“Content Marketing” How to make it work

Content Marketing isn’t just about creating great content. It is a systematic approach of creating content in various forms viz. blogs, e-books, guides, videos, pricing sheets, brochures etc., making your content search friendly and easily available where the consumer is looking for it, make them engage with this content and finally convert them as qualified leads or even better, clients.

Consumers receive hundreds of emails and messages (which usually go unnoticed) where companies try to sell their products. Adapting to the changing circumstances and looking for new ways to keep consumers engaged is increasingly becoming challenging. On the same note, understanding whether content marketing can work for your company or how to make it work for you is something to ponder over.While the volumes and velocity of data will keep increasing as we shift to better technology, the key is to generate fresh content that finds its niche and is able to do what it was supposed to, ‘meet quantified business goals’. Some of the recent examples of businesses which have created great engaging content are BuzzFeed-style online quizzes, Tastemade’s short food videos, Scoop Whoop’s numerical articles.

Here are some of the things you need to keep in mind before getting into a content marketing exercise:

Budget: Be clear about budgets involved in the overall process. Include time cost of people involved be it internal or external resources. Include budgets for promoting your content and determine the promotional plan mix. Are you using Facebook or LinkedIn or associating with influencers to spread the content organically into their networks?

Resources: Will your existing internal marketing team be responsible for creation and distribution of the content. Do they have the expertise? Are you going to hire freelancers or work with an agency?

Technology: Does your company use a marketing automation platform that can help you to optimize and distribute the content seamlessly? Do you use platforms like Taboola or Outbrain to promote your content? Do you have the access to your company’s emailing database?

According to a report by Curata, 42% B2B companies have hired professionals to deal with content marketing and it is estimated to cross 50% by 2017. 48% of respondents are not curating their content. Just 29% of leading marketers systematically reuse and repurpose content, and 37% never complete a content audit.

The scope of Content Marketing lies in the fact that it can help in increasing reach and recognition for a brand. Offering good and relevant content consistently generates customer’s interest and encourages them to return for more. But as with any other methods of marketing, Content Marketing is also evolving as technology constantly alters the way we consume information.

Here are 5 Content Marketing trends for 2016 and how you could make content marketing work for your company:

1. Investing in mobile marketing will help you see better results.
2. Interactive content will bring more engagement.
3. Personalization of content will be key!
4. Brands will start posting content in real time.
5. Paid social outreach will be on the rise.

Read more insights here “Digital Marketing Trends to Watch Out For in 2016

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