1/ What is content marketing?
It is a form of marketing in which content is created and shared online. The content does not refer directly to the company, but rather indirectly.
Example: This post provides general information on content marketing—why it’s important, how to get started, and so on. It barely mentions that you can also outsource this work to a specialized agency;)
Content marketing can take the form of text blogs, videos, podcasts, social media posts, or a mix of all of them.
2/ Why Content Marketing for Businesses?
In both the B2B and B2C sectors, content marketing can help increase visibility and customer loyalty.
Content marketing offers companies the best opportunities to showcase their industry expertise , strengthen their authority , and SEO .
For example, it can be used to answer common customer questions or to back up findings (insights) with statistics.
A structured B2B content marketing strategy helps attract attention and build lasting loyalty .
Staying ahead of the curve in online marketing for the digital future also means maintaining an online presence and creating valuable and entertaining content through a content strategy and social media marketing.
If posts are interesting, entertaining, or informative, people are more likely to forward and share them. This way, you can help others while also increasing your visibility.
3/ Five Content Marketing Tips
3.1/ Don't underestimate the importance of defining goals and strategies ☝
Set your goals before you start producing content.
The foundation for successful content marketing in companies is a solid content marketing strategy. This allows you to follow a“common thread.”
Why do you want to blog? Is it for SEO, do you want to create content for social media, or do you want to keep your existing customer base engaged with exciting updates?
It can also be a combination of these goals; what’s important is that everyone involved knows what the strategy and goals are so that the next steps can be tailored accordingly.
3.2/ Thinking about the target audience… 🤔
A more in-depth analysis of the target audience can help you define the topics more precisely.
Create content that is tailored specifically to your target audience and thus adds value to your business.
Listen to your customers and your target audience. Tailor your content and distribution specifically to your target audience. If necessary, define a persona as precisely as possible.
3.3/ Create an annual plan and, if necessary, a monthly plan🤓
Create an annual or monthly plan. This will help you stick to your strategy, see the “big picture,” and be well prepared.
Even so, you can still bring up current topics spontaneously, without feeling any pressure.
Keyword analysis and Google Trends can be very helpful when defining topics. Here you’ll also find 7 tools for social media content planning.
Captivate your target audience with engaging content. There are a wide variety of marketing tools available, such as blog marketing, newsletters, tutorials, interviews, etc.
“Content is King!”
3.4/ Defining Who Is Responsible for What🤝
It often takes several steps to produce a good article. This includes, among other things:
- Search by Topic
- Concept Development and Keyword Analysis
- Copywriting
- Dual-Control Principle
- Proofreading rounds
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Photo and Video Creation
- Implementation
- Optimal Preparation for Social Media
Effective project management by the agency or a team member is particularly important here.
3.5/ Share your content!📣
Make sure that the content you’ve worked hard to produce gets shared and seen. There are several ways to do this. Among others:
Incorporate your posts into your social media plan and strategy. Your company can help shape and influence how your target audience perceives your posts.
Creative and original ideas are essential for social media management to help your product or service gain more visibility. (Recommended reading: 7 Tips for a Great Instagram Feed)
Email Marketing
Mailings are still a very attractive marketing channel. You can send news to specific, interested individuals and thus also reach out to existing contacts.
Search Engine Optimization
Make sure your posts are optimized for search engines so they’re easy to find. This applies to both videos and text blog posts.
Online Advertising
Where appropriate, use search ads (Google Ads), display ads, native advertising, and Gmail ads to bring your content to your target audience.
“The content marketing strategy should be needs-based so that a connection with the target audience can be established.”
4/ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Through Content Marketing
Blogging is an excellent way to specifically improve your search engine rankings.
This applies not only to consumer products, but also to the B2B sector.
Content marketing allows you to work in a more targeted and effective way. Keywords and SEO content enable you to highlight your content and make your website easier to find.
4.1 Content Marketing SEO Example: B2C
If you search for“foot reflexology”in Switzerland, a blog post by 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’ll find the post by onlineKarma as the first unpaid result. This is also a blog post that was specifically optimized for these terms for search engines.
5. Eight Reasons to Use Content Marketing
- B2B content marketing offers conversion rates that are about 6 times higher than those of 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 three times as many leads. (Source: Lyfemarketing)
- They work to build trust and relationships. By providing high-quality content, they also capture consumers’ attention by giving them the information they need to make an informed purchasing decision.
- Online consumers are 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 do this.
- Content marketing allows your brand to showcase its expertise while providing valuable knowledge. Consumers will remember the brand that provided them with the information they need.
- A brand image can help you connect with your target customers and show them what makes your business special. 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 positively disposed toward a company after reading a blog post about it. 70% feel closer to a company because of its digital marketing presence. (Source: Suxeedo)
Using Content Marketing Strategically
6. Use videos
Quelle Giphy https://giphy.com/
Whether it’s animated GIFs, animated memes, infographics, short videos, cinemagraphs, or comprehensive video campaigns: video is a medium that evokes emotions and creates a compelling and lasting impact.
Use storytelling and draw inspiration from marketing expertise to create content and implement online marketing strategies.
Video content can significantly increase the conversion rate (Source: Content-Garden). One reason for this is the growing flood of information, which means users must select and absorb content more quickly and effectively.
Create content that quickly wins people over and holds their attention for as long as possible. That way, you can stand out from the sea of information and capture your target audience’s interest. This simple, easy-to-produce, and compelling idea is called “snack content.”
A video allows you to provide a realistic look at a product or service and also appeal to the emotional side.
Realness is in demand!
A video doesn’t have to be elaborately produced; it can simply be an interview. And with today’s cell phone 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?
Keep the AIDA model in mind when creating content as well as in other marketing activities:
1/ Attention
Attention is captured (emotions, images, colors, music, etc.). The recipient feels drawn in at first glance and moves on to step two, since she is now interested.
2/ Interest
The recipient is now more interested in the post and is willing to invest a little more time. The next step is to confirm her interest so that we can move on to the “Desire” stage.
3/ Desire
Interest has been confirmed, and now the goal is to spark and reinforce the desire for the offer. A clear message, a special offer, explicit benefits for the recipient, etc.
4/ Action
Give the prospective customer the opportunity to become a customer or to take the desired action right now—without major obstacles, in a simple and straightforward way.
