Use “Content Marketing” As Part, Not In Place, Of Traditional Advertising
Content marketing… increasingly it is the buzz floating around business development workshops & seminars and some are saying it will replace traditional advertising.
Nonsense.
While effective, content marketing alone isn’t enough for most businesses. However, content marketing integrated within traditional advertising can deliver dramatic results; far better than when they act independent of each other.
First a definition – “Content marketing is the process of developing and sharing relevant, valuable, and engaging content to target audience with the goal of acquiring new customers or increasing business from existing customers.” Source: Online Marketing Institute.
There are many ways that a business today can successfully do this. Examples: blogs, newsletters, magazines, podcasts, white papers, webinars, speaking on panels or participating in other in-person events are all examples. And what is attractive to businesses is they “own these channels”, versus “renting media” to carry messaging. Businesses don’t like paying for something that isn’t an asset.
But just having access to new communication “channels” or platforms – such as websites & social media – doesn’t mean automatically that consumers will respond. Your business must have something worthwhile to say! “Relevant” and “valuable” to the target audience are the key words in the above definition. It requires time & money to develop that messaging. And there’s still questions that the audience delivery is big enough to new prospects compared to that served by traditional media platforms provide.
So while the trend is there now toward creating content marketing platforms, Online Marketing Institute’s Robert Rose urges businesses to remember that some of the biggest ROI comes when traditional advertising delivers information to consumers – not just features, benefits and discounted prices.
Too often when using traditional advertising, companies get caught up relying on informational garbage trying to sell the prospect – Features! Benefits! Limited Time Offers! – that most of the time it’s not very relevant or valuable for the target audience (think Spam).
Consumers don’t always want to be sold, to be shouted at in today’s environment of thousands of marketing messages per person per day. Target audiences care about themselves, their wants and their needs. They want information, expertise. When businesses provide this – whether via content marketing platforms or traditional advertising – loyalty is gained. And loyalty translates in to profits.
Radio is an excellent medium for implementing content marketing! Through the years I’ve worked with many local advertisers who’ve successfully used content marketing – often in the form of “tips” – in radio ads. Listen to these examples.
The Mutual Fund Store, “Investing Sense” tip to beware of scams
5/3 Bank tip on business banking
Cardwell Do It Best home improvement tip
So don’t look at content marketing as something that must be different with other advertising tactics. Instead look at how content marketing can be part of your advertising approach. Ditch the trite company-speak gobbledygook for relevant, valuable info to the target audience. You’ll then likely see much better performance with your ads.