5 Things to Consider Before Content Marketing

Happy Marketing Monday!

Welcome back lovelies! Today it is all about Content Marketing!

Content Marketing is an approach to creating, publishing, and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and it is usually referenced to social media platforms, but Websites like blogs produce content as well. Content Marketing has improved since 1895 from regularly printing magazine ads to daily videos and images on current digital platforms. Since this strategy has increased in popularity, it’s more important than ever to include it in your marketing plan. If there is any intention of marketing anything to a mass amount of people, then you need to jump on the bandwagon and understand how to reach your audience through the main social media platforms! Demand Sage’s article, “Social Media Users- Global Demographics 2023 written by Rohit Shewale demonstrates the importance of content marketing and states “Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter (X), Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Whatsapp, and Reddit” are the most used platforms (from used most to least). Becoming familiar with the platforms and engaging actively on them is an absolute must for advertising operations in any business. His article goes on to show that “the USA has 302.35 million social media users as of 2023. That means 90% of the total US population uses social media actively” (Shewale). We can just about say that everyone in the United States can be accessed online. Therefore, the vital importance of content creating can be stressed enough if branding and selling are on your to-do list.

Here are 5 things you should consider before your first post:

1.     Who Is Your Perfect Customer?:

Understanding the ins and outs of your ideal customer helps you understand who the content posted is trying to attract. What are their miseries, or what makes them frustrated? What are their miracles, or their dreams and goals if everything went well. How can you reduce their frustrations and help them obtain their goals and dreams. What are their habits, demographics, and psychographics? Are they male, or female? How old are they? What is their cultural background? Your ideal customer is the basis of all marketing decision-making. These detailed personas help guide content creation and tailor messages to resonate strongly with your perfect customer. A good brand should be felt by the customers so that they feel the content is speaking to them.

2.     Which Platforms Do I Use?:

Now that we have a better understanding of our perfect customer, we can now decide what platform to use to reach them. Data from the article “Social Media Use in 2021” written by Brooke Auxier, explains the results from a 2021 telephone survey when it states the “majority of 18- to 29-year-olds say they use Instagram (71%) or Snapchat (65%), while roughly half say the same for TikTok”. However, adults older than 18-29 reported using Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok significantly less (Auxier). Understanding the connection between demographics and platform users makes some of the decision-making easier. The right platform has the right demographics that align with the ideal customer for the business. Age demographics reveal a lot of information for marketers, but its one of many demographics (cultural background, gender, ethnicity, religion, income, health, and family size) that can be used to make the ultimate platform choice.

3.     How Do I strategize My Content:

Strategizing and long term planning is ideal for smooth brand growth. Although it can be complex, when planned out it makes for a more cohesive online presence. Thinking ahead allows organizations to align content with their long-term objective while having the extra freedom to adapt to changes.

Some top strategies to consider include picking a theme, use a content calendar, and have an array of posts. First, incorporating a visual theme allows for brand recognition and ties together the brand’s identity. Because humans are so visually dominant, it can be both an attractive and alluring addition when the colors and images complement each other. Second, a content calendar promises consistent content delivery and helps you manage your tools and platforms more efficiently. With that, having content diversity such as blogs, video posts, images, and any other visually attractive images help maintain engagement. And lastly, having a variety of content such as entertaining, passionate, informative, or personal posts will help your audience feel connected to the brand and maintain interest. Thinking ahead and including an array of content will help make the consistent marketing process go much smoother and reduce burnout.

4.     Organic or Paid ads?

Organic advertising is attracting customers naturally without paying a company or service to present your content. Paid advertising is exactly what it sounds like, paying someone to present your ads on their platform or site. When determining which to use, consider cost. If cost is an issue organic ads are great because they are long-term and more authentic to users as they don’t make them feel like their decisions are influenced. Paid ads on the other hand are beneficial because they can reach a large and targeted audience quickly and provide marketing data and insights. Choosing organic or paid advertising is pivotal as it sets the foundation of your budget strategy early on.

5.     Learn to listen!

The customer is everything! The business would not exist without them. Making the customer feel understood, and cared for makes them feel important. And they are! The beautiful thing about modern-day content creation is that posts that engage and ask the customer questions provide you with immediate feedback that can be used to improve operations. Listening to and understanding customers helps to build your brand reputation and establishes loyalty.

Auxier, Brooke. “Social Media Use in 2021.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 7 Apr. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/.

Shewale, Rohit. “Social Media Users - Global Demographics (2023).” DemandSage, 12 Sept. 2023, www.demandsage.com/social-media-users/#:~:text=USA%2DSpecific%20Social%20Media%20Statistics&text=The%20USA%20has%20302.35%20million,74.2%25%20of%20adults%20using%20it.