CONTENT MARKETING
The Most Powerful Form of Marketing
Most businesses use marketing as a way of hinting at their expertise or value, hoping they’ll create enough intrigue and interest to get the customer to look deeper. If you ran a lawn care company, you wouldn’t give customers the information they would need to maintain a healthy lawn on their own, because then they may not need you. If you ran a bicycle shop, you wouldn’t teach customers how to fix their own bikes because then they may no longer use your repair services. There is a tendency to play the details of the process and techniques close to the vest as a strategy to hold the position as expert and keep competitors from learning valuable secrets. We used to work in a market where this approach was advantageous. That is no longer the case.
In a society where we are increasingly able to get new information instantly, we expect to be able to make a quick decision when it comes to choosing a product or service provider. We don’t want to waste time and energy giving someone our business, hoping that business is as reputable as they seem on the surface or claim to be. Having a strong brand, a long-standing tradition, or even offering the best product or service is not enough. If you aren’t sharing content in a medium that allows customers to learn about the products and services you offer and that establishes you as the expert, you may be losing business to companies that do.
Basic content marketing strategies are the norm. Websites, business cards, brochures, etc. are commonly used. What will set you apart as a business is using other mediums like blogs, podcasts, videos, and social media to tell the story of who your business is and to share some of your most valuable secrets as a way of setting you apart from your competitors and establishing you as an expert in the minds of your customers. In the sections below I’ll break out each individual medium and talk about their strengths.
Blog
The blog is really where it all starts. Content starts as an idea in someone’s mind, but it can’t be shared unless it is written in some format. Whether it’s podcast, video, or social media, writing must be involved. This is why a blog is often the best place to start. It has the lowest time investment and is a widely consumed medium. It’s also a great way to drive e-mail newsletter subscriptions or lead your potential customer to some kind of action.
Audio or Podcast
Podcasting is a medium that has been around for a while, but is only recently beginning to explode in popularity with the general market. The devices used to consume podcasts continue to grow more sophisticated and make it easier for people to listen. Podcasts are unique in that they don’t require the consumers exlusive visual engagement. This makes listening to podcasts popular during commutes, running, even showers. Imagine, instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars hoping that your radio commercial reaches the right people at the right time, you craft audio content that is relevant and valuable to your target audience, that they will seek out and listen to, keeping your company at the forefront of their mind.
Video
Video content is becoming easier to consume every day. The time has never been better for providing content through video with all of the recent advances in streaming technology and the ease with which everyday people are able to create and upload videos. Second only to a face to face interaction, video is the most engaging medium a business can use to communicate with their customers.
Email Newsletter
Your email newsletter is a great way to provide free, yet exclusive content to customers who are interested in your products, service, or field of business. Consumers love to feel like they are a part of an exclusive club. The value you share doesn’t have to be limited to practical tips. You can give people access to what goes on behind the scenes of your business, share stories about who your people are, and talk about what inspired you to start and maintain your business. A healthy email list can also lead to repeated sales and greater customer loyalty.
Social Media
Social media can be a powerful way to connect with potential customers. People look to social media more and more to feel connected and informed. With so many kinds of social media platforms out there, it can be hard to know where to start, but if you can find the one or even several that are a good fit for your business, you can connect with customers in a way that not only allows them to see you as an answer to a specific need they have, but also as a friend in whom they can trust.
A Content Marketing Plan That Is Right For Your Business
Even within the main categories of content marketing, there are dozens and dozens of different approaches one can take. Do I do all of those things? Do I do just one of those things? Which one will best connect with my customer? I can help you answer those questions by spending some time with you, learning about your industry, your business, and what your customer needs. With my Content Marketing Consultation you will get a content marketing plan aimed at strengthening your connection with your customer, increasing customer loyalty, and raising revenue.
My Process
Preliminary Discussion
After getting in touch with me, I’ll schedule a time when we can have a FREE preliminary consultation, where I can learn about your business, we can discuss your goals, and, if we determine together that we are a good fit for one another, we can schedule a preparatory meeting and the formal consultation.
Research & Preparatory Meeting
Immediately after the initial phone call, I will set to work researching your business, industry, target customer, competitors, anything that will give me deeper insight into what type of mediums best reach your customers. In our preparatory meeting, we will discuss the specific strategies you are currently using to share content with your customers and get deeper into your goals. During the preparatory meeting I will gather all of the information I need to come up with a comprehensive strategy for strengthening your companies content marketing approach.
Formal Consultation
The formal consultation will be the final presentation of your custom content marketing strategy, including project timeline, estimated costs, and implementation techniques that will work for the unique needs of your business. I will show you how the strategies I’ve outlined will help your company reach its stated goals. I will also provide digital and physical reports outlining the contents of the final presentation in detail.
Let's Talk About Reaching Your Customers
Our first conversation is free of charge. I want to meet you and learn more about how your business works.