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Freestak attended the #EdgeLondon Conference along with 100+ other marketing professionals to explore various aspects of digital marketing including content, PPC, SEO & Social Media.  We will be blogging about our key learning’s over the coming weeks.

 

Part 1: Content is king

(Presentation by Mike McGrail)

Whilst content marketing has been around for quite some time (think back to 60’s print adverts) it is something that is becoming increasingly powerful as the world moves digital. Businesses need to adapt marketing strategies and campaigns in order to respond to consumer habits. These habits are becomingly increasingly focused around interacting with businesses that have more to offer then just a product. Consumers want to buy into a lifestyle, a club, a secret….that is where content comes in.

Content is used to inspire, inform, spark emotion and conversation, all of which can help build a business or brand, its image and more importantly its following. Good content can be anything from a video, a blog post even a tweet- as long as it encourages engagement. A great example shown at the conference of good content was a video from the US made by Dollar Shave Club.

 

 

Whilst it may not be suitable for all audiences it is certainly memorable, and went viral with over 11 million views. This is an extreme example of content however, the principle remains the same- you must inspire, inform or spark emotion and conversation.

 

Now, coming up with content ideas is the hard part, or so most think. It really is as simple as going back to why the company exists- what is the heritage, why did the business start, the ethos? Look to the team for content, let them have a free reign to write about their thoughts, adventures or give relevant advice. The reason businesses exist? Customers- this group of people is the greatest marketing tool, and one that should be nurtured. They will all have a story to tell, and if it involves the product or service? Great- use them, make them ambassadors, storytellers and content generators.

There is unfortunately a ‘serious’ element to content that cannot be ignored whist dreaming up that new company video. Content needs to be planned and monitored in order for it to work and become an effective marketing tool.  Here are the basic steps to follow when thinking about when developing a content strategy.

 1)   Profile the customer

Take time to understand the customer. Why and how they use the product and how the product may serve a different purpose to a different customer.

 2)   Content type

Is a video the only way of reaching the customer- could they watch the video at work or on the train? Could a tweet or blog post be easier to read?

 3)   Map Content

Think themes, days, weeks, months, platforms and authors. Vary the content. Allow for spontaneity if content is created to react to something.

 4)   Check that content is performing

Use tools such as Google analytics to understand how the content is being read. Focus on the big performers and check that traffic doesn’t become stagnant.

 

Finally, a couple of thoughts to take away and perhaps give you a nudge to look at developing a more comprehensive content strategy:

  • All business will be publishers
  • Consumers are constantly expecting more
  • Re-active/ real-time marketing is increasing
  • Variety of purchase trigger points are increasing

 

 

 

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