Companies like Tesla are hiring big-name journalists to fill the position of Chief Content Officer, a position that ten years ago did not exist in the organizations. Red Bull invests about two billion dollars per year in the generation of audiovisual content. Will it be the content marketing the solution to reconnect with distrustful consumers?
80% of the sessions on-line from a computer they start with a search. 82% of people search for information on the Internet before buying. In turn, more than 40% of users block ads and 84% of those between 25 and 34 years old leave the pages for having intrusive advertising.
The New York Times confesses that native advertising (inn content) performs the same as its editors’ articles. 62% of users express that they decided to buy because of the good reviews of a company or its products.
These data indicate very large changes in consumer behavior. Access more information, compare prices, offers, conditions, distrust traditional advertising and listen carefully to what other users comment on their experience with brands, products and services, and also publishes posts to express your opinion.
In this new scenario, companies must find better ways to bring their unique value proposition closer to their selected customer. The great challenge is to attract new demand and stay relevant and attractive to the target audience, so that they make a decision that favors the business.
And in this skein, the offer (the what) must be considered, but, above all, the why and the how. In the words of Sunil Gupta, it is time to reconnect with consumers.
A familiar path, worth taking
Content marketing can be defined as the strategic process by which a company creates and distributes content to attract and engage a specific audience, in order to influence them to follow a course of action that is desirable and profitable for their business.
This combines the identification of commercial objectives, the selection of a target audience (or several), the type and format of content, the channels through which it will be distributed, and, above all, what is the unique value proposition, that is, Why will your content be better or different than that of your competitors? Why would someone spend some of their valuable time listening to you?
In the tidal wave of information that users navigate, increasingly distrustful of advertising, the key lies in complying with the premise expressed by Craig Davis, a former Chief Creative Officer from J. Walter Thompson: “We have to stop interrupting what people care about and be what people care about.”
But is it worth it?
First of all, Google likes good content. And a lot. All inbound marketing efforts and content marketing they focus on achieving a good position on the first page of Google results. The so-called “golden triangle” is the location prized by companies.
In an interview with the former Head of Webspam Silicon Valley giant Matt Cutts responded that the best way to rank high is simple: write great content. Why does Google’s opinion matter? Some studies showed that this search engine sends 10 times more traffic to the sites Web than Facebook. Google has become the gatekeeper guarding the gateway to the Internet. This means that the largest companies in the world are hiring renowned journalists for content management and creation.
“Google likes you” generates greater reputation and authority of the site among search engines and makes it easier to be found, which increases traffic to the page Web of the company and, according to numerous investigations, it also increases the time of permanence of the users.
Second, the content marketing helps generate more sales. Content marketing is present throughout the funnel, in the stages of knowledge (I discover that I have a problem), interest (I look for information to solve that problem) and action (I decide after comparing the offer).
The company can be present in this purchase decision process and contact the user at each stage, but it can also generate conversation with and among other users, so that they help the selected customer decide on our product or service. . The content marketing allows you to control the conversation.
Third, 72% of people prefer to learn about a company or product through an article, rather than through an advertisement. Therefore, if a strategy of content marketing, the user will appreciate it. It is much less annoying than traditional advertisements, and, well written, can even be entertaining.
Fourth (and not last), if the prospect Arrives more informed and one step more determined to make the purchase, you simplify the life of the sellers. The sales force is the heart of companies, especially when it comes to selling services, and, if they are motivated and happy, they will work harder and better.
Remember that “everything begins with a search.” And if it all starts with a search, we must ask ourselves, am I part of the answer? Content marketing helps anticipate pain points (pain points) the client’s.
As early as 1960, Theodore Levitt suggested that companies are not defined by the product or service they offer, but by the benefit or value they create for their target audience. Value is created by satisfying needs and content marketing aims to involve the consumer in a conversation in which we try to inform and seduce them into choosing us over our competitors.
