How Content Marketing Will Win You, Customers!
A global shift has occurred in how audiences consume information and content over the past four years. According to me, the lockdown caused by COVID-19 led to a faster pace of digitization in India. In response, many organisations have made significant investments in improving their content marketing strategies. What is the purpose behind this investment?
Even though most business schools teach us that “content is king,” businesses have only recently started to prioritise it, thanks to COVID-19. The importance of content is so significant that Netflix shows like “The Bold Type” and “Emily in Paris,” which focus on companies and brands hiring agencies and individual content creators to produce content for their target audience, have been praised and well-received.
Jotted down below are my thoughts on how we, as content marketers, can help our brands/clients gain the trust of their customers!
Table of Contents
Value > Promotion
Yes, the ultimate goal of marketing is sales, awareness and conversion but the primary focus on the content that you make needn’t always be about the product, service or company. Now, read that again and let that sink in.
What we need to understand is that content marketing and advertising are two different things.
The way the audience absorbs information from advertising is straightforward, whereas when it comes to content marketing promoting your product/service to the face could be a turn-off for most people. For the same reason, our focus should be on creating content that’s timely and relevant. Brands like BlissClub have adapted so well to this approach that they have managed to get good customer interactions on their Instagram. Subtle brand integrations are what’s working for most brands like Zomato, BlissClub, Netflix, etc.
Represent your customers, and make them feel heard!
The most effective approach is to tackle consumers’ pain points head-on. Take the wellness brand Cosmix, for instance. They addressed customer complaints about the chalky texture of their Vegan Plant-based protein powder by creating a video to explain the issue. The increased viewership of this video demonstrates the power of addressing consumer concerns. Cosmix also showcases a variety of product uses in recipes while actively encouraging real-time customer testimonials to enhance trust-building efforts.
Choose authenticity over “ Overly inspired/duplicate content
Over here, we’re going to address Copying v/s Creative Inspiration.
Creative inspiration is simply using the idea and making content using entirely different copy, concepts, storylines, etc. A good example of the same would be Dove ads vs Sensodyne Ads back in the 2010s. While Dove uses actual mothers/real-time users for its ads, Sensodyne got real doctors to come forward and talk about their brand. Now, l wouldn’t dare to call this a copy but only an inspiration because the idea was to use Real people and give Real testimonials rather than bringing in models and using heavily scripted material. The straightforward approach was well accepted by the audience of both brands. They stuck to the objective of not over-selling or under-selling.
Listed below is an example of a brand that copies its content from that of the actual brand that came up with the idea first.
As seen above, in the first set of Images is a label named Korvai, which first posted these images and the second set of Images is by another brand selling very similar sarees that have been overly inspired by the former brand’s creatives and aesthetics. In layman’s terms, we could even call it daylight robbery. Originality is an uneasy mission. Most things that we do, post, say or create are based on things done, seen and sometimes even tested before.
Also, give credit where it’s due, don’t hesitate. Referencing your competitors or fellow brands for the content they’ve inspired you with is trust and relationship-building at its finest. Mention that you’ve been inspired by this particular piece of content. So, if there’s somebody else’s idea that inspires you, we’d say “Definitely go for it, but do it your way by adding your creative flair to it or just don’t do it at all! Period.”
Create value that goes beyond the brand’s product offering
While strengthening your brand positioning and converting leads to customers could be every brand’s goal, it is necessary to build trust by providing value. Educating your audience is the best way to go about it. For a B2B company, you can provide insightful information by diving deep into a topic that your audience might not have access to. With B2C you could either show them what goes behind the making of your product, where/how it’s sourced, the people behind the brand, etc or as discussed earlier address your customer’s pain points and let them know that they can turn to you for guidance.
If you still do not know how to offer value beyond product offering, the most ideal way is by conducting audience surveys.
Conclusion
According to Forbes, 61% of consumers’ buying decisions are directly influenced by custom content. Brands should prioritise conversation over conversions for lasting loyalty. Use these pointers for organic business growth through content marketing.
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Author Info
Elizabeth Sebastian, Influencer Marketer in Kerala | one of the digital marketing student of CDA Digital Marketing Institute Kochi.
