It’s no secret content marketing is an essential part of business today. Marketers are scrambling to get the best possible content for their marketing effort. Regardless of the marketing channel used (email, social media, websites, or paid advertising), content makes is crucial in engaging the customer.
The heightened importance of content stems from the changing nature of the purchase cycle. In the past, most sales occurred after the prospective buyer met or chatted with a salesperson. Today’s customers, B2B and B2C, tend to research extensively on the possible options beforehand, and they contact the sales team only for clarifications and add-ons to the existing information. In many cases, the majority of the sales cycle takes place without the involvement of a salesperson.
However, not all content is effective. The focus today is not on the quantity of content, but the quality of content. Simply producing content, to gain visibility or traction, has become irrelevant in today’s age of information overload. Prospective buyers simply ignore or dismiss such pieces as noise in an already overcrowded content space. However, developing enticing content that induces the consumer to take the call-to-action and eventually convert works and works better than most other tactics.
Among the different content types, videos are now the most popular and most effective in captivating consumer interest. The value of video lies in its ability to optimize organic search and offer instructional content, thought leadership and testimonials.
The push towards content marketing is now harder than ever and expectations are higher. How are you going to change your content marketing in 2015 to appeal to your desired target market?
