Gone are the days of traditional marketing, especially with all of the information available on the Internet today. Conventional advertisements that scream “buy my product” or “use my service” are just not going to cut it anymore. Now, especially, is the time to turn to content marketing.
the concept of content marketing
The basic idea behind content marketing is to provide a company’s target audience with relevant information as a means to encourage engagement. This way, companies can connect with target audience members and share expertise with them without directly selling a product; and, here are five ways how:
- Blogs. Blogs add a personal touch to a company’s website, ranging in topic from industry information and news to product or service features. They serve as a valuable two-way communication tool to facilitate interaction between a company and their target audience. In fact, B2B companies that have regularly updated blogs have 67% more leads per month than companies that don’t.
- Newsletters. Email newsletters can easily turn prospects into customers. They give companies the opportunity to send tailored, target-focused information directly to their target audience. If the subject and information are relevant, customers will be more prone to reading the newsletter and connecting with your company.
- Microsites. These websites exists independently from a company’s main website. Microsites serve to provide Internet users with topic-focused information about a company or product.
- White papers. White papers are informative documents that give its readers insight into understanding issues and finding solutions to solve them. For companies, white papers can be used to promote a product or service through facts, figures and validated arguments that suggest that a company’s product or service provided a solution to a complex problem.
- Social media. Prospective customers are already on social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter. So, companies should use this to their advantage and build up their social media reputation. Companies should provide their social media followers and fans with problem solutions through product and services features in betwixt relevant industry information and news.
If done right, content marketing can greatly increase Internet user engagement and turn any Internet user into a new customer. So, start your new year off right with content marketing strategies that work.