The importance of content is can be appreciated by the fact that in
1986, Bill Gates wrote an essay titled ‘Content is the King’; which was
published on the Microsoft website. In the essay, the founder highlights the
widening scope of content with the development of technology.
In fact, it is from that essay that the phrase, ‘Content is the
King’ emerged.
It isn’t uncommon of us to hear of people who are well dressed and have
appealing looks but as soon as they utter, they have lost the game. From school
projects to news headlines; it is the content that rules.
‘Harshad Mehta is a Liar’- this headline grabbed the attention of lakhs
when printed in a daily newspaper. The catchy headline was to draw the
attention of the reader. The cleverly crafted title worked well in changing the
opinion of the mass because its content reigned.
In all aspects of the corporate world, it is the content that has
supremacy. It has the influence that can make or break a deal. Great content
requires understanding and research; not only of the current times
macroeconomically, but also at personal level of the target personnel. Content
nurtures long lasting relationships and assists in building brand reputation.
Content Marketing majorly helps in achievement of the below stated objectives:
· Brand Cognizance
· Sales and Revenue Appreciation
· Lead Generation
· Consumer Building and Preservation
· Effective Strategy Application
In the twenty-first century, content marketing is not an option but a pre-requisite to survive in the digital world. It increases referral and social traffic. It creates a reputable and trustworthy image of the organization in the market.
Content marketing essentially means application of intensive strategies to provide the consumer with valuable, consistent and quality-driven content.
Majorly all digital marketing campaigns are led by content marketing strategies. In fact, the success or failure of digital marketing hub greatly depends on the content provided by them.
The increase in recognition of content marketing is because it is mostly for the customer rather than the producer.
The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling has been on the bestseller charts for years now. Evidently, it is the story and the content of the book that has a very powerful impact on the reader. The content is such that it keeps the reader engaged through out.
Moreover, a term lately trending is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). To be top-listed in search engines like Google, exclusive and current content is vital. Accordingly, content gets more people on board.
Content not only includes the text and facts stated, as was considered in the primitive times, but also includes creative mechanisms of communication like podcasts, social media posts, e-mails, blogs, e-books, webinars etc.
· Blogs:
The simplest and budget friendly manner to reach and communicate with the target audience is blogging. Blogging is an ad-on to advertising. Start-ups and small upcoming associations usually use blogs to provide interactive content. It is also an important tool in answering frequently asked questions, and queries of the consumers.
· Videos:
There is no better hit content that that of a viral video. These days, online activities usually revolve around videos and other visual treats. This is also an effective medium in engaging audience. This supports in implementing brand-awareness strategies.
In- fact depending on the pocket, celebrities can also be roped in to make the brand reach far and wide.
· Case Studies:
Case Studies provide real-life content. Hence, they are more relevant and related to. This enables the consumers in gaining from the real-life experiences of the customers using the said products. Case studies also help the marketing firm in gaining perspectives, opinions and feedback of the actual users. This tool of content marketing, creates a sense of trust in consumers as they get to hear of applications and benefits of the product.
· Interviews:
Interactions and interviews, especially with the customers and professionals, help prospective users acquire a more in-depth assessment and outlook of the encounters of any entity. A live interview of life stream on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube is even more effective.
· Social-media Posts:
Social-media posts are the most creative platform to reach the target audience. It provides a huge scope to try new engagement strategies and spread online. Posts can be accessed through many platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
These posts greatly influence and inspire prospective consumers. Posts generally provide scholastic as well as marketing content.
· Memes and GIFs:
The latest and possibly the most innovative means of promotion used in the market are memes and GIFs. The content used ranges from application of sarcasm to humor to convey messages to the audience. They are relatable and subtly convey a very strong point.
· E-books:
These amplify the digital experience by providing screen-accessible content. It is a faster and portable form of communication. It has a wide targeted customer base. It comprises of full-length information. It has larger reach than traditional methods of print publishing like brochures, pamphlets, posters and so on.
The major aim of content marketing is to make a brand reach its target audience. With the growing awareness of consumers, it is important to realize that any unwanted matter will be instantly disregarded by the audience.
Simply stated, a content writer is one who connects with prospective clients without actually selling to them. With true and good substance, content marketing is very efficacious strategy, which would upsurge the inbound traffic and leads.
Content is the backbone of digital marketing. But it is also important for the buyers as it helps them in effectively exercise their buying power by making informed decisions.
There are various types of content in the market, some types are as follows:
· Scholastic Content:
Academic content or information that serves for educational purposes is referred to as scholastic content. It comprises of tutorials, informative videos, and other components of virtual learning. This type of content majorly focuses on increasing awareness, and building a scientific mindset in the addressees.
· Marketing Content:
To power search engine optimization and get profit-oriented results, marketing content emphasis on the brand, and publicizes the company in all probability. It operates on key words usage, link forwards, website visitors, public relation specific advertisements etc. their sole aim is to establish a genuine customer base.
Backlinks are crucial to lead customers to the organization’s web portal. It increases traffic on the site.
Before engaging in content marketing, one should understand that run of the mill content will simply be ignored by users. Fundamentally, the themes should be distinctive. Also, a lot of graphics, animation and coming of the age technology should be put into application. No consumer will be interested in reading a mundane, long- length, paragraph after paragraph.
Even in the arena of politics, leaders with strong and accurate subject matter win the hearts of audience. For instance, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation with success of Mars Orbiter Mission, his choice of words kept the listeners absorbed through out. His speech was full of wit as he referred to the mission as ‘MOM’. He went on to mention various learning from the Vedas, and compared the success to the budget of Hollywood movies.
The above stated example clearly highlights that the need of the hour is to provide strong, irreplicable, relevant and precise content. It should be to-the point and straightforward, instead of beating around the bush.
It is not uncommon to hear of the saying, ‘A picture speaks a thousand words’; If it wasn’t for content social media networks like YouTube and Tik-Tok etc. would not be thriving. As a matter of fact, Facebook and Netflix invest largely in algorithms to deliver relevant content. Of late, Instagram has introduced the concept of ‘reels’ to deliver audio-video content.
All in all, as Lee Odden, the CEO of TopRank Marketing said, ‘Content isn’t the King, It’s the Kingdom’; it is the soul of all prospects and endeavors. So much so, that marketing is heavily driven and dependent on content.
