Marketing has gone through a sea change over the past couple decades. And if your strategy hasn’t transitioned as well, you’re probably noticing the repercussions:
- Your pool of prospects has dried up
- You’re experiencing greater client churn
- Your business has reduced market share and is less competitive
From the most established companies to entrepreneurs founding startups across the country, there is a basic understanding that getting prospects attention and keeping your existing clients engaged requires a significant investment in marketing. Regardless of the changes in technology, companies need to ensure their approach to marketing is efficient and responsive to their clients’ and prospects’ needs and behavior. At the same time, it would be a bit shortsighted to ignore the role of digital tools in the way companies connect and interact with their clients. Online resources have spawned a multitude of channels that businesses can use to engage prospects, provide in-depth information, and improve brand awareness.
What’s one way to make the most of the Web?
Without question, content marketing has been an emergent force for companies to take advantage of and deliver information to clients and prospects on varying scales. Yet, much like any marketing effort, you must be able to first clearly outline its goals and mission. Businesses need to think about content marketing in the same way publishers think about delivering publications to their targeted customers. They focus on a sustained goal – one that doesn’t necessarily change with every budgetary quarter of the year. This establishes a firm brand impression and greater depth of knowledge that clients can consistently refer to. Think about the way American Express has created the Open Forum that provides guidance and information for small-business owners. Instead of simply offering clients extended and wordy advertisements, quality content allows businesses to develop a mission-driven brand.
To this end, it’s important for business leaders to use online content to sustain the interest of prospects and clients. Yet, because the Internet has become so crowded with voices trying to grab the attention of consumers and clients from every corner of the World Wide Web, it’s far more important for businesses to maintain a connection instead of going for a momentary glance. Video content is a particularly useful resource that you can integrate into your content management strategy, whether it’s on your organization’s homepage, a social networking site or YouTube.
Don’t Be too Heavy-handed
Oftentimes it’s worthwhile to understand what hasn’t worked for others, so that you can cross it off your list. For instance, recent research released by KoMarketing Associates looked into the effectiveness of certain elements that business-to-business vendors put on their websites. One of the most counterproductive aspects – in terms of holding the attention of potential and existing clients – is video that plays automatically once a user visits the website. This tends to annoy and interrupt the online experience, and often results in consumers abandoning the page. Instead, let clients have more control over what they view and give them time to explore your content, as this can produce more qualified leads.
Don’t Limit Yourself
While there are a multitude of content marketing strategies, even video allows for a lot of room for creative expression. Depending on your goal, different kinds of video will be more effective than others. For example, if you’re a service provider, video client testimonials can provide value to your content marketing efforts. Because visuals can instill higher levels of emotion and engagement than other kinds of content, as Business 2 Community suggested, you should ensure the focus of your video plays to your clients’ wants and needs. How-to videos are another option that companies rely on to establish themselves as a dependable resource in a given industry.
