Be Content with Content Marketing

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Content marketing is a relatively new, vastly effective way of getting people to visit and convert through your website – but what exactly is it? Seeing as it’s so emergent, we’d forgive you for not recognising content marketing (we’re pretty nice like that), but we reckon it’s something more and more businesses, specifically new initiatives, are going to want to embrace in 2016. That’s why we’ve put together the following useful guide to content marketing in 2016.

Opinion Leaders

Remember how, back at school, the coolest kids would turn up with a new jacket, or perhaps those trainers with LED flashing lights on them, and then a couple of weeks later everyone would rock up in the same gear? Well that’s pretty much how content marketing works. Professional content marketers identify and reach out to opinion leaders, sometimes known as influencers, on your behalf, getting them to tweet, blog or even vlog about your products. Opinion leaders come in many shapes and sizes; they can be anything from a YouTube star or someone with a few thousand followers on Instagram to a regional newspaper. Most importantly, however, they must have a high level of credibility and authority with your target market.

Hitting Targets

So how, exactly do you plan out an effective content marketing campaign? Step one – pay some guys like us to do it. We’re just kidding of course. The most successful content marketing campaigns place their ideal consumer at the heart of their concept; who do you want to buy your product, and what sources do you think they regularly use online? Let’s take cooking products for example. Let’s say you’ve got a fantastic invention that is, quite literally, the best thing since sliced bread (what else were you expecting from one of our blogs).

Taking a content marketing approach, you’d reach out to social media users, YouTube promoters and even relevant national magazines centred on the theme of all things culinary to start creating buzz for your product. Buzz may well come in the form of sponsored tweets, videos produced using your equipment or even guest blog posts, all depending on  how and where you allocate your budget. Content marketing is renowned for providing tangible, fast results because it approaches the consumer on a much more horizontal, personal level, connecting through engaging articles and shared interests rather than just passively advertising at them.

2016: The Year of Content

Content marketing is still very much an experimental field; there’s no exact science behind it and unfortunately no concrete means of success. With clever planning and engaging ideas, however, content marketing can and will prove to be the right avenue for many new and established brands over the coming few years. Is 2016 the year you embrace content marketing? Give us a call today on 01538 750538 to discuss your options with one of our specialists.