“Just do it!” – And we know, it is NIKE!
“You’re more beautiful than you think” – https://goo.gl/ezKtYu
This Dove commercial is a fantastic example of content marketing and has been one of Dove’s more popular videos to date. It was released in 2013, but consumers are still coming across it, and are loving it.
As the name suggests, content marketing is about creating content around a product and attracting customers with it. It’s not direct marketing, as we don’t sell anything directly, rather we provide information about products and services. Customers that are engaged in this type of content will, typically, feel good. This is because the content is coming from a brand which makes the customer feel involved in the experience.
Content marketing starts with analyzing customer wants, creating a content strategy around the customer preferences, creating the content and, finally, publishing it. Content will vary depending on the platform used. Content marketing takes place online through blogs, videos, emails, info-graphics, web pages, eBooks, etc.
Like any marketing, it must have a purpose. Let us dig deeper and look at the various types of content marketing.
- Transaction Content: There may have been many instances where you read or saw something regarding a brand/product, and suddenly, you’re interested. That content which nudges you to make a purchase decision is called transaction content. The customer is attracted to take a leap from researching about the product to purchasing it.
For Example, consumers who come across content with embedded promos, such as: “50% off if you answer this simple question about XYZ Brand”, are likely to make that purchase. They answer, get a discount on product, and the brand wins a customer!
- Branded Content: This is an entertaining way to approach the customers. Registering your brand without saying anything about it directly is known as branded content. The brand tells a story, entertains, and engages the customers. The customers easily remember and recall the name of your brand. Lego® has a film which has entertained millions of people and is a perfect example of branded content.
- Social Content: Spreading information and educating your customer via social media is the way of marketing through social content. A video goes viral, a post is shared, a blog is read by many – all of these are ways of reaching your customers. Content will vary across various social media platforms.
Now, you may wonder which is the best approach for your business. Well, it depends! It depends on your brand, product and the target customers. Sometimes, it may also depend on the platform being used. So, developing a content strategy is the first step. We will dive deeper into each aspect of content in our later blogs. Stay tuned!
