Content marketing best practices for b2b, b2c and content marketing services providers

SUCCESS WITH CONTENT MARKETING IN A B2B or B2C environment

Many of us are familiar with the term, Content is king. It is the saying that never quite loses its crown jewels and it is true for traditional as well as digital marketing. From a branding perspective, it is crucial to completely dissect the very nature of content so to understand the impact it can have upon delivery. Let us begin with the three big i’s : –

1. Inspire
2. Inform
3. Involve

Each of the above will perform a different role and one has to understand a brand’s core challenges coupled with strategy and appropriate distribution to fully appreciate the effectiveness of content marketing.

As you are reading this, content marketing is hot to say the least! Here we are talking about thought leadership content. Content that provides value to the end user. Content that fully addresses your target audience’s needs.

According to eConsultancy and Adobe, 39% of advertisers placed it at the top of their digital marketing priorities list in 2013 and that trend looks to intensify over the coming years, probably with greater creativity and innovation.

Content that fully addresses your target audience’s needs. According to eConsultancy and Adobe, 39% of advertisers placed it at the top of their digital marketing priorities list in 2013 and that trend looks to intensify over the coming years, probably with greater creativity and innovation.

However, for many marketing CEO’s, this is still a risky area because so much can go wrong for the simple reason that; not many C-suits and COO has what it takes. An ineffective and poorly received marketing campaign can have disastrous consequences for even the most reputable brands but more often than not, one mistake is one too many.

It is true, however, that traditional marketing had a greater scope for a hit or miss approach – it wasn’t the capital sin that it may be today and this was because of the lack of understanding in what drove certain individuals or companies to undertake particular actions.

Now we have disciplines such as consumer behaviour, organisational psychology and a far better appreciation of attitudes to the extent that content marketing is far more fine tuned and refined.

Another notable difference is the nature of the digital landscape. The availability of social media tools means that this area is much more scientific and robust than it has ever been.

Inevitably, there is always an aspect of calculated risks when it comes to digital campaigns but with the right insights, processes and distribution channels, the risk can be minimal.

The bottom line is that for successful content marketing, it essentially revolves around two questions;

• Why will the consumer want to experience this
• Why will they want to share this? Both of these questions can then be broken down in order to understand how the content relates to the consumer’s questions, values and perceptions coupled with the relevant distribution channels – paid as well as acquired – that allows the message to be exposed to the correct audience.

Going back to the three i’s – content that inspires is fairly self-explanatory yet very powerful. Think of the many images you have seen on Pinterest and the vast bulk of them being inspirational quotes, philosophies and sayings.

A major chunk of successful ad content falls into this category because they very easily form an imprint onto our brains and we can recollect them with ease. Most of the viral content on Facebook and Twitter make their rounds because of content that is inspirational.

A major chunk of successful ad content falls into this category because they very easily form an imprint onto our brains and we can recollect them with ease. Most of the viral content on Facebook and Twitter make their rounds because of content that is inspirational.

A good example is one of Redbull’s Felix Baumgartner’s’ record-breaking skydiving stunt from the edge of space. When the Austrian-born skydiver stepped out from his purpose-built balloon-lifted capsule into the stratosphere, numbers began flying around like crazy, At 128100-foot height, he jumped and descended at a top speed of 833.9 mph. 8,000,000 people around the world tuned in to watch the Youtube live stream.

This was sure the most exciting and interesting marketing stunt of all times. It was a technical and digitally powered marketing stunt that resonated with fans and prospects. It inspired many fans and eventually engaged prospects alike.

This was sure the most exciting and interesting marketing stunt of all times. It was a technical and digitally powered marketing stunt that resonated with fans and prospects. It inspired many fans and eventually engaged prospects alike.

The timing of such adverts is hugely important. Notice how a particular type of product or service is advertised during the commercial break of a soccer game or Super Bowl because it is aimed at people of a particular age group, so, beer or men’s grooming products are a common occurrence. Timing, therefore, has to be viewed in conjunction with content as the two go hand in hand.

It is often the case that inspiring content is about the ‘here and now’, it is about capturing the real moment, that powerful split second that has its intrinsic high value. It could be an image or cinematic footage, which in the realms of infinite stimulating content, possesses within it the quality that demands its attention.

For any content to be watched and shared, two basic questions need to be answered. Firstly, what is the benefit of watching this and what is the motivation for sharing it?

It could be an image or cinematic footage, which in the realms of infinite stimulating content, possesses within it the quality that demands its attention.

For any content to be watched and shared, two basic questions need to be answered. Firstly, what is the benefit of watching this and what is the motivation for sharing it?

Let’s put all this academic language into real life and give an example. In 2015, Android created an inspiring, innovative and creative AD known as “Friends Furever”. It featured clips of unlikely animals playing together, being friendly and helping each other in one way or the other. This ad was focused on friendship without boundaries, shared

It featured clips of unlikely animals playing together, being friendly and helping each other in one way or the other. This ad was focused on friendship without boundaries, shared experiences and love for everything with blood and a heart.

Research has proven that animals can tap into a wide range of emotions with a broad appeal. Android used it to connect its users and the

Android used it to connect its users and the Android video ad has 24,151,986 views. It grabbed attention and engagement in a thought provocative manner. It blended together psychology, philosophy and inspiring content that made it go viral.

The second aspect of content seeks to inform, typically answering the questions or concerns of the consumer. Brands that seek to inquire about the needs or questions of the consumer would delve into analytics in the form of search data and insights, for example, that would form the premise and inspiration for creation.

Let us say that a drinks brand has undertaken research to understand the type of cocktails that are suitable for a party, a means of informing would be to develop short ‘how-to’ videos on preparing cocktail drinks. One point to note is that content that comes under this category naturally has a longer life span than say, inspiring content.

This is because of the nature of the content itself. It can be instructional videos, self-assembly guides or product demos on the latest toolkit. As such content has a longer lifespan, the number of page views should steadily increase over time.

Let us say that a drinks brand has undertaken research to understand the type of cocktails that are suitable for a party, a means of informing would be to develop short ‘how-to’ videos on preparing cocktail drinks.

One point to note is that content that comes under this category naturally has a longer life span than say, inspiring content. This is because of the nature of the content itself.

It can be instructional videos, self-assembly guides or product demos on the latest toolkit. As such content has a longer lifespan, the number of page views should steadily increase over time.

This is because of the nature of the content itself. It can be instructional videos, self-assembly guides or product demos on the latest toolkit. As such content has a longer lifespan, the number of page views should steadily increase over time.

For certain brands, the need for content that informs is of paramount importance because it helps to maintain the consumer’s attention. Providing that content is good and regular, the consumer base should increase in the long run simply by attracting more to its product or service.

The final type of content is that which involves others. Typically, it is geared towards community-based projects, social activism and political campaigning. As such, it is usually small scaled, deeply personal and constant. The usual platforms tend to be Facebook texts, tweets on twitter or images on Instagram.

This type of content ensures that a particular cause remains under the spotlight and relevant. It is a quick and easy way to keep advocates engaged and on-side.

The usual platforms tend to be Facebook texts, tweets on twitter or images on Instagram. This type of content ensures that a particular cause remains under the spotlight and relevant. It is a quick and easy way to keep advocates engaged and on-side.

Not surprisingly, those brands that are very skilled with the different types of content and their use can blend all three types into a very successful selling tool. Consider the Johnny Walker Whisky manufacturer that creatively bolstered the whisky by working in collaboration with Jude Law. It inspired and engaged almost 12.000.000 viewers because of its documentary-style engagement with the actor Jude Law.

If you built it, they will come… !

Many of you may think and believe that if you build it, it will come. In marketing, this is a cardinal sin! Simply having good content does not guarantee that the consumer will somehow finds his or her way through the ocean of existing content to your own! It is the delivery and distribution of content that is just as important as the content itself.

Distribution via paid, owned and earned channels can be understood in light of content amplification or multiple channel distribution mapped against the target audience behaviour.

One example of a multiple channel is by ‘seeding’ content to influential sites such as through influential bloggers, feeder sites and social media outlets, thereby allowing for a richer and more widespread web of interlinking content that reinforces the brand’s message from a number of avenues.

However, note that, building feedsites simply for that purpose without any value is a waste of time. Not only does this method gain trust and credibility by the fact that content is placed by influential advocates but it will also score highly on search results so will reach a wider audience.

One example of a multiple channel is by ‘seeding’ content to influential sites such as through influential bloggers, feeder sites and social media outlets, thereby allowing for a richer and more widespread web of interlinking content that reinforces the brand’s message from a number of avenues.

However, note that, building feedsites simply for that purpose without any value is a waste of time. Not only does this method gain trust and credibility by the fact that content is placed by influential advocates but it will also score highly on search results so will reach a wider audience.

However, note that, building feedsites simply for that purpose without any value is a waste of time. Not only does this method gain trust and credibility by the fact that content is placed by influential advocates but it will also score highly on search results so will reach a wider audience.

Doing this proficiently well requires sound technical expertise in the realms of SEO, competitive analysis, link-building, analytics as well as good algorithmic knowledge to be able to work across numerous social media platforms.

Let us now touch upon the type of distribution channels that can be utilised depending on the category of content. Content that seeks to inspire aims to drive awareness in the hope that maximum reach is achieved.

In such a situation, distribution could include paid advertising, outreach to widen the scale and awareness coupled with social media and SEO to drive visibility and sharing of content (making it viral would be ideal!)

It would have become clear thus far that for any marketing campaign to be successful, two ingredients are needed. Firstly, the content itself needs to be of high quality and engaging but the marketer needs to know which ‘i’ category it falls in as this would have an impact upon its distribution channel.

To put it rather crudely, one could say how the ‘science of content marketing’ is now becoming more understood and the hit and miss approach is just left for the casual, novice marketers. This is particularly important, especially in the digital age as some of the old conventions of traditional marketing are becoming (or have become) obsolete.