Today, many businesses struggle to attract loyal viewers to their content in order to convert them into customers. They fail by either being too self-promotional or creating content that doesn’t serve their target market. Consumers today have more control over how they connect with brands than ever before, so they are now the authority on how businesses should market or promote themselves.
The Information Space is Changing
Technology has changed how people can gain information and how businesses can distribute it. Jay Baer, the author of Youtility, explained how brands used to promote themselves through top-of-mind awareness. It’s the act of using constant self-promotional messaging in the media like newspapers and television to stay in consumers’ minds the most. This method usually works for big brands that could afford to pay for so many advertisements. Today, newspapers and media aren’t the biggest source for new information. They are competing to reach a large audience with digital media, mobile technology, and social media to grab consumer attention. This means that businesses need to be aware of the evolving nature of information space that allows consumers to access content in many different ways. Successfully distributing content within these various outlets will increase audience reach that can promote customer conversion rates.
Producing Great Content Should Replace the Race for Attention
Businesses need to stand out from other firms in their industry to gain all the glory of being the #1 brand that consumers trust. But the ways that some businesses are marketing themselves aren’t working well for them. In his book, Youtility, Jay Baer explained the three characteristics of content and service creation that will attract consumers.
● Produce self-service information: Businesses should provide helpful information that people can access anytime they want.
● Be transparent: Businesses shouldn’t hide anything from their stakeholders. Content should be a representation of their skills and beliefs.
● Become real-time relevant: Businesses need to be easily accessible. They should take advantage of mobile technology to have a presence on social media or create an app that serves as a useful free service.
Businesses Need to Build Customer Relationships
Strong customer relationships are businesses’ biggest assets. A loyal customer base will promote businesses freely themselves, engage with their content, and will purchase the latest products with no hesitation. Businesses can earn this kind of positive support by building trust within their target market. Baer explained four ways that businesses can do this:
● Value transparency: More people today are becoming less trusting in businesses. They don’t want to interact with a brand that has a bad reputation. Following through with brand promises shows that your business is ethical and free of scandal.
● Encourage employee engagement: Employees are brand representatives. They are usually the first ones interacting with your customers. They need to be trained on how to execute your brand’s promises.
● Customer listening: Take time to listen to your customers’ desires, frustrations, and advice to build satisfying experiences for them.
● Always put customers over profit: Customers should be the heart of your businesses. Don’t try to under produce products or services to make a quick buck. Put quality over quantity to increase customer satisfaction.
So when businesses take part in content marketing, they should understand the most relevant distribution channels that can help to connect them with their audience. And they must value the views of their target customers and how their business can ethically operate.
