Content marketing has become so popular that some are predicting its imminent demise. Mostly this view is a reaction to the sheer quantity of content that some organizations are “cranking out,” much of it of marginal value. As in advertising, success depends upon “breaking through the clutter.” The real bottom line is that when your content provides real value to the customer, your reputation is enhanced – your customers ultimately seek out your content because you have built up trust.
Content marketing implies more frequent, more active engagement with your customers, but resources and budgets are always limited at some level. The key is to make certain that your message is aimed directly at your customers’ needs, and is delivered through the best channels for that customer.
To break through this clutter, you must have a plan. In their report, B2B Content Marketing, 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends, North America, that 93% of B2B marketers will use content marketing in 2014, but only 44% have a documented content strategy.
Here are eight essential elements to consider:
- Know your customer. This seems obvious, but you must develop a laser-like focus on the customer’s business challenges, how your product or service can address them, and which channels are best for information delivery.
- Provide value – include detail, actionable data, not overt product sales pitches.
- Include SEO keywords and phrases across all communications elements – no need to be obsessive here, but consistency in presenting your value proposition is essential.
- Think creatively: “content” is a generic, all-inclusive term that fails to describe what the “content” needs to achieve: grab attention, like an ad or tradeshow display, but convince the reader to consume detailed information – the message must immediately resonate with the customer.
- Write down your plan, obtain the necessary buy-ins for your organization. Part of this process will be budgeting and ROI analysis.
- Evaluate your channels: active communications vehicles such as newsletters and blogs introduce new thought quickly and create audience anticipation. White papers and contributed articles provide depth. Social media visibility is increasingly important, as your audience expects to see you on Facebook and Twitter. Customer community initiatives, such as user groups, establish conversations with and between customers. Together, as part of a content marketing strategy, all of these opportunities create substantive customer engagement.
- In-house vs. outsourcing: most organizations will want to take maximum advantage of in-house resources for two reasons: first, in-house staff are the real product experts, and second, it’s good to put a face with a message. However, product managers usually must give the highest priority to the product, not to marketing activities. Consider outsourcing for strategic content marketing advice, writing and editing, and support for blogs and newsletters, including managing the release calendars. Of course because Internet brings immediacy, be prepared to address topical issues as they come up.
- Build thought leadership by encouraging and coordinating conference participation, analyst visibility, and industry association participation by selected executives.
It’s always a good idea to look at what others are doing – your own competitors, of course, but also larger companies that have extensive resources at their disposal and have been communicating with large customer bases for many years. One company that has been mentioned often in content marketing circles is John Deere. The company itself dates back to 1837, and they have published a magazine, The Furrow, since 1895. A form of content marketing, this magazine contains interesting and useful articles for Deere’s customers.
In the technology arena, Oracle is an example of a company with a vast array of customer engagement vehicles, including digital magazines and user communities – even its own tradeshows, . [Oracle Magazine + Java Magazine]
Finally, content marketing can provide excellent bang-for-the-buck because it can efficiently foster direct contact between an organization and individual constituents. Managed with a focus on quality and value for the customer, it will attract the interest of prospects and nurture them into customers.