The amount of content and information in the marketplace is more than abundant, it’s down right chaotic. Add that to the fact that consumers are busier now than ever, how does anyone manage to dig through the massive wealth of content and find the information they need to guide them through the decision-making process?
According to a study shared by business management firm, Content4Demand (C4D), 74% of consumers claim that they have less time to find and consume content. This means all those pictures, blogs, articles, and information that your brand shares could be getting overlooked. That being said, delivering interactive content that is fast and easy to read is essential to good brand health.
There is a large number of ways in which we can provide consumers with the information they need to navigate the rough seas of the decision-making process - and if you’re wanting to stay upfront and relevant, it must be done with a creative twist. Here are a few ways to create killer content.
BLOGGING
When it comes to writing blogs, there are key insights that marketers have uncovered to make your content really shine. At a basic level, featuring information that is relevant and seasonal is a must. Writing about an outdated or irrelevant topic makes your brand look tired, prehistoric, and does nothing good for your organic SEO. Take advantage of seasons and holidays by delivering content that consumers can use right away. For example, if you’re a company that specializes in craft sales, offer tips on how to plan the perfect picnic during the summertime, not how to assemble a gingerbread house.
Another pointer is to blog early and often. Frequent blogs provide rich, organic SEO results for your brand. To reap these benefits, be sure to include keywords and phrases that are relevant to your brand and its message. 85% of your blogs should be 1000-1500 words, while the other 15% should ring in right around 2,500 words.
To make content even more accessible, give your audience a rundown of everything they might have missed. C4D suggests creating weekly highlights to recap discussions from the previous week. The firm does something called “Fast and Easy Fridays”, where they revisit hit articles from the preceding week. By recapping this information, they’re giving their audience the news they need, in a form that is fast, easy, and user-friendly.
VIDEOS
With platforms such as YouTube, launching videos has never been easier - or cheaper! You can literally use your smart phone to record, edit and publish videos on the internet. It doesn’t get much better than that. Video marketing is rapidly becoming more and more popular as consumer preferences and the way we access information evolves. 87% of consumers prefer their favorite brands to provide audio-visual content that can be accessed on demand. This statistic even further proves the point mentioned earlier - that consumers have less time to scroll through dozens of articles and gather information to drive purchase decisions.
If you are new to video marketing, here are a few pointers to keep in mind before getting behind the camera. C4D advises brands to think outside of the box. There are millions of videos on the web - do your best to ensure your business is taking a creative approach that is unique to your brand.
One way to do this is to provide answers to frequently asked questions in your video. Doing so allows your audience to gain faster, more in-depth answers than they would on a more conventional, written FAQ page. Additionally, your brand can utilize video to show your products in action. Not only will this answer potential questions from consumers, it will also help motivate your customers through the decision-making process, thereby making a purchase and putting money into your pocket.
PODCASTS
Similar to video marketing, podcasts are also rising in popularity. There are many characteristics that podcasts share with videos. Brands that are in the business of selling information, rather than products, should focus most of their attention on creating podcasts instead of videos. For example, religious influencers, comedians, community activists, or sports commentators might find that podcasts have a great impact on their audience. Whereas video marketing adds a level of personalization by allowing users to put a face to a name, podcasts have their own touch of intimacy and can be accessed in nearly any environment - even while sitting in traffic!
The key to having a successful podcast is planning. Choose your topic of choice, research, and listen to other similar podcasts to light your creative fire. Next, decide how long you want your podcast to be. Do a practice run before hitting record to make sure you can fill the time slot. From here you’ll want to format, structure and plan your content. Write a script for yourself that includes topics, notes and interesting thoughts to help your conversation flow and your personality shine through. Once you’ve done all the necessary prep work, it’s time to record, edit and broadcast!
INFLUENCERS
More and more companies looking to create a buzz-worthy online presence are turning to influencers to give their social media a little something extra. A social influencer is a person (famous or common) who is selected by a company to act as a spokesperson for their brand and promote their products. Influencers have a talent for attracting followers and setting trends, and have the power to generate a huge following for your brand. 65% of consumers say that they prefer their favorite brands to provide credible content through industry influencers. These influencers can be anyone from Kim Kardashian, to an Average Joe that simply has a captivating personality. When choosing an influencer to represent your brand, it is highly advised to proceed with caution. Putting someone as the face of your brand can have larger-than-life affects on your company. Just as equally, they can do severe damage to your brand’s reputation in the event that something goes sour.
To avoid potential hazards, choose someone who possesses a talent for attracting followers and can represent your brand and its values. Once you’ve got someone in mind, it is imperative to clearly communicate any rules and guidelines, and the role they will be taking on as the influencer for your brand. Create a contract outlining your intentions and include an excerpt about exclusivity - during the influencer’s time as your brand ambassador, they should be representing your brand and your brand only, otherwise you might not see as great of an impact.
METRICS
As with any great thing, you cannot manage what you can’t measure. Collecting data throughout your campaigns allows you to see what’s working and what’s not. This supplies great insight into the performance and overall health of your marketing strategy. The key metrics to track are overall site visits, web traffic and bounce rates. Many platforms such as Mailchimp and Facebook offer free analytics tools where you can run reports to get a better idea of the success of your campaign. Once you’re able to see such data, you can continuously fine-tune your campaign until it’s operating at its fullest potential.
The digital world we live in has become saturated with content. Break through the clutter by doing something extraordinary. When it comes to designing your next campaign, think outside of the box to come up with content that will make your brand shine.
JanMar knows content! We have the knowledge, skills and expertise to create stunning logos, campaigns, and designs that will blow your audience away!