Content marketing is a strategic approach and it involves communicating, creating, and delivering
elements of valuable in your services and products to your customers on a regular basis. Content marketing can take on many forms and be delivered through a wide range of platforms. It is used to
educate,
engage,
excite, and
delight your customers in order to build loyalty and those lasting, trusting relationships. Why content marketing? The approach has a number of purposes:
- Provide Elements of Value: Customers don’t just turn to your brand for your services and products. They’re looking for elements of value, in your services and products, which could be in the form of entertainment, education, expertise, connection. And the only true way to find out is through engagement.
- Engage and Excite Customers: Posting content on a regular basis provides something for your current customers to reflect on, to engage with and enjoy, but it also provides more avenues for potential customers to find you and encourages them to take a chance on your brand in a confident way.
- Nourish and Strengthen Relationships: Creating engaging content helps to foster relationships with your customers, then continue to nourish and strengthen those relationships by providing higher elements value. For example a few higher elements value are risk reduction, reduce anxiety, commitment, or responsiveness.
A lot of
brands misuse content marketing and are disappointed with their results. For example some content marketing approach are purely
transactional with elements of value that are table stakes, i.e.
one-and-done like meeting specifications or achieving a price point.
Other content marketing approach are strategic with a
focus on higher elements of value that falls in the category of
emotional and life-changing.
Content marketing should be used to communicate, make connection, cause reflection, build and strengthen relationships through elements of value that are infused in your products and services.