Content Marketing – Not a Grandfather’s Tale

Content marketing is not a new concept. The term has been around for as long as we can speak. From cave paintings, to cutting-edge infographics- fast forward to tomorrow’s iconic meme. In this digital age, our strategies for content marketing are always evolving and shifting in mediums. After all, it is story telling in its basic form.

When grandpa tells a story, we would be all ears. Similarly, our attention always goes out to those who tell great stories. However, when you reveal the layers of techniques, trends and possibilities, it becomes a business opportunity. As there are many types of content marketing, we will not besiege you with examples but get you thinking like a content marketer to keep your creative juices flowing for content ideas.

COPY SELLS, CONTENT TELLS

To make the most of your content marketing, it is essential to understand the difference between sales copy and content. Both are closely related but the greatest distinction lies in its intentions.

· Copy: Written communication for advertising and marketing purposes to raise brand awareness, selling people on an ideology or persuade your target audience to take an action.

Example: Brochures, Ad Initiatives (Banner Ads, Social Media Ads) , Email marketing, Landing pages

· Content: Aims to educate, inspire or entertain your audience through media and creativity.

Example: Infographics, Videos, Podcast, Blogs, SEO

In other words, copywriting is content, but not all content is copywriting. While copywriting is advertorial in nature, content writing extends far beyond copy. It is an art of creating content and editorial that represents the brand’s voice with a good read. Hence, having the right mix of content and copy skills will drive the success of your marketing efforts.

MARKETING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT GREAT CONTENT

Think about it, without content, social media, SEOs, websites, podcast (the list is endless) would not exist. You need content to fuel these channels, pilot traffic and increase brand loyalty to eventually drive long term sales. This means content marketing is more than a one-off advertisement but a long-term strategy that builds strong relationship with your target audience by providing high-quality relevant content on a consistent basis.

Great content gives your audience something to talk about. If your content is local and offers benefits or of interest to the readers, they are teaching others about you.

We have listed a few questions to achieve a well- planned purpose when strategising your content:

1. Who is your audience?

Who will be reading the content? It’s easy to fall into the habit of writing to impress but what differentiates a good write will attract your readers. To build your audience, you would need to first define your target demographics.

• Age

• Gender

• Location

• Income bracket

• Education

• Occupation

• Marital Status

• Personality/ Values

• Interest/ Hobbies

• Lifestyle/ Behaviour

2. What is the purpose?

Naturally, your product or service seeks to solve existing consumer problems. When you understand the under-lining issue your customers are facing, it is very easy to market your solutions. An overarching content design supports people on both ends of your product: those who are new to your brand and require some assistance and loyal customers who are already convinced.

3. What is your USP (Unique Selling Point)?

Competition is a natural order in business, especially for e-commerce where it’s not just local competitors that you need to be wary about. It means knowing the right way to position your brand. AND FAST! This is where content comes in; prove why your product is worth their money, stand out and not blend in.

• Qualitative customer research

• Customer value focused

• “Talk the talk and Walk the walk’ Slogan

4. Why the chosen content format and channels?

It is expected that your business will have many types of profiles, with different information seeking behaviour; visually or audibly. Likewise, your content strategy can cater to more than one type of viewers by using a variety of content types and channels to deliver your contents.

• Infographics

• Blog post

• Videos

• Motion graphics

• Webinars

• Social media post (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

Having identified the topics and channels with your defined target audience in mind, you can start determining the budget for each in precedence order.

IT IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT

Many business companies have great intentions to provide good regular content for their readers. However, without proper content creation planning, what starts out strong may eventually become sporadic meaningless content. We like to treat content marketing as a marathon of long term investment, patience and commitment to reach our goals.

Finding your target audience is already half the battle won. Continue the same persistence to plan, write and schedule weekly content to get to know your audience and keep them engaged. To help your team stay in track, below are some tips to create an editorial calendar around topics:

1. Choose a hosting platform

Where content stands out is that a brand owns the distribution channels and not constantly purchasing rented spaces in order to market. No matter which medium you choose, you should have your own website to house all your content. It’s a one stop place for anyone to discover and learn more about you. Additionally, you may link all your social media platforms and distribution channels on this page for more reach.

2. Set a goal for your content

Remember, your identified content should ultimately serve your audience’s needs. Formulate how the story will go, decide how you can repurpose it to improve your business and it will be a lot easier to write.

Always ask yourself: What are your expectations and what is it you want to accomplish to build relationships with your intended markets?

3. Plan your content

A big part of content marketing is to ensure your content is appealing and easy to comprehend.

• Clear & Concise: Avoid jargons and technical language that may alienate readers and make them click away.

• Insightful Header: Titles are most likely to be read first, hence contain it at the fewest possible words, yet adequately describing the content. Clickbait and misleading headlines may initially entice them to view but will quickly frustrate and drive them away from actually reading the content.

• Sub headers: Most readers may not have time to fully indulge in heavy readings. Use short descriptive subheadings and bulleted list to break up the content for easy scanning and digestion of information.

4. Establish a frequency

It is figuring out what you and your team can realistically manage and creating a plan to achieve that target. Meanwhile, also considering your audience and their schedule to attain their full commitment to the readings.

MEASURES TO BE IN A LIMELIGHT

If content marketing is about providing value to your audience and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is about determining the value of your content, then it’s definite that they go hand-in-hand. Without one, your efforts on the other will be severely diminished. One can write influential content, but to optimised it, you will have to embed important keywords to improve online visibility and ranking on Google. Hence, with this integrated marketing strategy, it will take your brand’s marketing to the next level.

YOUR BRAND HAS A STORY? LET THE GRANDPA DO THE TALKING.

Today, more than ever before, where attention is our most valuable resource, we have witness “marketing professionals” try to outshout each other- from loud crazy hard-line content publishing to even outlandish promises.

At Roxwell, we strengthen your brand holistically in front of your target audience and determine big picture goals for you. We go the distance in accomplishing your marketing goals by executing a well-thought and crafted content, aimed at the right audiences to beget great exposure.

Want to customise your own content marketing strategy? You may drop us a line