What is Content Marketing?

What is Content Marketing?

People often confuse content marketing and traditional marketing as the same thing, when the two are totally different approaches.  Knowing how to market your business and services is crucial to your success. While both approaches have their benefits, you might discover that content marketing better suits your business needs.

To determine the best approach, you'll first need to understand the difference between content marketing and traditional marketing. Content marketing is a more modern approach brought up in the rise of social media. Content marketing strategies include building a consistent brand that creates content like posts, videos, or graphics to cultivate a kind of audience that will eventually lead to customers seeking out your business.

Traditional marketing focuses more on newspapers, TV commercials, radios, or other "old-fashioned" forms of marketing. These tactics were successful prior to the rise of the internet, and while still useful, they’re progressively losing out to content marketing.

Simply put, content marketing is pulling customers to your brand and traditional marketing is pushing your brand to customers. 

It could be said that content marketing is an inbound approach while traditional marketing is an outbound method. Why should you care about knowing the difference between the two? Well, knowing the proper balance or approach for your business can make or break your digital marketing efforts.

For example, the delivery of your message.  Long gone are the days when a catchy jingle and commercial brings in heaps of customers. With the internet and social media dominating our consumerist culture, eye catching infographics or witty tweets are becoming more attractive to customers. Keeping in mind, the age of your target audience makes a difference.  If you want middle aged or college aged customers, the right approach to deliver your message is of the upmost importance.

Another benefit of content marketing is that it’s not invasive. You create content online, and customers seek it out or stumble upon it. Customers prefer this method of marketing because they can control the flow of information that comes to them, rather than being bombarded with more than what they can handle.

More often, traditional marketing is seen as “in your face” and interruptive since corporations control when you get their content and how much of it. Prime examples, TV commercials and radio ads.

Another example of the benefit of content marketing is the value of your content. Due to the amount of information at our fingerprints, people have become much savvier about how they spend their money. Building a brand that remains approachable and consistent allows you to stay on top of competitors by allowing you to put out content that is more relatable and useful to your customers.

A final example about the difference between content marketing & traditional marketing is the personalized message you’re able to deliver. You control how you are seen and create a personality that attracts customers to your brand. Businesses can use their target audience's demographics to create content that specifically appeals to them. Customers like to feel understood, and content marketing gives you the means to do just that.

Traditional marketing uses general messages, the goal is to reach as many people as possible. Today, this method is no longer effective. Customers loathe a copy and paste message that offers no value or interest to them. They want to feel understood and valued for their time and money.

There are so many different examples of the benefits and differences of content marketing and traditional marketing, and each one varies and changes according to your business and who you hope to attract to your services.

There is no complete right or wrong way to create your marketing strategy. In our modern times, it's good to take elements from both types of marketing to create the strategy to work best for you. The key to success is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience to determine the best way to reach them and draw them in.

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#marketing #contentmarketing #socialmediamanagement #administrativesupport

Top Ways to Build Trust With Your Followers

Top Ways to Build Trust With Your Followers

In today’s world, a world that is driven by the internet and connected through social media platforms, businesses must operate differently. What a business needed to thrive a few years ago, is not what it necessarily needs now. Once upon a time a brand name alone was the key factor to a successful business, today, trust and reputation are the drivers to a brand’s success.

According to lucidpress.com, 61% of consumers refer to reviews before they make a purchase. Trust and an enviable brand reputation are imperative. According to aespire.com, trust is not an asset that can be bought, it must be earned.

So, how do you build trust?

Engage Customers

Every interaction on social media is generally an opportunity to build and cultivate long- term relationships. Today, followers love to engage and interact with brands on a personal level through social media. As a brand seeking to nurture a relationship of trust with your followers, it’s all about being proactive.

To do this, you’ll need to maintain an active social media presence. This way, you’ll be able to immediately & personally respond to comments and questions. Don’t be afraid to start a conversation with your followers, their eager to connect with you.

Maintain Brand Consistency

Consistency is imperative when it comes to brand recognition and brand awareness. In other words, what is your brand color, style personality and voice? Whatever they are, ensure that they remain consistent at all times.

This makes it easy for your followers and customers to recognize your brand.

Provide Quality Content

Content is one of the major reasons people visit your website. Quality content should not only be displayed on your blog but on your social media pages as well.

Nowadays days, loading your content with keywords isn’t enough. Your content needs to be fresh, valuable and informative. While providing helpful information, ensure that it is not only detailed but also engaging. This way, you can set yourself apart from your competitors and earn recognition as an expert.

Use and Share Trustworthy Links

As much as utilizing links can help grow your audience, you have to ensure that you use links that are trustworthy. The links you provide in your content should always lead to a reputable site that provides useful information.

As advised by lucidpress.com, using brand links on your social media platforms is a game changer. Brand links indicate the custom domain name of the website. Hence, your followers get to know what they are clicking on.

Be Open And Transparent With Your Followers

By ensuring and operating within the confines of transparency and accountability, you will be able to earn trust from your followers. Followers and customers are able to tell between brands that are exercising transparency and those that are not.

This is imperative even when it comes to admitting mistakes. Promptly follow up on the mistake and rectify it adequately. The more honest and open you are, the more your brand can identify with you.

Are you struggling to create new content or keep your social media outlets up to date? GOOROO Virtual Assist will create quality content that will educate, inform and inspire. We’ll also increase followers and boost engagement by managing your social media platforms. For more information about GOOROO Virtual Assist and how we can support your business visit https://www.gooroovirtualassist.com/wecanhelp. Email info@gooroovirtualassist.com

Other Helpful Articles:

Why Every Small Business Needs A Blog

Why Your Website is Not Generating Traffic

Why Every Small Business Needs A Blog

Regardless of the critical and invaluable potential that running a blog presents, not too many people are aware of it. Too many small businesses are still stuck at the stage of simply owning a business website, and too afraid to start a blog. According to Stephanie Chandler, author and contributor on Forbes, a static website without a blog is more or less an online brochure.

In today’s world, where social media currently rules, trying to grow a small business without a blog is futile. A blog is essentially a digital marketing strategy for the effective growth of your small business. Trying to go without one will alienate you from numerous opportunities.

Below, we take a look at the opportunities that you are missing out on as a small business.

Traffic Growth and Lead Generation

A blog acts as an avenue to posts quality and engaging content with your target audience. By creating and providing helpful and useful content for your visitors, you are able to meet a need in your niche. Studies reveal that individuals often browse the internet for valuable information.

Google tends to rank content that is fresh and informative higher on the results. Moreover, according to Stephanie Chandler, creating content increases the chances for prospective buyers to find and discover your business. This, in turn, leads to an increase in traffic to your website and blog, and increases lead generation.

In fact, according to Hubspot, small businesses with blogs have been found to experience at least 126% higher lead growth as compared to those without.

Establish An Authoritative Presence

As previously mentioned, Google tends to rank high- quality, fresh and valuable content higher than old and generic content. People are always looking for content that can help solve a problem. While creating content, ensure that you are meeting a need for your target audience.

To make it easier, find a niche that you are more acquainted and knowledgeable in. Share what you know in an authoritative manner that is reputable, transparent and consistent. Within no time, people will recognize you as a go-to resource for the particular niche you are an expert in.

Of course, this lends a hand in creating a reputable and trustworthy business name and brand.

Creating Personal Connections

Recent research confirms that blogs and social media are great avenues to engage and interact with your customers. Blogs also help attract potential customers as previously mentioned.

However, ensuring constant engagement and communication with your audience, you are able to nurture a relationship based on trust. Encourage your customers and followers to ask questions and share their queries and promptly answer them.

Maintain a sense of individuality and do not be afraid to let your personality show. The more human and personal you are, the more relatable you are. This makes it easy for others to trust you and your brand.

Starting a blog could mean the difference between success and failure. Starting and maintaining a blog can be a lot of work. The overall benefits, however, can make all the work, dedication and time put into it worth it.

Need help getting started and sharing your expertise? GOOROO Virtual Assist offers administrative services and social media solutions to help your business stay ahead and stand out.

Don’t run the risk of missing out on opportunities. Connect with us at https://www.gooroovirtualassist.com/wecanhelp.