Content marketing.
A key way to grow your business.
The ways we market our businesses are constantly evolving, obviously. New ideas and trends come along and we learn better ways to engage and retain our customer base. Content marketing is one of the ways we can grow our business. To start off, let’s define ‘content marketing’. Content Marketing Institute gives this definition: “Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.” Basically it’s selling without “selling”. It’s educating people about you so they will like and trust you and ultimately, do business with you. It’s a hot marketing strategy. 93% of B2B marketers now use content marketing as part of their overall marketing plan, according to CMI.
People trust brands
According to another study by Vibrant Media regarding consumer receptiveness and brand content, only 2% more consumers trust content from publications (35%) than from brands (33%). Interesting.
The key methods of distributing quality content, that produced consumer receptiveness, include: Images (64% receptive), videos (57%), articles (46%), ads (44%), audio clips (42%), social media updates (42%). (These numbers may help you determine where to focus.) The studies are clear, consumers want to trust those they do business with, are willing to listen to the message, and prefer not to be “sold”.
An example of creative, content marketing. Bolt – a local, Cornish, Maine quilt/fabric shop distributes ‘collector’ style cards (pictured above) with a pattern on the front and logo/location info on the back as a marketing tool. A new card is printed each year. Valuable info, targeted for the desired customer, and best of all… there’s no sales pitch.
Feeling stuck? Consult a professional, it’s what we do!
Thoughts or ideas?
Let me know!
*These Bolt cards were designed by Scott Design, LLC