The Beginners Journey Into Content Marketing
We have all been there when you became acquainted about this stunning thing called the internet and from that point forward we put in hours, and hours on it. We have consumed more content than a normal Baby Boomer did at any point in his/her lifetime.
In a world of constant notifications, Tweets, Snaps, and Netflixing, the number one asset in our society is attention. Quite frankly, the internet owns it. Truth be told, the average internet user is now spending over two hours per day on social media consuming content.
Regardless of whether it’s the ongoing subscription war between Pew Die Pie v T- Series on YouTube, Kim Kardashian on Instagram, Thunder Puff on Medium our consideration frequently will in general lean towards individuals who tell their stories in an immersive and engaging manner.
As consumer behavior changes to look into research-based purchasing, content has turned into a critical weapon of choice to the experts, particularly marketers. This fixation on producing extraordinary content has to lead to something called “content marketing”.
Content can do numerous and enormous things for organizations. It can drive new clients, lower advertising expenses, and keep current clients intrigued. We term it ‘quality written content makes all the difference’ or “content is king”.
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” ~ Andrew Davis
All of this sounds great, but what does it actually mean? How can I use content marketing for my business??
What is Content Marketing?
I bet, when you hear “content marketing,” you think about blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and viral YouTube videos.
But, it’s been around far longer than the internet.
Why?
Because content marketing is all about storytelling — and humans have told stories for as long as they could speak.
Great content marketing can take your business from a little razor organization to a viral sensation. That is actually what happens when the folks at One Dollar Shave Club launched their store using a simple video:
“Content marketing is really like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date.” ~ David Beebe
Why Content Marketing Is Important?
Content marketing is at the heart of the most successful digital marketing campaigns. Behind every great brand is the wealth of valuable and relevant content that really connects with the company’s audience. But you may still be wondering, why is content marketing important?
The goal of content marketing is to:
- Provide valuable information to customers
- Create brand awareness
- Facilitate deeper customer engagement
- Drive customer acquisition
With all the benefits described above, it’s easy to see why is content marketing important for businesses of all sizes. Not only does content marketing help you boost visibility, but it can also help you build stronger relationships with your leads and customers.
“Traditional marketing is telling the world you’re a rockstar. Content marketing is showing the world that you are one.” — Robert Rose
How do you use content marketing ??
Stan Lee and his crew created Marvel, as we know it, in the 1960s. They tried to tell the best stories that they could. Their initial comics have consistently sold millions of copies each month.
Marvel still dominates the comic book space today, with not only a crazy market share of about 30% but also sky high order numbers for individual comic book issues:
And, even though the comic book industry made a whopping $540 million last year, it absolutely pales when compared to the sales of merchandise around those books.
Last year alone, Disney, who bought Marvel in 2009, recorded sales of $40 billion dollars, just from merchandise.
Again: They made $40 billion from selling mugs, plastic figures, and t-shirts. This number doesn’t include any money generated from movies or theme park entrance fees. Just merchandise.
Mind-blowing.
That means:
- Good storytelling alone = a truckload of money, but…
- Good storytelling + great products = 80 truckloads of money
In Marvel’s case, the story was the product and then additional merchandise came along the way. Even today, the story should come long before the product.
By far, the easiest way to tell great stories, around which you can build great products, is with blogs.
“When we create something, we think, ‘Will our customers thank us for this?’ I think it’s important for all of us to be thinking about whatever marketing we’re creating; is it really useful to our customers? Will they thank us for it? I think if you think of things through that lens, it just clarifies what you’re doing in such a simple, elegant way.” — Ann Handle
Future of Marketing
Emerging technology is predicted to go mainstream over the next two years, and its widespread availability will create opportunities for marketers to optimize their content.
By 2021, early adopter brands that redesign their websites to support visual and voice search will increase digital commerce revenue by 30%.
And experts predict that AR/VR will amass $150 billion in revenue by 2020, indicating that the production of visual content will go from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a ‘must-have’.
While virtual reality still represents unexplored territory for most, its rise can serve as a reminder to keep experimenting with visual content such as interactive graphics, imagery, videos, and apps.
As perfectly summarized by Ginny Mineo, you should:
“Re-calibrate your strategy between compounding, recurring, and experimental content channels.”
The successful content marketers of the future will learn from the past and quickly adapt to the present.
Content marketing can transform itself by relying on selective, higher-quality content, powered by smarter research and emerging technologies.
