generation and brand exposure. For, effective marketing needs to analyze consumer buying behavior to curate an effective strategy for your brand.
In Conclusion
Content marketing is one of the current marketing trends that paved the way for brands to express themselves while attracting customers. Its promising effects are long-lasting, but it requires consistency in the process. But with proper implementation of your strategy, your brand can stand out and become its best version.
Today’s marketing is fast evolving. There are a lot of factors that influence the changes in the market and it is the businesses’ responsibility to learn and keep up.
