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Keep up to date with the latest content marketing tips and news.

16/Oct/2017
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The versatility of content marketing was highlighted again this week after Spanish banking group Santander revealed how it has been using an educational content hub to reach new audiences, and a current survey found that private equity firms are leveraging engaging news and articles to build their brands.

Digital content marketing has been around for a decade now, but large organisations are still discovering how beneficial a targeted and relevant marketing campaign can be for driving positive business goals and objectives. Santander said it recently turned to content marketing after struggling to acquire customers due to a focus on product promotions.

Santander realised that its previous strategy was failing to meet the needs of its current customers and decided to create a “Prosper and Thrive” content hub to address the problem. It says high-quality content has been a core component of its strategy as informative articles have driven social engagements, website visits and email signups.

Santander has used content to demystify finances for millennials, a group of young people it claims has often “shied away” from the industry. The latest targeted campaigns have not only been practical and entertaining but have added value by improving the financial wellbeing of millennials.

“Millennial expectations have dramatically shifted. They want and expect more from their everyday experiences, which includes how they bank, who they trust and how they consume information,” Arnold Worldwide VP and Director of Engagement Planning Jessica Newton said.

She added: “Content allows us to build and nurture relationships with millennials without talking about products and services, on their time and in environments most relevant to them. Through this approach we’re able to make them more aware of who we are as a bank and shift their perception of us as a bank.”

The program launched less than a year ago, but it has already been a huge success, having driven more than a million site visits and 200,000 engagements on social platforms. The 125 published articles have also led to thousands of people opening new accounts and opting into the bank’s email initiative.

A new report from Pitchbook and BackBay Communications has also revealed how private equity firms have embraced content marketing campaigns en masse during the last two years to build their brands. Content is now seen as an asset in an increasingly competitive market where deals and funding are more difficult to secure.

Creative videos and articles are now used by almost half of the enterprises surveyed to demonstrate their expertise within the industry and company culture. Demand for excellent copy is also set to soar during the next 12 months, as 58% said they are increasing budgets to improve their visibility and reach to give themselves the best chance of succeeding.

BackBay Communications President & CEO Bill Haynes concluded: “It is essential for private equity firms today to have a professional approach to media relations — whether residing in-house or outsourced to an agency — to manage and protect their reputations and that of their portfolio companies, as well as to capitalize on positive news and demonstrate their expertise.”


09/Oct/2017
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Tech marketers are using content marketing more than ever before and are planning to invest significant amounts of money into the practice during the next 12-months, according to a new study published by Dimensional Research and 10Fold Communications earlier this week.

“Content is king” is a well-worn mantra in today’s marketing landscape but is no less relevant as brands continue to pivot towards high-quality articles, news and videos en masse to reach and engage with target audiences, increase awareness, build trust and drive conversions. The extent to which marketers are embracing content is highlighted in the new study, as 75% of respondents said the amount of content they generate would soar by 300% during 2017.

Content is now a core component of the marketing mix for most marketers, so it is no surprise to see that four in ten will spend $250,000 (£188,000) or more on creative and content campaigns over the next year. This investment is partly being driven by demand from consumers for storytelling through digital video, which requires higher quality creative processes to meet growing expectations.

Another key trend highlighted in the report is outsourcing. Many enterprises now call upon the services of digital agencies to deliver the best content campaigns possible. A staggering 99% of tech marketers said they use third parties for a quarter of their output, and 83% are happy with the quality they are getting from the third parties.

However, several challenges are preventing brands from reaching their potential as 44% claimed a lack of expertise on some subject matters is making it difficult to create excellent content, though this is another area where a digital agency could be of great assistance. Awareness of analytics is also growing, as 80% use basic tools, such as Google Analytics, to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns.

“The marketplace is constantly changing, making 10Fold research survey on content, timely and insightful. The findings should help tech marketing VPs and CMOs that are barraged with conflicting priorities build out their marketing strategies based on facts,” Dimensional Research principal, David Gehringer, said. “Based on the results of our research for 10Fold, there is no doubt that there is an insatiable demand among technology companies for content that has technical relevancy and that is delivered in a form, such as video and blogs, that is appealing to their buyers.”

Video, social media and webinars were named as the best content formats by the tech marketers surveyed, though there was more of a focus on video for top executives, which is likely to be linked with the growing investment in storytelling. Meanwhile, content calendars are now a popular resource for tracking schedules. 10Fold CEO and founder, Susan Thomas added: “Our primary goal with this research was to capture deeper analytics about content plans and budgets to help our customers and the tech community develop stronger content strategies.”

 


07/Aug/2017
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Content marketing continues to find favour with a growing number of firms around the world as a way to connect with their customers and establish a new audience; however, it is a complex topic and does not guarantee success. For any brand wanting to put a strong foundation in place as a way of leveraging content marketing to achieve its best potential, there are three essential requirements to consider.

Marketing executives must actively participate

 The best and most successful campaigns have been conducted by organisations allocating the proper external and internal resources, including staff. Conversely, less successful marketing often occurs where content strategies are tacked on to a role as additional duties. It sounds obvious that more success is noted in cases where more resources are used, however, it is also important not to overlook marketing leadership.

In general, a chief marketing officer (CMO) cannot just delegate content marketing to a team to go and work out. To be effective, leaders must actively participate and include their personal experiences.

An executable content marketing plan is vital

Research has also revealed that success campaigns normally hinge around a well-documented strategy. And, above all, plans must include executable stages. That might sound simple, but many marketing teams have created long and impressive plans that, when undertaken, fold in on themselves.

All plans need objectives, goals and vision. They also need to be tightly integrated with other marketing work. However, it’s important that no stage of the plan hinders a strategy’s streamlining, as this will likely cause content marketing strategies to falter.

Marketers need tenacity and resolve 

One of the most important things in content marketing is consistency. However, even if marketers may start out with good intentions, content consistency can fail over time. This is a problem because content marketing takes a time to become successful – often a minimum of six months is required.

That is mainly because few buyers are willing to spend hundreds of thousands on enterprise technology, for example, just because they read a blog post. Instead, it takes months of content, building trust and adding value before true conversions can be seen. This means that content marketers must have a strong sense of resolve and tenacity to keep going over many months where it might seem as if a strategy isn’t working.

But those who can keep going and come back with fresh content time and time again are often the real winners – finding customers, strengthening relationships and building trust within an industry through relentless work.

When it comes to content marketing, perseverance can be one of the most difficult things with which to deal. That is especially relevant as many organisations use relatively short metrics based on weeks, months and quarters – not necessarily the biannual or yearly dates required for content marketing.

Content marketing strategies continue to evolve and become highly complex undertakings, however, for those able to maintain determination while incorporating executive leadership and executable plans, there is every chance for success.


03/Jul/2017
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 The Millennials have become a major audience for businesses over the past few years. In the United States alone, this group of people born between 1982 and 2004 now have over $600bn in buying power. As a result, they’re a lucrative group of potential customers for those that can reach them; however, reaching Millennials isn’t easy. For content marketing strategists, there are four important steps to consider.

  1. Focus on audience segments

When targeting Millennials, it’s more important than ever for marketers to focus on specific audiences. This is because this generation interacts online more than ever before, and that means there’s a vast array of eyes and ears available to digest content. However, if firms scale too wide, they may miss lucrative opportunities. Therefore, it’s better to target a smaller, niche segment for greater effect.

Segmenting audiences goes beyond simply narrowing them by their birth year. Instead, agencies need to develop multiple personas that are differentiated by education, socio-economic background, hobbies and online activities. Targeting should only be limited by time and budget rather than audience categories themselves.

  1. Value and transparency must be offered 

Another important consideration is that brands must ensure they offer value and transparency when targeting Millennials. This is because this group of people is often wary of traditional marketing methods, and overwhelmingly describe advertising as ‘fake’.

The key to working with Millennials is offering transparency and authenticity. Brands need to come across as human and need to centre on an identity that offers value by information, entertainment or both. It’s important to recognise that neither of these content types have much money attached to them. That’s because Millennials are not as attached to budgets like previous generations. Instead, brand loyalty is formed based on how they perceive a business.

  1. Understanding the ‘WIIFM’ attitude is crucial

Millennials often ask themselves one question: ‘What’s in it for me?’ (WIIFM). As a result, content marketing strategists also need to keep this at the forefront of their minds when developing new content, regardless of the platform it’s to be shared on. As a first step, marketers should identify the core value each piece of content provides. Then, it is vital to ensure this value is taken a step further to provide something.

  1. Harness the power of social amplification

Finally, it’s wise for marketers to make use of social amplification. Millennials have become the most social generation ever, with a strong sense for seeking out news and staying informed. Content strategists can boost the success of their campaigns by driving content towards Millennials because this generation is twice as likely to share content than any other age group. One tip is to consider how people might feel being associated with a piece of content. Will they feel they’ve helped influence people? Would it engage and entertain their friends? By asking such questions, the right content can be curated.

Millennials are a very important target market that firms should be seeking out. And, by honing their content strategy carefully, they can appeal to this generation and find more success than ever.


24/Mar/2017
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Content marketing has become an essential tool for businesses wanting to succeed in the modern world. With each passing year, turning to content marketing is becoming an increasing priority for many. However, there are a lot of myths that firms must break through if they’re to develop a strategy with the potential for achieving great success. 

Top-tier content creation isn’t easy

The first thing that many people do not realise is that there’s no easy path to creating top-tier content. Firms can churn out vast amounts of content, but without the right and most relevant research, it’s unlikely to strike the right chord with consumers. Amateurs in content creation are unlikely to begin creating amazing material immediately and should set their expectations a little lower. This doesn’t mean to say that brands shouldn’t strive for the best, but it’s important to remember that creating exceptional content is an ongoing process.

Large quantities of content do not guarantee more reach 

There’s a myth that more content gains more reach – yet this simply is not true. Many firms still have traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) in mind, and believe that if they can produce great quantities of content, they’ll gain a larger reach. However, in many cases, prioritising quantity over quality can hinder advertising attempts.

The best approach is to start slow and adhere to a plan. It is far better to reach 100,000 through a single blog post, than produce 100 posts which only reach 1,000 each.

Great writers are rarely inexpensive and easy to come by  

Many companies also wrongly believe that they’ll be able to hire a great writer for little expense. The best writers, who invest time into producing professional content that has the best chance of making it into the top tier, can not only be hard to come by, but are rarely cheap. In some instances, firms hire a great writer at a low cost and find their quality quickly decreases.

Not paying writers professional rates means it is harder to keep their attention and engagement. This means that content is unlikely to ever succeed.

Content must not be confined to company websites

There’s a huge myth in the content marketing industry that content should only ever be posted on a firm’s own website. Whilst there is sense in this, especially for organisations wanting to give readers a reason to visit, content posted as guest blogs or on other sites can be hugely successful. It is a good idea, therefore, to split content between posting on a firm’s website and in other places.

Quick revenues can be found from content marketing 

Finally, many believe that turning to content marketing offers a quick revenue increase. This is far from true; content marketing is, in fact, the long game. Overnight achievements are unlikely to be found, and strategists must be prepared to see slow gains at first and, with luck and determination, efforts snowballing over time.

Content marketing can be hugely successful for companies. However, it is vital to try and avoid common mistakes and break through the many myths if strategies are going to get off to a good start.

 


03/Mar/2017
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Over the past few years, the use of content marketing has grown phenomenally. It continues to evolve at a rapid pace and it is, therefore, essential to stay abreast of the latest changes. However, it is also important to review past months and years to understand how the market has changed.

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from 2016 – the first of which is that content marketing strategists are getting better. In fact, 63 per cent of business to customer (B2C) marketers said they’d been more successful than in 2015. Meanwhile, 62 per cent of business to business (B2B) marketers agreed with these sentiments. With growing success, comes the ability to command larger budgets, and the opportunity to balance tried-and-tested methods with new tactics.

Marketing must be mobile

One clear content marketing message from 2016 is that marketers must cater to a mobile market. Both Google and consumer habits are driving the rising dominance of mobile, and neither can be ignored. Google has prioritised mobile, first with a mobile-friendly update in April. This was followed by a mobile-first index update last October. Whilst many websites are now mobile-friendly, a survey in 2016 suggested that 23 per cent of small businesses have not updated their online homes, meaning that many opportunities could be missed.

Email remains a productive distribution network

Though social networks have risen at an astronomical rate, email remains the best channel for content marketers to distribute their content through. A lot of companies still measure success by how many social media likes and shares they’re getting. However, to get eyeballs on content, email is king.

Trust is crucial

2016 also gave credence to the fact that successful content relies on audience trust. Content marketing works best when it instils trust in readers, engaging with audiences who find the content enjoyable, useful and entertaining. Over time, regular fans come to trust what their favourite brands are saying.

This means that content strategists have to be a trustworthy publisher from the very beginning, catching spelling mistakes, checking facts and never misleading audiences.

Content marketing can utilise user-generated material

Finally, it’s been shown that audiences trust recommendations from their friends and peers. This means that user-generated content has a place in a firm’s content marketing strategy. This can take many forms – from customer advocacy and online reviews – to social shares and unboxing videos. Though this content type can be almost impossible to control, it can reap benefits in terms of engagement and, ultimately, conversions. If organisations want to capitalise on this, audiences should be encouraged to write reviews, take part in contests and share content. This can be done with a call to action with an associated incentive.

Content marketing continues to evolve, and technologies will come and go. However, core interactions and connections with consumers remain the same. Figuring out the best way to maintain these relationships is crucial, and by nurturing audiences using the lessons learned from last year, 2017 can be even more successful.