1/ What is Content Marketing?
It is a form of marketing where content is created and shared online. This content relates to the company indirectly rather than directly.
Example: This post offers general information on Content Marketing, including its relevance and how to approach it. It's barely mentioned that this work can also be outsourced to a specialized agency ;)
Content Marketing can take various forms, such as text blogs, videos, podcasts, social media posts, or a combination of these.
2/ Why Content Marketing for Businesses?
In both B2B and B2C sectors, Content Marketing can help increase visibility and customer loyalty.
Content Marketing provides companies with excellent opportunities to showcase their industry expertise, strengthen their authority, and engage in SEO.
For example, it can be used to answer common customer questions or to present results (insights) supported by statistics.
Structured B2B Content Marketing helps to attract attention and build lasting engagement.
Staying competitive for the digital future in online marketing also means being visible online and creating informational and entertainment value through a content strategy and Social Media Marketing.
If your posts are interesting, entertaining, or educational, they will be readily shared and forwarded. This way, you can help people while simultaneously increasing your visibility.
3/ Five Content Marketing Tips
3.1/ Don't underestimate the importance of defining goals and strategy ☝
Define your goals before you begin creating content.
A solid content marketing strategy is the foundation for successful content marketing for businesses. This allows you to follow a clear direction.
Why do you want to blog? Is it for SEO, to provide content for Social Media, or to engage your existing customer base with exciting updates?
It could also be a combination of these goals. The key is that everyone involved understands the strategy and objectives, so that subsequent steps can be planned accordingly.
3.2/ Think about your target audience… 🤔
A thorough analysis of your target audience can help you define your topics more precisely.
Create content that is precisely tailored to your target audience, thereby adding value to your business.
Listen to your customers and your target audience. Align your content and its distribution specifically with them. If necessary, define a persona as precisely as possible.
3.3/ Create annual and potentially monthly plans🤓
Establish an annual or monthly plan. This helps you adhere to your strategy, maintain a clear direction, and stay well prepared.
Even with a plan, you can still spontaneously address current topics without feeling pressured.
Keyword analyses and Google Trends can be very helpful in defining topics. You can also find 7 tools for social media content planning here.
Engage your target audience with attractive content. There are various marketing tools available, such as blog marketing, newsletters, tutorials, interviews, etc.
“Content is King!"
3.4/ Define Responsibilities 🤝
Often, several stages are required to create a high-quality piece of content. These include:
Topic research
Conception and keyword analysis
Writing
Four-eyes principle
Revision rounds
Optimizing for search engines (SEO)
Image and Video Creation
Implementation
Optimizing content for Social Media
Effective project management, whether from the agency or a team member, is especially crucial here.
3.5/ Distribute your content!📣
Ensure that the meticulously produced content is distributed and seen. You have several options for this, including:
Integrate the posts into your social media planning and strategy. Your company can co-determine and influence how your target audience perceives your posts.
Creative and original ideas are essential for social media management to ensure your product or service gains more visibility. (Reading tip: 7 tips for a top Insta-Feed)
Email Marketing
Mailings remain a highly attractive marketing channel. They allow you to send targeted news to interested individuals and engage with existing contacts.
Search Engine Optimization
Ensure that your content is optimized for search engines so it can be easily found. This applies to both videos and text-based blog posts.
Online Advertising
Where appropriate, utilize search advertising (Google Ads), display advertising, native advertising, and Gmail advertising to bring your content closer to your target audience.
““The content marketing strategy should be needs-oriented to foster a connection with the target audience.”“
4/ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) through Content Marketing
Blogging is an excellent way to specifically improve your search engine ranking.
This applies not only to consumer products but also in the B2B sector.
Content marketing allows you to work more targeted and effectively. Keywords and SEO content enable you to highlight content and make your website more discoverable.
4.1 Content Marketing SEO Example B2C
If you search for “foot reflexology massage” in Switzerland, a blog post from our client "Bodyzone" appears among the top results. This is because Bodyzone's content marketing strategy is directly linked to its SEO strategy.
4.2 Content Marketing SEO Example B2B
If you search for «GDPR Checklist Switzerland» in Switzerland, you will find the article by onlineKarma as the first unpaid result. This is also a blog post specifically optimized for these terms for search engines.
5. Eight Reasons for Content Marketing
B2B Content Marketing offers approximately 6 times higher conversion rates than other digital marketing methods. It enhances brand image both qualitatively and quantitatively. (Source: Lyfemarketing)
Content marketing is more cost-effective than traditional marketing and generates 3 times more Leads. (Source: Lyfemarketing)
It helps build trust and relationships. With good content, you also capture attention by providing consumers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.
The online consumer is more likely to make a purchase after reading recommendations on a blog. (Source: Suxeedo)
SEO plays an important role in improving your business's online visibility. For effective SEO , you need to create optimized content; content marketing is one of the best ways to achieve this.
Content marketing allows your brand to demonstrate its expertise while also providing valuable knowledge. Consumers will remember the brand that provided them with the necessary information.
A strong brand image can help you connect with your target customers and show them what makes your company unique. One of the best ways to showcase your personality is through the content you create and publish.
60% of consumers enjoy reading relevant content from companies. 82% feel more positive about a company after reading a blog article about it. 70% feel closer to a company because of its digital marketing presence. (Source: Suxeedo)
6. Use Videos
Whether animated GIFs, animated memes and infographics, short videos, cinemagraphs, or comprehensive video campaigns: The medium of "video" evokes emotions and creates a compelling and lasting impact.
Engage in storytelling and draw inspiration from marketing knowledge for content creation and online marketing initiatives.
Moving images can significantly increase the conversion rate (Source: Content-Garden). One reason for this is the increasing flood of information, which requires users to select and absorb content more quickly and effectively.
Create content that quickly convinces and captures attention for as long as possible. This way, you can stand out from the abundance of information and capture the interest of your target audience. This simple, easily produced, and engaging idea is called: Snack Content.
A video allows you to provide a real insight into a product or service and also appeal to the emotional side.
Authenticity is key!
A video doesn't have to be elaborately produced; it can also be a simple interview. And with today's smartphone cameras, you can produce videos that are perfectly adequate for blogs, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
With creativity, authenticity, agility, speed, and a good understanding of your target audience, you can develop a perfect content marketing strategy.
- Bonus Tip -
Do you follow the AIDA Marketing Model?
Consider the AIDA model for both content creation and other marketing activities:
1/ Attention
Attention is captured (emotions, images, colors, music, etc.). The recipient is immediately engaged and moves on to step two, as they are now interested.
2/ Interest
The reader is now more interested in the content and ready to spend more time. The goal now is to confirm this interest and move towards creating desire.
3/ Desire
Once interest is confirmed, the aim is to build and strengthen the desire for your offering. This can be achieved through a clear message, a special offer, or by highlighting explicit benefits for the reader.
4/ Action
Now, make it easy for the interested person to become a customer or to take the desired action – without any major hurdles, simply and smoothly.
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Questions and Feedback?
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