by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
A lot of brands are winking in the dark without crafting and sharing the organization’s brand story in a way that connects with customers. Content Marketing is that form of marketing that provides your customers with useful & relevant information, in an engaging, and not “sales-ish” way.
This enables your brand to break through the advertising clutter, spam messages, and sales pitches that many consumers deliberately ignore or view sceptically, while gently persuading your prospects and the public.
In a world where so much noise exists in the marketplace, not many will notice and acknowledge your brand’s efforts if YOU ‘the brand’ do not toot your own horn by creating content that is attractive. When done right, Content Marketing elevates your brand above thousands of marketing messages and becomes the fuel that drives engagement with your customers. So, go on and remove the invisibility cloak that hides your brand and instantly gain a new audience while driving profitable customer action at the same time.
Here are Five Things Content Marketing Can Do for Your Business.
1. Build Brand Visibility and Awareness
Your Brand is your promise to your customer; Content Marketing can deliver on this promise by matching your brand values to your customers’ requirements. The most effective way to allow your content stand out and gain the attention it requires is ensuring your brand aligns with your content. Content Marketing adds the depth and visibility your brand needs to be seen, heard and appreciated.
Quick tip: Create content that makes you look good and adds value to your customers. As a clothes manufacturer for example, you could produce content focused on sizing and garment care or sustainable garments.
2. Drive Traffic to your Website
Having great content that can easily be promoted on social media channels will inevitably increase the traffic to your website. Content Marketing is all about creating value. When done properly you will effectively target the right people with the right message.
3. Influence Conversions
Writing engaging stories about your business in a way that does not depict salesmanship helps increase the rate of conversion your brand has and pushes potential customers further down the funnel. Content creation aids you in creating a compelling version of your brand story, and allows you contribute to relevant topics in your industry. For example, if a prospect was in the decision making phase and wanted to make a purchase, a well written article that addresses his pain points would endear him your brand and push him towards patronizing you.
Quick tip: Create content that makes you appear knowledgeable. If you’re a Financial Services company, you could produce content that focuses on demystifying common myths about savings & investments.
4. Build Trust With Your Target Audience
Just as Instagram has a feature that allows you to detect bogus business pages, having great content validates your authenticity with your clients. Opinion pieces, reviews of products or services closely related to your niche, advice on common issues that pop up in your industry, how-tos and DIY videos, blog tutorials or podcasts help your brand develop a level of trust with your audience that is mutually beneficial to both parties.
5. Credibility and Authority
Your brand becomes tested and trusted when your clients have a perceived opinion on your authority due to the type of content you publish consistently. Contributed articles, case studies in your industry field, interviews your brand has granted, website content and white papers are content marketing strategies that when used effectively, position your brand as an authority and improve public opinion and sentiment about your brand, ultimately influencing your target market.
In a world where your customers are looking for additional value, it is evident that good content makes your audience come to you and through sharing your content produces its own leads. The moral of my story is — your brand could miss out big time and lose the long-term game without having a proper content marketing strategy in place. So what are you waiting for?
Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho is a seasoned Information Technology professional with over 15 years of industry experience in Africa’s largest emerging economy with a deep purpose and focus on bridging the digital divide and transforming Africa by harnessing the benefits of digital. At home in technology from childhood, Nkemdilim is walking in her fathers’ footsteps as a second-generation Nigerian Information Technology expert. Currently CEO of Future Software Resources Ltd. (Futuresoft), one of Nigeria’s leading digital & technology solutions companies, providing a broad range of solutions for the scaling African enterprise, to consistently attract and retain its target audience, optimize its processes and increase its bottom line.
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