Content Marketing Done Right

Content marketing when done right can deliver exceptional results yet
as many as 75% of marketing departments are doing content marketing the
wrong way. One big and critical difference between content marketing and
promotional marketing can be summed up in these two words: sharing
versus telling.


Today’s digital savvy buyers and educated consumers are ignoring
traditional advertising and sales tactics like never before. They have
become immune to brands telling them what to buy. Banner ads and online
advertising are also feeling the heat with ad blocking technologies like
AdBlock and AdDetctor helping consumers avoid advertising altogether.
As one marketing agency stated “Internet savvy people are more likely to
sign up for a trip to Mars than click on some banner ads.”


So, the logic would follow as buyers and consumers turn away from
interruption ads online and are even using tools to nullify them, then
marketing have responded to this challenge to ad weariness, right?


Ah no, this is unfortunately not always the case.

Marketing is contributing to “Content Blindness”

When developing content marketing strategies, over 75% of marketing
leaders report that product mentions are a regular tactic in their
content strategies. (The Economist Group). Marketing
departments have responded to the move away from online advertising or
“ad blindness”by viewers and implemented content marketing tactics to
counteract this decline in raising product awareness. However by
flooding the social media networks with promotional lead content, they
are in fact now encouraging “content blindness”.


The sharing of content has become a breeding ground for brand
plugging and promotional stuffing. The result is audiences are now
starting to see some content shared by brands as being deceiving,
missing out on the fact that when you strip away the advertising pitch
many of these brands have powerful stories to share.


Content marketing is primarily about sharing great stories and as you
earn the audiences trust you can begin selling your products. The hard
sales pitch tends to turn off potential customers, so rather going
straight into selling mode, start with building trust and credibility
through informative content that adds value.


Prior to publishing an article or blog post, ask the following questions:

• Does the content offer real insights on a market or interest OTHER than plugging how great a product or service is?
• Do the articles and blogs showcase the company’s expertise by providing actionable tips or research based analysis?

If the answer is, “Yes,” to these questions, your content is ready to publish.


Hold on I hear you say, so if we work diligently to create content
NOT to sell to our readers, then how do we use content marketing sell?”


Well research shows that less is more, the least sales pitch
orientated articles drive more sales when executed correctly. This is
because the content will drive awareness (inform, educate, amuse,
engage) and ultimately help prospects become qualified leads as they
consider you as a viable purchasing option.


Any business can create a content marketing journey for their
prospects and over time gently guide them to the solution to solve their
problems: considering your product or service. But the patience and
skill is you have to let them arrive at that conclusion at their own
pace.

Educate Through Content – Highlight Your Expertise

Real content marketing is about sharing thought leadership or
research, addressing problems or market trends your customers or
potential customers face. This stream of valuable content acts like a
seed, planting the ideas which overtime grows into the realisation to
prospects that they need your product or service.


The stark reality is that the press release route and publishing
in-depth product descriptions serves only to create a wall between you
and your audience. Audiences just tune out if they have not been primed
with educational content before you go for the sale with “sales
content”.


Also B2B buyers now use social media to research trends, reviews and
ways to improve their business. This presents a great opportunity for
marketers. But are B2B marketers missing the mark?


Well, the CMO Council studied how buyers viewed content published by
business-to-business marketers. This quote may help focus your content
strategy: “Business to business buyers and influencers are turned off by
self-serving, irrelevant, over-hyped, and overly technical content.”


Still lots of B2B marketers think that “content marketing” almost
like a Trojan horse, publishing product descriptions in the guise of
content. But buyers constantly remind us they are not ready to be sold
the moment they see some sales content. Their journey is about accessing
content that understands their problems first.


So when publishing content on forums, LinkedIn or on the company blog, keep these best practices in mind:

1. Hold the sell. As most readers are looking to learn
   more about a topic, do not start bombarding them with promotional
   jabber. Content sharing focuses on engaging them through quality
   articles packed with valuable insights to encourage them to learn more.
   Remember, in the sales process it takes anywhere between three and
   thirteen interactions for a prospect to turn into a qualified lead, so
   starting a “social conversation” with a sales pitch baked in will chase
   away potential customers, so the goal is to get them to stick around to
   learn something.
2. Think of your audience, not your product. When
   creating and sharing content, always prioritise an audience first
   approach. What would the readers want to learn more about? What
   obstacles are they encountering and how can you overcome those? When you
   tap into your prospects’ needs and issues, you can create content that
   they can align themselves to and encourages them to continue the
   education process.
3. Become a valuable information resource. Publish
   helpful content on a consistent basis will give readers a reason to
   visit your blog time after time. Becoming a go-to resource is critical
   to building up followers and readers. I also suggest that carefully
   offering a white paper, e-book or case study to visitors is a way to
   gain more in-depth information.

As your journey into content marketing
continues, remember that telling is not selling so put your audience’s
interests before your own. Content will only grow in quantity on the
web, and the way to avoid content blindness and do it right is never use
sales pitches disguised as articles. Instead focus on sharing your
expertise and insights. Always write to benefit the reader. As time
progresses readers will take note of your genuine approach to offering
solutions and then will be happy to engage with the sales process.


Content Marketing Done Right – The Bitter Business