With the prevalence of digital media, such as videos, podcasts and social media campaigns, in today’s business climate, content marketing is necessary for business growth. Content marketing can be defined as the, “Development and distribution of relevant, useful content used to attract current and potential customers,” according to Intuit Mailchimp.
Here at Babcox Media, we use many content marketing strategies, including podcasts, videos, webinars, social media, blogs, magazines, articles, newsletters and more. I am responsible for posting news and products on a variety of online publications. After posting to the websites, I then share the content on social media channels.
In a world where customer demand for information quality and quantity is high, content marketing is essential to properly please consumers. Content marketing allows businesses to, “Build trust, develop relationships, improve conversions and generate leads,” as explained by Rebecca Riserbato from HubSpot.
When your customers continuously see the high-quality content you publish, they will trust you and the information you present, build relationships with you and buy your products. However, you must create ongoing useful content containing valuable information to make connections with your customers.
One of the goals of content marketing is to get the customer to come back for more. Businesses do this by making their content creative and entertaining. When posting content on social media, I use emojis that relate to the content, help viewers better understand the content and are visually appealing. For example, when posting about carwashes for Professional Carwashing & Detailing, I always put a water drop and car emoji.
Furthermore, to gain more traction on social media, it is important to use hashtags to refer to industry terms and draw more potential viewers to your posts. It is also best to tag the social accounts of companies discussed in the post to, again, attract as many potential consumer eyeballs as possible to the content. Picking the right hashtags to use involves identifying your target audience. By identifying your target audience, you can construct your content to align with the wants, needs and trends of your audience.
With more online traction, there are more opportunities for business growth and profits. By sharing informative and engaging content on your business’s social channels, followers will appreciate your expertise in the industry, helping drive growth and, eventually, profits.
Through creating this expert level content, Babcox Media has become respected in our various sectors of the Automotive Aftermarket, which creates opportunities to collaborate with other thought leaders. For example, in a recent AutoSuccess Magazine Executive Spotlight episode, Susan Givens, Babcox Media group publisher, interviewed Veronica Dunford, the Vice President of strategic partnerships for DealerBuilt, about her company’s growth plan. By speaking with leaders in a specific industry, you are not only creating content for your audience, but you are also creating content for the audience of the industry leaders. This expands your range of viewers, thus growing your business.
It is important to involve your employees in the process of deciding which leaders to speak to because of the knowledge about your industry your employees possess. For example, Sarah Parker from Content Marketing Institute is working on a campaign focused on salespeople. She says, “I’m meeting with members of our sales team to find out who they follow and what communities they find valuable.”
There is a lot that goes into a content marketing campaign — from brainstorming new content ideas all the way through promotion on social media. Entrepreneur has outlined seven key steps to produce successful content marketing. “Get a briefer on what content marketing involves, research your competitors, draw up an editorial calendar, set goals and keep them, treat your first posts as experiments, publish, syndicate and follow up and never stop improving.” By following these seven steps, you can start content marketing and make your business a prominent force in your industry.
