It’s only words – or is it?
As we know, one of the most significant trends in marketing over the past few years has been the rise of content marketing.
So here’s the facts; according to data from Smart Insights content marketing is the most commercially important trend of 2015, with nearly 30% of marketing professionals saying it’s their top strategy for driving results. Furthermore, 50% of marketers are planning to increase their budget in this area. So, it seems Content is King.
Why Content Marketing?
But what are the benefits of content marketing? Why are marketing teams investing so heavily in this area and why are experts (us included!) encouraging clients to do the same?
In some corners, content marketing has been heralded as the ‘death of SEO’, while others see the two as inextricably linked and indeed the very best of friends. We are firmly in the latter camp.
Brands that produce engaging, shareable content that delights customers, perform well in natural search because Google rewards high-quality content that is well-crafted and relevant. This has never been truer, since Google’s algorithm updates – Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird (confused? Check out our previous blog)- rewarding quality, originality and relevance of online content above anything else.
We like this quote, and not just because it’s to do with food…honestly!
“Think of SEO this way: If a customer-focused content marketing program is the sandwich, then SEO is the mayonnaise. It touches nearly everything and enhances the overall flavour of the sandwich, but on its own, it’s not very appetising.”
Lee Odden, SEO, social and content expert
The Benefits
However as well as being a smart approach to search and helping websites perform better, content marketing comes with a number of hefty marketing benefits, including the impact it can have on your brand and how your audience engages with you. Well written, well designed content is not simply a means of conveying your organisation’s values and messages, but has the power to define your brand and how your customers see you. This is when things get really exciting.
Let’s think about some day-to-day examples from the world of consumer marketing where content has become part of a brand’s actual identity, not simply a communication method:
Innocent
From their distinctive package to its customer service approach (“call us on the banana phone if you have a question”), Innocent’s content is fun with a capital F. Its content strategy focuses on the use of videos, funny pictures, animations and blogs to encourage a two-way dialogue with their customers. Voted ‘the most social brand in Britain’ in 2012, Innocent’s playful, almost home-made approach to content is as essential to their brand as blended fruit itself.
Jamie Oliver
Like or loathe him or his bish bash bosh approach, Jamie Oliver has built an empire based on good content marketing. For a chef, you’d expect recipes to be his only content currency, but not so. Sure, magazines, television shows and books content are the revenue drivers themselves, but the success of these are a direct result of a super-charged content marketing strategy that has seen the Jamie Oliver audience grow into the tens of millions across various platforms. Competitions, Vines, holiday snaps from Jamie himself and cookery ‘tip of the day’ combine to engage a global audience that is evangelical about brand Jamie – and willing to spend money on anything with his name on it.
What is it that these two examples have in common? Firstly, they understand that content marketing is an investment like any other and requires dedicated time and resource to do it well. Content marketing comes in all shapes and sizes, but whether your organisation is committed to blogging on a regular basis or running a weekly #tweetup to share useful tips with your customers, make sure it’s of the highest quality, engaging and fun.
Secondly, they understand the power of multi-format, cross-platform content. In other words, this is an integrated approach. If you write a blog, share it on your social channels…if you produce a film on YouTube, create a transcript and host it on your website… if you interview your MD or biggest client and publish behind the scenes photos during the interview as well as the final cut. This approach ensures you’re reaching the widest audience possible, giving you more bang for your content buck.
The End…not quite
There’s no right or wrong way to approach content marketing but there are some guiding principles to doing it well. If you’d like to discuss a content question or idea, or want to design a fully-fledged content marketing plan for your organisation, we can help.