Report: 90% of businesses use content marketing
Content marketing is incredibly important across a variety of industries. Online content can include blog posts, white papers, e-books, press releases, social media posts and much more. Some reports have found that 90 percent of companies have a plan in place to use at least some of these content marketing tactics. Many companies use all of them simultaneously.
What this tells you is that online content is the cornerstone of your marketing plan. It is crucial that you know how to create content that works for your readers. Getting it in front of them is just one step in the process. It only helps when the content itself is effective. There is a lot of competition for traffic to your website and engagement with your brand. The content that you use can help in both of these areas and many more. Not creating a content marketing plan could significantly cost your company in lost sales and exposure.
What makes content effective?
As you put this plan in place, the most important thing to think about is simply your target audience. When you understand your audience, then you will know what type of content works best for them. You can then create it with that audience in mind.
For example, perhaps your audience is very driven by learning new information. They want to do extensive research and they want to learn all of the details before they ever purchase a product or service. They may be interested in more long-form content that provides them with details and insights they cannot get anywhere else. These are people who are very deliberate about the purchases that they make. The more information you can provide for them, the greater the chance that they will turn to your company.
On the other side of the equation, your audience may be busy and on the go. They are often just reading content on their phones or using social media. You may not need to go as in depth when providing them with information, but it is important to be active on a consistent basis. It can often help to answer questions. They may be looking for very specific types of information that they want to find quickly, so providing concise answers is helpful.
Finally, it is important to remember that you can do content marketing for different components of your own audience. For example, if you are targeting new customers, you need to find a way to quickly get them excited about your products and to build trust with your brand. But if you are targeting repeat customers, you already know that they are predisposed to buying your products or services, and they have used them in the past. It can be effective simply to provide them with more information about upcoming projects – or sales and deals that they can take advantage of in the near future.
Your content strategy
The above helps to demonstrate how you need to consider your audience and the different types of online content that you can use. Every audience is unique. But no matter how the specifics apply to your company, it is crucial that you have a defined content marketing plan in place. Our experienced team can help here at Content Customs. Give us a call today to get started.
