Create an effective content marketing strategy to educate and entertain your target customers rather than blatantly sell them your product.
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This quote by Benjamin Franklin perfectly captures the importance of creating a concrete plan, which gives you more control and more choices, rather than leaving things up to chance.
In content marketing strategy, planning is critical if you want to attract your target audience’s attention, which is becoming shorter and more easily distracted, a side effect many experts attribute to the prevalent use of social media and the proliferation of short video clips.
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What Is Content Marketing?
In a nutshell, content marketing is a marketing tool that involves creating and distributing content that provides REAL value to the target audience who consume online content to learn something, get entertained, or both.
The proper content marketing only delivers content to the right people, at the right time, and in the right place.
Hence, your strategy should consider your audience’s demographics and online behavior and where they are at–i.e., Are they still searching for the solution to their pain points, or do they already have brands/companies in mind?
With the right content marketing, you can build trust with your target audience, improve conversions, and ultimately grow your customer base and sales.
A Guide to Create a Content Marketing Strategy
Determine Your "Core" Content
Before a company can create content for its brand, it needs to decide its “core” purpose. For instance, a pest control company may want to educate people about common house pests and the preventive actions and treatments they can do to deter infestation.
Simply put, the company’s “core” content aims to educate its target audience and equip them with the right information so they can decide for themselves. Nowadays, this approach works better than blatant promotion since modern consumers generally want to be educated rather than be sold to.
Identify Your Audience
Your content will largely depend on your audience–their demographics, lifestyle, online behavior, and their pain points. Remember, the best marketing approach is ALWAYS customer-centric.
Create A Sense Of Exclusivity With Your Content
All companies that have become a household name or are considered an industry leader have these common denominators:
- They provide a customer-centric experience (both online and offline, i.e., brick-and-mortar stores).
- Their marketing strategies highlight the benefits of their products or services.
- Their brands are associated with a "clique" or a market segment.
For instance, Apple is generally seen as a brand for people who emphasize innovation, imagination, and functionality.
Create Content With Stories
About 92% of consumers respond better (and remember better) to ads that feel like stories. In addition, emotional branding–a strategy that stimulates consumers’ emotions and moods–has been shown to increase customer loyalty.
To reiterate, modern consumers don’t want to be sold to. They want to be entertained, educated, shocked, and/or informed, which makes storytelling a great way to peddle your products more subtly.
Word of Advice About How to Create Your Content Marketing Strategy
To learn more about content marketing strategies, contact LOJO Marketing at (916) 303-4080. We are a team of content creators, SEO specialists, graphic designers, web developers, and PPC experts who can help you boost your online presence and ultimately grow your customer base and sales.
