It’s been 25 years since Bill Gates gifted digital marketers their catch-phrase crack with his declaration that ‘content is king’.
Little did Mr Gates know that he was making an incredible foresight into the future of B2C interaction.
Content marketing is now one of the most effective tools to grow brand awareness, acquire new customers, drive revenue – all while ramping up brand loyalty, conversions, and growth.
Unfortunately, its surge in relevance has meant that the landscape is now filled with more noise than ever. 91 per cent of marketers use content marketing as a cornerstone in their campaign.
So how does one business ensure their voice is heard above the crowd?
By communicating smarter, not louder.
Maybe you’re running short on ideas to fill your content calendar? Or perhaps you’ve found that your go-to posting formulas are just not getting the same traction anymore?
If any of the above ring true, it’s time to diversify that content offering.
Here’s our top tips to broaden your content offering for a killer digital marketing strategy that’ll guarantee cut through in 2022.
The Content Bare Basics
Before we launch into the shiny new stuff, let’s make sure we’ve got the basics down pat.
If you aren’t already blogging, it’s time to take to that keyboard with enthusiasm. We get it – blogging seems tired and redundant in the modern content marketing world. We’ve dedicated an entire blog – unironically – to why that’s simply not the case (check it out here).
Business blogs allow a company to:
- Position itself as an educational expert in its field
- Establish itself as a reliable source of information for its target audience to seek out
- Develop its brand voice and persona
- Enhance its website SEO
Remember: content should always be about providing value to your audience. If you’re aimlessly firing content off into the social media abyss, we suggest stripping it back to the old 80/20 rule. Shoot for 80% educational and engaging content, and no more than 20% promotion and sales. Your followers don’t want to feel like their opting into free advertising.
Now that we’ve got the foundations sorted, let’s talk about how to diversify your content offering.
Start a Company Podcast
Podcasting is a relatively new addition to the content world, when compared with your traditional units, but its quickly growing to be one of the most popular.
Diversifying your content offering with an audio outlet is incredibly effective for establishing a recognisable brand voice. It also helps increases brand awareness, with 48 per cent of podcast listeners also following the podcast brand on social media.
Podcasts, more than any other content medium, should be focused on providing valuable information to the lister. 75 per cent of podcast listeners tune in to learn new things – so what can your company teach its target audience?
It can be anything – from unique industry insights to exclusive interviews with high profile guests or a deep dive into interesting case studies.
The key is to make your content niche and pertinent to the audience you want to attract. Focus less on quantity and more on quality.
Shoot Company Video Content
There’s no denying the impact of video in the realm of content. In fact, it is the most engaging form of content, proving 5 x more engaging than its closest rival – images. So, if you aren’t already working some fancy footage onto your platforms, let’s get cracking.
We have one golden rule to video content – make it high quality. No ifs, ands or buts.
Yes, it will sting the hip pocket a little more, but we believe its one of the better investments you can make in your content marketing.
It doesn’t take a Spielberg to notice the difference between shoddy video production and a high quality product. And this filters right back to how you want your customers to perceive your company in the marketplace. Do you want to come across as a knock-off rookie, or a polished, professional service with impeccable attention to detail?
When it comes down to the videography, remember that we’re dealing with very skint attention spans these days.
Here are a few tips to get you off to a flying start:
- Produce unique, engaging content, relevant to your audience
- Keep your videos below 2 minutes
- Get to the point quick, hook in the viewer from the start
- Caption your videos – 85% of Facebook users scroll with their sound off
- Invest in high quality video production tools
Curate Content
Here’s a ground-breaking concept for the time poor marketers – you don’t need to create your own content all the time. Repurposing content from other sources to share with your own audience is a form of content marketing know as ‘curated content’.
Curated content is more common than you may realise. Popular forms include:
- Customer reviews
- Customer posts featuring the company product or service
- Industry news
- Opinions from industry experts
- Memes
Not only is it a wonderous time saving tool, but it conveys to your customers that you’re a well connect thought leader within your industry.
Content marketing, while incredibly effective, isn’t always without its time costs. If only there was a miracle solution to delivering high quality, effective content without the hefty time demands… oh wait, that’s us! You know where to find us.
