- Oct 29, 2012
- By Alicia Bertsche
- In Website Design and SEO, Content Marketing
I recently read an article about brands, online platforms, and content written by Martin Harrison, senior planner for global digital agency HUGE. Martin thinks that in 2013, brands are going to start realizing that to make their online platforms work for them, they’ll have to start publishing great stuff in a steady stream. He points out that for most marketers, this is a huge shift in the way that they think. In the old days (and by old days, I mean like ten years ago), marketing teams spent months creating pieces that went through the ringer before they were published. Now, to keep up with today’s “always-on” world, brands have to be able to produce interesting content relevant to their audience at the snap of a finger.
“Your YouTube channel isn’t going to work just by updating it regularly and your Facebook page will die unless you’ve got something compelling to share,” Martin says. And he’s right. I’m sure you can think of a brand on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube that just doesn’t get it. They might sound robotic in their tweets, have boring videos on YouTube, or ask inane questions on Facebook. When you’ve got sales to make, products to launch, and 9 thousand other things on your plate, content creation can be a scary beast to tackle. If this describes your situation, you’re not alone. In fact, a study by Marketing Profs reported that 41% of marketers’ biggest challenge is “producing the kind of content that engages prospects”.
So if you’re in that boat, here’s a few tips to help take a bit of the bite out of content marketing:
“Your YouTube channel isn’t going to work just by updating it regularly and your Facebook page will die unless you’ve got something compelling to share,” Martin says. And he’s right. I’m sure you can think of a brand on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube that just doesn’t get it. They might sound robotic in their tweets, have boring videos on YouTube, or ask inane questions on Facebook. When you’ve got sales to make, products to launch, and 9 thousand other things on your plate, content creation can be a scary beast to tackle. If this describes your situation, you’re not alone. In fact, a study by Marketing Profs reported that 41% of marketers’ biggest challenge is “producing the kind of content that engages prospects”.
So if you’re in that boat, here’s a few tips to help take a bit of the bite out of content marketing:- Determine the audience - It sounds silly, but it’s a step many forget to take. Unless you have your audience in mind, it’s easy to create content that’s boring -- such as a video that describes every feature of your product. Talk about stuff that your audience wants to hear.
- Collaborate - Get your whole company involved. Some of the most relevant shareable information may come from outside of the marketing team, so when you’re hatching a strategy, make sure to include everyone!
- Feature your customers - Everybody likes to talk about themselves and nobody likes someone who only talks about themselves. Include your customers in your content and turn them into brand ambassadors!
