The concept of "content marketing" originally focused on the marketing sector as it dealt with brand awareness, SEO, etc., but more and more lately, those in the communications/PR industry are paying more attention to what a customer values and less to "marketing spin" in the brand awareness stage of the marketing cycle.
In our two-way communications engagement, what fans and/or potential customers want to know about you is more important than what your organization may want to provide about itself.
Below are two takes on content marketing becoming a focus of not just marketing professionals, but communications/PR pros as well.
See online: Is content marketing a new public relations discipline? by Sarah Sherik, PRnewswire VP of Social Media via prnewsire.com
Is content marketing really PR? The immediate answer is “No,” but after a moment’s reflection, that answer may start to inch toward “Maybe.”
The practice of public relations is about influencing public opinion and guarding reputation. Content marketing is focused ultimately on outcomes like lead generation and sales. In terms of the old marketing funnel describing the different stages in the buying cycle (awareness, consideration, preference, choice) construct, PR is arguably more “upper funnel,” because it builds awareness and reputation. Content marketing is positioned deeper within the cycle, in the realms of consideration and choice.
But if you look at the marketplace for audience attention today, the tables have turned on the communicator. As we all know, today’s attention markets are always-on, real-time, and operate according to each individual’s needs at that moment. Our customers buy and our stakeholders act according to their own time frames.
This is why content marketing and public relations are suddenly finding themselves elbow-to-elbow in the communications mix, and the strategy. Both rely heavily on publishing messages with the goal of influencing opinion and generating specific outcomes.
Both disciplines also benefit mightily from the connectedness of our audiences via social media, as well as the new weight search engines are placing on fresh content. Good messaging can gain traction quickly, and spread virally across networks of people connected by common interests.
It’s important that we step back for a minute, and think about the different audiences for our messages. Content that is published digitally is very likely to be read by an assortment of people, not simply our target audiences. We know, for example, that consumers read press releases and seek out the media sections on company web sites. They perceive that messages for the media contain more hard news, and less marketing spin. So,
we need to write press releases that appeal to a variety of publics, not just key media. Because those other publics are in fact consuming the news we publish. And vice-versa. Professional media are keeping an eye on broader company messaging.
So what does all of this mean to communicators?
Eliminate silos: First and foremost, we have to eliminate silos. All groups with the organization who are creating content for public consumption need to be hand-in-glove. Coordinating efforts can create search engine lift and a calendar of consistent messaging that delivers a cumulative effect. The alternative – i.e. unrelated, scattershot efforts – are at the least inefficient, and at worst, confusing to the audience. (
Read more in our free white paper, “Modern PR: The Art & Science of Integrated Media Influence.”- PDF version)
Put the audience first: The second take-away for communicators is the vital necessity of adapting an audience-first approach to designing communications. Simply put, this means asking ourselves tough questions about the content we’re drafting, such as:
What about this content is interesting and useful to our readers?
What key customer problems does it address?
Why should anyone care about this message?
Putting our messaging under this type of microscope can feel a bit uncomfortable, but in today’s competitive arena, in which we’re vying for the attention of our audiences (including journalists!) with streams of other data and information, our success absolutely rests upon our ability as communicators to create the sort of content people value.
Share playbooks & tactics: Content marketers are really good at finding interesting ways to slice, dice and deploy content. The PR crew owns deep relationships with key influencers and understands the mechanics of public sentiment. Sharing tactics and intelligence between the two disciplines can create undeniable value for the organization.
In times of change – and we’re smack dab in the middle of such a time – adaptive thinking is crucial. Instead of protecting turf (or budgets, as the case may be), advocating a new approach for the organization may be the best way to promote the brand, deliver results and grow the professions of public relations and content marketing. While they’re not one and the same, the two practices are definitely better together.
See online: 20 content marketing tips from the pros, by Shannon Mellon via ragan.com
Whether you're new to content marketing or an old pro, it's still good to hear what the experts are saying. Here are 20 of the latest tips and comments from those in the know:
Authentic content is king
1. "If businesses can be transparent, be authentic." Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter Group. There's little that will gain you more influence than communicating a sense of authenticity to your clients.
2. "The trust, credibility, and authority that content marketing creates knocks down sales resistance." Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger. Instead of thinking of content marketing as a way to make sales, look at it as a way to build authority and establish credibility with your audience, which will in turn lead to sales.
3. "Write human." Milk Stelzner of SocialMediaExaminer.com. Avoid obvious sales pitches, and opt instead to be real. Customers are distrustful of advertising.
It sounds obvious, but …
4. "Define your objectives." Paul Gillin and Leslie Reiser of IBM. Speaking about the "Flipped Funnel" strategy, in which brands have to prove value before trying to make a sale, these experts say all members of your executive team must agree on your business objectives.
5. "Answer the questions your customers are asking. It's not sexy, but it's what's needed." Nick Kellet, co-founder of Listly. When you're tapped for content ideas, the best answer is also the most obvious: Go to your customers. Ask questions to find out what they need and want, and satisfy their desires.
6. "Create an editorial calendar." Christopher Jan Benitez, editorial QA at PrintRunner. One of the hardest parts about creating solid content is coming up with topics when you need them. That's why many content marketers rely on predetermined calendars with topics already chosen.
7. "Don't make the brand front and center." Karl Sakas of KarlSakas.com and Hesketh.com. One of the most powerful content marketing strategies is to not make the brand itself the focus but rather to focus on helping your audience, promoting your brand indirectly. (Examples: RedBullUSA.com, Tablespoon.com, and KraftRecipes.com.)
8. "Remember, content marketing is about having a conversation." Amie Marse of Small Business Trends. Being able to engage your audience is largely about meeting them in the places where they spend time. Pinterest? Twitter? Figure out where your clients are, and go there.
Write frequently
9. "Regular frequency is just as important as developing quality content." Nate Riggs, director of social business and content marketing at Karcher Group. The only thing more important than the type of content you're posting is the frequency with which you post it. In content marketing, consistency is key.
10. "Execute daily." Roger C. Parker of Content Market Institute. Success that lasts is directly tied to regular, consistent writing, and one way to keep creating content is to discipline yourself to write every day.
11. "One article or video is not a content strategy; it is a shot in the dark." Jon Gelberg, editorial director at PR News. Good content marketing means steady content marketing. You want to produce a solid body of work in order to reap the greatest benefits. This means that before you jump in to a strategy, you've considered the time investment it will take.
Dynamic content works
12."Research has repeatedly demonstrated that marketing that is targeted and more relevant to the end recipient tends to see better results. " Meghan Keaney Anderson of HubSpot Blog. Dynamic content has shown to be effective at reaching customers by targeting ads or text to address them.
13. "What dynamic content via marketing automation really offers us is the marketing equivalent of power tools." Geoff Livingston of GeoffLivingston.com. If used strategically, dynamic content offers many benefits, but if used without purpose, it won't deliver results. The key is strategy.
14. "Ideally, your customer should be able to choose the form, channel and frequency of communication they prefer." Michael Durie of Business Lounge. With dynamic content, it's all about understanding your audience. You want to vary your content to suit different forms and channels in order to create the most powerful effect.
Content marketing trends
15. "Many brands are taking advantage of Instagram and seizing the opportunity to share a more personal perspective with their customers." Shawna Kenyon of Top Rank Online Marketing Blog. The popular smartphone app is constantly growing and is now part of Facebook. Brands including Starbucks and Nike are taking note.
16. "Video is growing in use and is still underestimated." Gordon Locke of D Custom. Growing in popularity are engaging, interesting, customer-benefiting video content. As this medium continues to grow more powerful, it's the most meaningful video that will have the greatest impact.
17. "Online seminars are an increasingly popular means for small businesses to educate." Kathryn Hawkins of Intuit Small Business Blog. Not only do webinars give you a way to share information, but also they make it easy to generate leads as you gather contact info. Within the last year alone, the number of businesses hosting webinars has gone up by 25 percent.
The future of content marketing
18. "We are seeing tons of interest in video … number two area of interest is mobile." Rebecca Lieb, digital marketing and media analyst for Altimeter Group. Video opens doors for content marketers in terms of storytelling, and with the prevalence of mobile devices in today's society, using the medium for content marketing only makes sense.
19. "The days of one social media manager handling Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the rest is coming to a close." Jay Baer, founder of ConvinceandConvert.com. As companies continue to see the value social media represents to their firms, more and more insourcing is likely to occur. Instead of one or two people handling the brand's social media efforts, companywide efforts will become more common.
20. "It's about giving people something they can use." Sarah Skerik of PR Newswire. The future of content marketing is about more than more content; it's about valuable content. Skerik advises asking yourself whether content is valuable every time you're about to publish.