Content Marketing Successful Strategies

Content Marketing is at the forefront of marketing strategies. What exactly is content marketing for companies providing services/ products to other companies- B2B?

Content Marketing for B2B involves providing a marketing strategy that is simple to understand.

What do consumers of this content expect from marketeers?

1. simple content: The simpler the product/ service is to understand, the more engaged the reader will be. And this means, he is absorbing the information provided in the manner in which you want to convey it. Ofcourse, here, the marketeers job is to fulfill a need through the product / service.
2. educate : Readers using these platforms want to be educated. They need to be included in the communication that focuses on fulfilling the need. Including by educating is a strong tool used by successful content marketeers. Here, the reader is convinced through content available of the uses and expectations of the product/ service.
3. solve the problem: the reader is educated but also needs to be communicated that the solution they are searching for lies in this.
4. content generated for different stages of buying/ decison making: Successful marketeers understand that readers depend on marketeers at different stages. Content that caters to these stages engages and eventually nudges the reader to purchase the product/ service. Here, various tools are available for content marketeers to reach their audience at various stages of the buying process.

Some popular methods used by brands:

1. Case studies: Companies depend on satisfied clients to be ambasadors of their brands. A positve experience is a huge content opportunity for marketeers. Using testimonials across various audio, and visual content strengthenths the brand equity. 
2. Educate: Often the audience comprises of decison makers and process owners whose job is to strategize effective methods for the company. Here, a successful strategy is one which educates the reader how to do so. Since businesses provide technological, administration, finance and sales support, often, the communication centers around how this can effectively assist the audience in his role. In such cases, he expects education not sales information.
3. Solve the problem: Content that provides solutions is digested very easily. Since, businesses focus on succeeding in their space, they enjoy partnering with others that can solve their pain areas. Content marketeers focus on providing content which explains a solution to a pain area.
4. Content for different stages of a sale: Readers search for information with different expectations. If a company's products are being searched when the decision maker has evaluated competition and relies on the strong brand equity to deliver their promise, content that extensively communicates new launches will not meet this need. Conversely, when a product is new and most readers are looking for information and comparing to other available brands, the content available for consumption must focus on features, identifying the need and communicating right fit usability to build confidence and convert to sale.
• Early stage content- build awareness and visibility of brand; information dissimination
• Middle stage content- niche content targeted to audience educating and solving the problem
• Last stage content- content solving the problem and advocating brand promise
• and Customer stage content- personalized information to convince the reader of his choice and ensuring brand promise is maintained.

These content based marketing strategies ensure that consumers are aware, engaged and converted.

Source: NewsCreed

Integrating various media for growing companies

E-commerce is the dessert on the menu.

Companies largely have been experimenting with digital media while others have integrated it into their marketing strategy.
Today, companies need to accept that brand building does not end with selling a good product but servicing and also providing a positive experience to share with others.

Digital media has given the power back to the voice of the people and consumerism now rules.
Each consumer has an open platform to be an influencer for any experience that can be shared for any companies products. This platform is available because social media allows the consumer to play an integral role in the sales process of the product.

E-commerce is another sales channel for companies but unfortunately many trusted brands have failed to integrate while modernizing their sales channels. The sales channerls today include an online purchase by a customer whose demographics are not enough to understand their buying behaviour. Due to this gap, companies have adapted the e-commerce sales avenues & are yet learning to meet consumer expectations and deliver their own product promises.

Unfortunately, consumers undestand their power of influence and large companies often have lost brand equity because of their incapacity to integrate e-commerce into their mainstream business processes & the inability to address the dissatisfied customer.

Customers most often resort to utilizing digital media social media platforms to voice negative brand experiences. This can be disastrous for the brand as gaps in delivering brand promise, or internal processes are often discussed in online public platforms. This makes the brand vulnerable as well as communicates the ineffeciencies. Not only does this create important issues but also gives competition an insight on failures & triumphs making business competative.

Companies should remember that there is nothing more credible than a user experience shared for a positive experience or a negative customer experience.

Many companies have now build dedicated teams which address brand perception online and contribute significantly to the overal brand equity. This has resulted in more insight towards customers, effecitve and lean processes that reduce TAT & provide multi-scale sales opportunities for growing organisations, 

Viral Content

For marketeers the challenge is to generate authentic content on a regular basis.

Hers some tips that make content a hit:

1. How can your content be relevant to reader? Does it answer a question for your reader? Content that speaks always a hit. Topics which address a concern, raise a relevant question, highlight a burning issue always appeal to readers. 
2. What are readers sharing? Are there some topics that are favourites with your readers? Take time to understand your audience and what they are sharing. An audience can be divided by broad topics to asses what appeals to them. 
3. Happy content is always shared! Everyone loves positivity. Content that motivates, gives direction, provokes thoughts is shared. 
4. Set a goal for your content. Is it increasing awareness? Does it require a target number of responses? Any exercise without a goal will not determine any results. Efforts can go awry if measurable goals cannot be assesed. This goal setting will drive content towards a defined result and will achieve success!

Happy marketing! 

Which social media serves best for your content?

Traditional advertising has moved on. Today's age of commenting, liking, sharing brings a challenge to brands to stay relevant to their consumers. And even more, to keep engaging with their audience to build long-lasting relationships and save those which have low stickiness to their brand. 

Snapchat & Vine are social media tools that prominent brands are using to stay relevant to their young audience. 

Some basic principles that brands must be consider while selecting the social media tool:

• Where are most of your referrals coming from to your website? Google Analytics will help you figure that out.
• How much time is your audience spending on selected social media tools?
• What is your audience SAYING on your existing social media tools. Facebook followers behaviors will explain a lot when it comes to experience of your consumer and your brand.
• Influencers are a strong community on social media. They can make or break your day! Listen to what they say.
• A negative comment/ experience is the one that needs to be responded to first! Put all else away and respond! Then, more important, live up to the response!
• Select the media which serves your content best. If your brand struggles for images, Instagram isn't where you should be. But, if visual content is important for example, travel industry or restaurants, you're  relevant if your audience can see the experience your brand offers.

A content marketing agency can help strategize and select the right media for your brand. So get one on board!