People seem to lose their common sense when they enter the online world. I’m not talking about cyberbullying though - I’m actually referring to posting content.
What is content marketing?
Fast Fact
Key takeaway
How can you tell when someone is doing Content Marketing?
As an audience, you can tell Content Marketing is being used when:
You do not feel disrupted when you're consuming the content;
You develop a genuine interest in the publisher of the content;
You want to learn more about the publisher naturally;
You are not being sold to, rather, you are told a story;
You do not feel like a company is behind the content but a relatable individual;
You find the content showing up at the right contextual moment (the opposite of this would be seeing an ad while playing a game);
You find it easy to engage with the content because it's on a platform you use.
As a marketer, you can tell Content Marketing is being used when:
You are asked to create content across the funnel, not just BOFU (asking for audience action);
You are told to distribute content in both organic and paid formats without reliant on paid advertisements to generate traffic/ reach;
You see high-quality leads coming in, meaning people who already know what your company does and what services/ products you provide and are ready to take action;
You are not justifying marketing efforts based on single attribution, but rather, multi-attribution;
You spend a lot of time coming up with stories instead of promotions;
You are asked to place the same emphasis on driving conversion as building brand awareness;
You have a clear target audience persona understanding and never create content based on subjective impulses.
How to start doing Content Marketing?
For some reason, brands think that by using all of the platforms out there, they are deemed for, or is closer to success. So they start to post the exact same thing across all of their channels. They get hyped up by the ideas of viral content, free platforms, engagement rates, and large followings. Soon, they completely forget that using content is far from the very definition of utilizing content.
Let me give you a highly relatable example — media coverage.
Learning how to do Content Marketing
Before we jump into the actual knowledge and tactics, the first thing you need to start doing Content Marketing is to adopt the right mindset.
If we went back to the media coverage example, a company not doing Content Marketing would share the coverage without a second thought. They are likely to copy and paste the piece across all their platforms as though people care. Here are the questions you must ask yourself before posting any content to start and think like a content marketer:
1. Do people really want to see your business' media coverage?
Your target audiences use different platforms differently. They might do their research on Google, browse for inspirations on Instagram, and want entertaining videos from Tiktok. Telling everyone you've been featured on every single platform doesn't do much, unless the media coverage content is adapted to suit respective user behaviours.
Can you turn the media coverage into quote posts, infographics, or clickable links?
Would it not be better to share behind-the-scene content of the media coverage than to simply redistribute the article yourself?
Most importantly, why should people care about this piece of content?
Does it help build authority, awareness, or increase conversion rates?
Before posting media coverage on different platforms, every company must ask themselves what good does it do, and at which stage of the content funnel.
2. Do people want to read media coverage about your business on your channels?
Indeed, within the media coverage may be mentions of company stance, brand missions, and propositions, but people will only read it if they are genuinely interested in you. I don't think anyone likes to go onto a branded account and be bombarded with just media coverage. It doesn't build the brand image, increase transparency, nor help the brand stay relevant with their target audiences. Companies can't blast out media coverage and expect them to grow their brand presence and authority. Worst yet, it may appear boastful and become neglected by your audience.
Like a healthy diet, a healthy feed should contain 3-5 content pillars (buckets of content). Each content pillar should have its specific objective, and they should be developed based on target audience understanding. Even if your target audiences love to read the news, that does not mean they love to read news about you only. Your content should always be there to offer value they need, intrigue them with interests they have, and answer the questions they ask.
"Your content should always be there to offer value they need, intrigue them with interests they have, and answer the questions they ask."
- Joyce Tsang, Joyce Tsang Content Marketing Limited
3. Would your media coverage be effective reading material for your team?
Does the piece of media coverage give the team a good feeling? If the answer is yes, why not maximize its potential by circulating it as an in-house newsletter? As you can imagine, if a member of staff shares it on their social media platform, the media coverage content instantly holds a different weight to the audience. It indicates that employees are proud of the company and they work at a decent place. It can help with recruitment and team bonding. It's also an easy way to involve your team and start different conversations.
How long does Content Marketing take?
How to improve your Content Marketing
Apart from giving content adaptation more thought so that the content becomes appropriate for different platforms, the topic(s) covered in the media coverage is just as important. If the subject matter is mainly corporate insights that your target audiences do not care for, you can't just force feed them to your communities because it's a proud moment for you.
We at Joyce Tsang Content Marketing Limited has a content pillar titled "Legitimate Mentor", which is specifically for sharing personal and company achievements. We did not devise this bucket because we want to talk about ourselves, but our research has showcased that our target audiences are genuinely interested in our milestones. Our achievements are inspirations and motivations for them to not give up on their own marketing journey. They are also proof that content marketing does work, as many of them are still sceptical on the idea.
See how we have planned out our content pillars below:
So, unless your brand also has a clear content framework that directs how media coverages should be repurposed and adapted across your owned channels, it will never be a good idea to fill your content calendar with media coverages. Because content, whether online or offline, is really not that different. They are tools we use to capture audiences’ attention, and if it is doing the opposite, the content can never be justified.
Want to learn more about how a content marketing strategy is created? Visit here.
Is Content Marketing worth it?
Yes, content marketing can be an effective way to reach potential customers and increase brand awareness. Content marketing can help you create meaningful connections with customers by providing them with helpful and interesting content. It can also help you build trust and establish your business as an authority in your field. Additionally, content marketing can be an effective way to drive traffic to your website, generate leads, and increase conversions.
So stop creating content for the sake of creating and think about the topics your brand is truly capable of talking about to build trust and authority. Align them with the platform which hosts a community likely to be interested in it. Craft your posts with an objective that the platform can help you achieve. If it shows no performance, see if your paid social strategy can help. If it can’t, move on!