I was looking at a really interesting study by US firm Junta24 which reveals that marketers are increasing spend on content marketing for the third straight year. Apparently around a third of marketing budgets are going towards it.
So what is content marketing? I think of it as a strategy that is wholeheartedly based on creating valuable content and using it to engage with target audiences (so we’re talking about anything from written articles, case studies and e-books to podcasts and web video).
What’s different about that you say. I’m already creating a lot of that stuff as part of my PR programme.
Right. You probably are. But have you really taken the concept to heart. Are you re-purposing all that content and using it so you can share it via as many different methods as possible – email, blogs, social media, presentations etc? And monitoring results to inform and improve future content and the ways in which you share it?
I’m convinced that this is the way to go to get bang from your buck. Especially if you have a complex technology sale with a long sales cycle in which you need to create a continuing dialogue with prospects.
The key is ensuring the content really adds value. So it’s not about a veiled attempt at pushing your products. But creating stuff that informs and solves information gaps for your targets. Or even just entertains and raises a chuckle. The aim is to eventually lead them over a period of time to a purchasing decision.
The rise of social media, which gives you so many different ways to share content, may partly account for the growth in spending in this area. Junta24’s research say that nearly 75% of marketers are pushing out content via social media. With white papers and case studies also continuing to play a big role.