How Content Marketing Helps Companies Succeed?
Content marketing is about creating and distributing valuable content to audiences who need to read them. These audiences are referred to as the target audience, as they are the ones who a particular product or service are for.
Content marketing helps companies access these people through quality content that meets their search intent and interests and solves their challenges.
The ultimate goal of content marketing is to inspire customers to take specific actions, such as buying a product, subscribing to a newsletter, or downloading an eBook. In other words, content marketing focuses on converting visitors into customers.
Content marketing is a lucrative field because companies will always have the need for content. Companies will always want to educate customers, convert more visitors, and solve some of the problems that internet users have. However, you need to understand the nuances of content marketing if you’re considering a career change to marketing. St. Bonaventure University ensures that students are well equipped for a successful marketing career by making sure that their curricula cover essential skills such as data analysis (to understand trends and learn from data), communication (to be able to articulate your ideas to your team and potential customers), and creativity (so that you can approach the industry from a distinctive perspective). If you’re looking for a program to start with, the online MA in Communication program can boost your understanding of marketing within 22 months.
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Different aspects of content marketing and how they improve brand success
Content marketing is dynamic – it’s about using storytelling to build trust and provide value to readers. It’s also about providing relevant content that solves their problems and could bring them closer to the brand. Below, we explore several marketing strategies and how they help increase brand success.
Video content
Video content helps brands encapsulate complex ideas, narratives and emotions into an easily consumable and engaging format. According to the New York Times Licensing, 95% of people watch an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. Also, 50% of web users want to see videos from brands. Why? Because they get to see the brand in action, and this, in turn, boosts the company’s credibility.
Videos on TikTok and YouTube are now said to convert as much as blog content. Why? Consumer products are easily discovered on these short video platforms, and brands and content creators sell products every day. Research by Statista shows that 71.2% of TikTok users shopped for a product after seeing the video.
Video content is therefore an invaluable means to capture audience attention and drive brand engagement. Some of the videos produced to drive engagement are tutorials and how-to guides. These kinds of videos effectively educate customers to showcase the practical application of the product. This also helps to show the product’s value and understand its use cases.
Brands also produce videos with behind-the-scenes footage. This is common among fashion labels and video marketing brands trying to show their creative processes to the world. This helps them promote transparency and build trust between potential customers and the brand.
Companies also use videos to tell stories and influence brand narratives. For example, a brand can share customer success stories, its founders’ journey, or its products’ impact on society. This helps them create emotional resonance and a deeper connection with their audience.
Also Read: Effective Way to Optimize the Content for Marketing
Podcasts
Podcasts are now a go-to for people who want to discover more products and learn about their industries without consciously reading content or seeing videos. This is because you can listen to podcasts while driving, doing the laundry or doing the dishes. The ease of listening to podcasts is why at least 42% of Americans from the age of 12 and above listen to a podcast monthly.
Even BuzzSprout states that over 120 million people listen to podcasts in the US (it’s over 420 million globally). These numbers mean that brands are maximizing audio and podcasts to build their brand, get closer to their target audience, and convert these audiences to customers.
For example, content creators who sell beauty products, books or services such as therapy, counseling or management solutions often use podcasts. Companies that sell software products and services also use podcasts – this is because it’s the modern consumer’s preference for on-the-go content consumption.
How do they use it? First, some creators interview industry experts and influencers to teach listeners valuable lessons they may not get somewhere else. For instance, a software company offering cloud services to tech brands may invite industry experts to discuss the future of technology. This insightful conversation can enable listeners to increase their knowledge of the brand and incite interest in its products.
Companies also use podcasts to hold in-depth discussions on relevant topics. This is as simple as using X Spaces (or Twitter Spaces) to discuss and provide valuable insights to listeners. Companies use podcasts to share insights into what the company does. They use this to educate customers more on how they can help them achieve their goals. For example, a marketing agency can use podcasts to tell companies how to position their clients for success. After all, positioning in content marketing is critical to growing a business and getting visibility among the target audience.
All in all, podcasts are accessible and are an engaging way to grow a brand that people trust. This way, companies can capture audience attention and could be well-positioned to succeed in a competitive market.
Interactive content
Every industry is competitive, and to thrive, businesses must invest in as many marketing strategies as possible. This is because they need to find customers everywhere, and the customers are also on social media. In this context, interactive content refers to quizzes, polls and interactive infographics that involve web users. This kind of content is more memorable because it makes the user an essential part of the content’s goal.
For example, a company can post a Twitter poll to know how many customers like their new product line. These results determine if they will make more of that product or reduce production.
A software-based company can also post a LinkedIn poll asking users to vote on an industry practice that should be revived, or it could ask users which segment of their product offers should be improved. This way, the company gets the opinions of some of their customers (and potential ones) and can make decisions based on what the data says.
Companies also use quizzes and assessments to engage and interact with their audience. For example, a beauty brand might create a quiz to help customers find the right skincare products. A financial advisory firm can also offer an assessment to help users understand their investment style. This use of interactive content helps companies provide personalized value while enhancing the user’s connection with the brand.
Polls and surveys are also employed to solicit feedback or opinions from target audiences. This way, companies get to gauge customer preferences or views on industry trends. For instance, a media company might use polls to determine what content their audience prefers – they will utilize this data to shape their future content ideas.
Interactive infographics are also valuable for interactive content. They increase user interaction. How? Users can click through different toggles to reveal more information or navigate different sections to understand complex data. For example, a healthcare company could use an interactive infographic to educate its audience about health statistics or the effects of a healthy lifestyle.
This content entertains and immerses users into the brand’s narrative. This way, the brand can approach the market based on its interpretation of polls, quizzes, assessments and other essential data from interactive content.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing is always an essential part of content marketing. This is because users can easily stumble upon a company’s content via social media. They can then decide to either follow the company or check its website to find out what it does. This scenario works if the content is attractive and compelling. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok and others are great for building real-time engagement, enhancing trust and developing a loyal community.
For example, Nike, Kim Kardashian, and many big brands and content creators you admire have used social media to create a fan base.
Companies also leverage social media marketing to achieve real-time engagement. How? Social media allows companies to share content and interact with audiences through comments or live Q&A sessions. For instance, many retail brands use Instagram Stories to showcase new product arrivals. Giants such as Amazon and Shopify use social media to show their latest tech stack and how it will improve customer experience. On the other hand, tech companies use LinkedIn to share insights into how they solve industry problems. They also show new product offers that their audience may be interested in. This way, they create content and share it where the audience needs it.
Brands also use social media to build personality and community. For example, a fashion brand uses similar tones, colors and inspirational elements to attract more customers. In fact, some argue that tech giant Apple uses the color white in most of its products in order to be a distinct brand that grabs people’s attention. The logic is that white earbuds, earpieces, phones, laptop keyboards and other accessories are one of the easy ways that people can distinguish Apple products.
Aside from using social media to build personality, business-to-business (B2B) companies also build online communities of loyal customers. They encourage user-generated content, create brand hashtags and form groups where users can share experiences and engage with each other.
Social media is also used for content distribution. As Ross Simmonds of Foundation Marketing says, “Create once. Distribute forever.” Companies use the content distribution strategy to get their content before more eyes. They also use it to gain more visibility. For example, blog posts and videos can be converted into shareable content on social media. They can be converted to Twitter threads, LinkedIn posts, Facebook posts, Instagram reels, TikTok reels and YouTube videos.
Email marketing
Email marketing is used to nurture leads (people who have subscribed to your newsletter or downloaded a free eBook). It’s a way to maintain audience engagement through personalized email campaigns to provide regular updates, exclusive offers and valuable content.
Email marketing helps you personalize content for different audience segments. A retail brand can send custom product recommendations to customers based on their past purchases. On the other hand, a service-based company might segment emails based on the services that each subscriber is interested in. If a subscriber is using a free tier service, they would recommend a pro account based on the services used, while a pro account user may receive emails on how to maximize some of the features of the pro version. This personalization makes the content more relevant and engaging to the recipient.
Email marketing also helps deliver exclusive offers and promotions to subscribers, incentivizing them to make a purchase. For instance, an e-commerce site might send a unique discount code to subscribers or provide early access to a sale. Companies also communicate with their subscribers regularly to keep them engaged with the brand. The consistent content could be company news, industry insights, new blog posts or upcoming events.
The goal of email marketing is to increase engagement with customers to propel brand personality and trust. This way, customers can always go back to buy again from the company or use the service for as long as possible.
SEO content
Search engine optimization (SEO) content is about creating written content that ranks on search engines. One way to create content that ranks is to align the piece with search engine algorithms, using tips such as efficient headings (H2s and H3s), SEO keywords where they naturally fit, and images to improve the visual style.
SEO starts with keyword research and optimization. This is the foundation of SEO, as it involves identifying and incorporating relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. For instance, you can find keywords that your audience is searching for using tools such as Semrush, Ahrefs and AnswerThePublic.
Finding keywords that people are looking for helps you optimize your content for them so that you would rank when web users search for blog posts with those keywords. For example, a travel blog might optimize for keywords such as ‘best Canadian destinations’ or ‘budget travel tips’ to attract potential travelers. Why? These are the content types that can appeal to people interested in traveling.
Quality and content relevance are important. Search engines prioritize content that is not only keyword-rich but also high in quality and relevance. This means creating content that practically addresses your target audience’s needs, questions or interests. The content should be well-researched, informative and filled with valuable images so that readers can visualize what is being explained.
The on-page element of SEO should also be taken into account. On-page SEO includes factors such as meta titles, meta descriptions and header tags, all of which help search engines understand the content and context of your pages. This improves ranking potential and makes it easy for readers to click. For example, meta descriptions (the short description you see on each blog post after clicking search on Google) help readers decide where to read while searching for information online.
User experience and engagement are crucial to SEO content. Companies need to ensure that their website is user-friendly, has fast loading times, is optimized for mobile, and is easily navigated. All these aspects keep users on the page longer and signal to search engines that the content is valuable. This way, it will rank higher.
In summary, SEO is an essential part of content marketing. According to a report by Ahrefs, 69% of marketers actively invest time in SEO content because it helps to educate the audience, build customer loyalty and increase leads. It boosts companies’ organic traffic and, if done correctly, it can also be their most significant source of traffic and sales.
User-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) could be reviews, positive comments on social media, testimonials and other content that shows the benefit of a product or service. UGC helps companies use customers’ voices to create a community and build trust and authenticity in their brand. When customers share their content related to a brand, it serves as a genuine endorsement and enriches the brand’s content ecosystem. For example, a TikTok creator who creates content about their love for a fashion brand has produced free content for the company.
A video circulating on Twitter (now X) shows a victim of an accident where everything in the car got burnt except a Stanley’s coffee tumbler. This unexpected video generated over 12 million views, which would have increased sales for the flask company.
Other ways that companies use UGC include the following:
- To build community engagement.
- To show authenticity and social proof as customers express their real-life experiences and satisfaction with the product or services.
- To enhance trust and credibility in the brand to demonstrate confidence.
UGC is a modern marketing element, and it’s exceptional because it provides authentic content from the community to grow the community and inspire trust in the brand.
Conclusion
The various content marketing strategies can capture the audience’s attention and enhance engagement with the brand. This way, companies create a cohesive marketing plan to attract and retain customers. This approach means that companies get to communicate their values, create entertaining and educative content for readers, and drive sustainable growth to increase their competitive digital landscape.