
In my previous post, I had discussed about content marketing myopia. Content marketing is becoming an integral part of the marketing campaigns across the world. The spend on content is increasing. In a survey of 745 marketers conducted by Contently, a quarter of respondents said that they are devoting more than 50% of their budget to content. It’s no longer thought of as a trend, but an opportunity to generate more leads and drive revenue. If done right, content marketing generates 3X leads as compared to traditional outbound marketing but costs 62% less.
The ever-evolving content marketing has come a long way over the past few years. I’ve gathered some of the best digital marketing insights which will help you develop actionable steps:
1. 80% consumers feel more positive about a brand after reading custom content (Source: Ragan.com)
Actionable insight
Personalisation is the key
Your content isn’t just text or images on the internet. Your content itself is a product. It’s the information your target group is searching for. Out of the total searches done on the internet, 50% of all mobile searches are done to find local results and 61% of those searches result in a purchase. Therefore, it’s critical to understand your audience’s purchase path. This will enable you to create content personalised to your audience’s pain points. The businesses are gradually shifting from creating branded content to creating content brands. The expectation of your target audience is increasing every day. By providing a great user experience with your content, you can impact the purchase consideration of your target group and ultimately drive revenue.
2. Content with visuals get 94% more total views (Source: Jeffbullas.com)
Actionable Insight
Invest in visual content
The best way to optimise content for sharing is to make it visual. Identify the written content that has been popular with your target audience and discover ways in which you can transform it into compelling visuals. Use videos, infographics, gifs, etc. to tell your story. It is an excellent way to reuse your existing content and draw fresh attention. Incorporating visual elements in every post you produce will result in higher engagement.
3. The top three reasons consumers share content online are to entertain (44%); to educate (25%); and to reflect their identity (friendships, values, etc. – 20%) (Source: MarketingProfs)
Actionable insight
Create the right content for the right people at the right time
If you talk about content marketing, there’s no “one size fits all” approach, this will become even more apparent as we go forward. With the large volumes of content being produced each day, only the relevant ones will make the cut. It’s not about the quantity or quality anymore. It’s about creating content that’s relevant to your target group. Jeff Bullas outlines the following elements that you need address if you want your content to be shared:
- Motivate the audience to connect with each other and not just your brand
- Keep it simple
- Appeal to their sense of humor
- Embrace a sense of urgency
In order to succeed with content marketing, the emphasis should be on helping your customers find what they are looking for. Understanding what and where to publish will become critical in years to come.