Editor's note: Lucy Davison is managing director at Keen as Mustard, a London marketing agency. Davison can be reached at lucy@mustardmarketing.com.
Google the phrase “content marketing” and you get 366,000,000 results (at the time this article was written). Interest in the search term “content marketing” has grown by nearly 600 percent in the last 18 months. So, what is all the fuss about? Is it a flash in the pan or something that marketing researchers should be doing?
While content marketing has had a fad-like rise in the last few years, there is no doubt that it is here to stay. It is part of the Internet-based communication revolution that has been created by the open and generous nature of the Internet – share and share alike. If a research agency doesn’t share, the company doesn’t get to join in the conversation and will not gain the benefits.
But why is it so valuable for marketing researchers?
Researchers, whether in client organizations or agencies, are repositories of fascinating and unusual information, insights and knowledge. And when we talk about content on the Internet we mean just that – unusual information, insights and knowledge. Making connections, sharing and bringing that knowledge to bear on current issues and events is precisely the stuff of which content marketing is made. Content marketing is a gift for marketing researchers, especially for those on the agency side. What is more, we can completely control what we do. Content marketing focuses on creating content owned by a company. Material is published on the company’s own platforms (Web site, blogs, etc.) rather than being bought (ad space) or being published in another media (PR). Finally, as the aim of content marketing is to attract customers and help them connect with your business, the ultimate value of this form of marketing is to build a profitable business. Content acts as a great introduction or first point of contact for prospective clients, allowing them to better trust you and your work.
Where to start?
If you are going to undertake content marketing, you need a strategy and plan. Think about what you want to achieve and who you want to attract. A good strategy and plan will help you to get the rest of your organization behind your efforts, it allows you to shape your content with conviction, it means that you can measure and evaluate the efficiency of your approach and it keeps you on track so that you can actually produce consistent coverage rather than leaving your plans to gather dust.
Research agencies can define objectives and develop a strategy, allowing the organization to prioritize exactly what content marketing can do for the business – which is important, because it can do a lot of things (and I really mean this). These include (but are not restricted to): building awareness, educating your audience, nurturing leads, engaging influencers, serving existing customers, generating new leads and establishing expertise (told you I meant it). Prioritizing a few of these narrows down the focus of your efforts, gives you a starting block to generate ideas for content and, alongside your objectives, provides a goal against which to measure your approach.
Who are you talking to?
The next thing to consider is the audience of your content marketing. If your goal is to build awareness, who exactly do you want to build awareness with? Build a persona for the segments you’re trying to reach – these could be in terms of the organization’s size, job function and seniority. Think about what information would be particularly valuable to them.
Be authentic
In order to offer valuable content to readers, you need to communicate value that is distinct from another company; you need to talk about your niche. Focusing on a niche allows a research agency to engage with potential clients while positioning themselves as thought leaders. It is vital to speak with your own voice. From a company’s point of view this must be rooted in what is special and different about what you do. This is the area where you have the most knowledge and where no one else has a better claim to authority than you. This must be articulated clearly and definitely before you start and it must be articulated with your own tone of voice and company personality. Are you going to be direct, honest and challenging? Are you going to be amusing, jokey or entertaining? Think through how this will reflect on your brand. Mix your unique voice with your potential customer’s pain points as that is where you’ll find the most valuable stories.
Make sure that when you’re writing and planning content, you choose at least one SEO-friendly keyword to appear in the title of your content. This will boost your rankings and further allow you to “own” your distinct positioning – which is a real value of content marketing as it will drive traffic to your Web site.
Delivering great content
However you decide to handle it, be aware that content marketing is not an easy win and does require time each day to ensure your content stays up-to-date and reflects well on your organization. The content you plan should not only be designed for consumption, but should provoke thoughts with clients which create an opportunity for you to work together. The service you’re offering can be summarized in a call to action which should appear at the end of the content to directly encourage potential customers to do what you want them to.
Content marketing is a heaven-sent opportunity for market researchers and agencies and I urge you to grasp it.