October 22, 2018

Content that works best for marketers: 6 key takeaways

marketers - good, better, best drawn by hand

Have you ever wondered why brands are increasingly choosing content marketing over traditional methods as part of their marketing strategy? Well, it’s because content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about three times as many leads! Today, 93% of B2B marketers use content marketing to communicate with their audience. But what is more important to note is that 57% of these marketers prioritise custom content when marketing their brand.

Content marketing is relevant for a business only when it is aimed at the right audience. So as a content creator it is crucial to embrace the brand’s need by creating more customised content. Here are six key takeaways that address a content marketer’s needs:

1. Personalise content 

Today, brands are all about creating a personalised content journey for their audience. For a content creator, ensuring a tailored experience is the need of the hour. Whether it is personalising email newsletters or putting together a social media campaign, customised content has a way of showcasing a more human side of the brand. Case in point: when Cadbury allowed consumers to personalise its Facebook campaign it was instantly a huge hit.

2. Put experience first, brand later

A brand needs to not only be backed by top-notch content but should also identify with the mood of its audience. Brands often use feelings to drive connections and create awareness. One such very successful example is Coca-Cola’s ‘Open Happiness’ campaign.

This campaign was set among freshers in college. Given their reluctance to interact, Coca-Cola designed bottle caps that could not be opened individually; instead, one cap had to be paired with another to be unscrewed. This ensured that the freshers sought out a partner and started a conversation.

3. Subtly integrate branded content 

Branded content has often had a bad reputation. But if the content creator has the power to seamlessly integrate the brand, it’s a win-win situation.

Gatorade’s piece of branded content was slick! ‘The Boy Who Learned to Fly’ was a mini-biopic featuring the legendary Usain Bolt with subtle background advertising by Gatorade.

Less is more when it comes to integrating branded content.

ALSO READ : Great content marketing examples for audience engagement

4. Generate interactive content

Based on a study by Time magazine, an average individual loses concentration after a mere 8 seconds when reading a piece of content! With an attention span this limited, brands have to focus on creating content that is interactive.

Interactive content pieces, videos, polls, calculators, assessments, and email are some ways to nurture an interactive relationship with customers.

Buzzfeed is the uncrowned king of creating interactive content. It uses interactive quizzes, pop culture polls, and customer-driven content on various social media platforms that have been known to generate 75% of its data traffic on some occasions!

5. Ensure platform-specific content

Content is a multifaceted tool, but often different platforms need tailored content to boost maximum brand engagement. Brands are now embracing the concept of creating and curating platform-specific content.

With platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, brands need to be creative and know their audience, much like Blenders Eyewear did. This sunglass brand built itself through a clever combination of Facebook ads and an Instagram influencer outreach program.

Visible engagement came from the company’s Instagram page, which consisted of curated pictures and videos of influencers endorsing their sunglasses. Additionally, content posted on Facebook helped generate customer feedback that decreased their cost-per-click by a whopping 40%!

6. Align content with the brand’s goal

Content marketers often face the tricky problem of generating content that is in sync with their brand’s ultimate goal. From creating blogs to videos on social media, brands are doing it all. But HubSpot is a brand that has done it right.

A developer and marketer of software products for inbound marketing and sales, HubSpot’s goals were clear. Its content marketing strategy focused on in-depth topics its users were interested in, upgrades such as eBooks, and videos for Facebook and LinkedIn to generate traffic! Clearly, HubSpot knew how to ace it.

Conclusion

These six examples of successful brands are just a learning curve for content creators to get their creative juices flowing. About 70% of marketers lack a consistent or integrated content strategy. If you are a content creator, this A-list guide should help you take notes and manoeuvre marketers on to a path that works best for them.