As the phrase goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and we’re interested in your thoughts! We know what we think of this photo, but what we really want is to know what you have to say about it and its ties to branding by commenting below. Also, got a creative and catchy caption? We’d love to hear that, as well!
Content marketing, one of the most commonly used business “buzzwords” of the 21st century, can be highly effective, if a) you know what it is, and b) you know how to use it. By the end of this post, not only will you know what content marketing is but will discover three simple ways to use it in positioning your brand.
Anytime I hear someone reference or suggest content marketing, I often pay close attention to context clues to understand what exactly they mean. Let me explain. When people refer to content marketing, generally they are understanding it one of three ways:
1) They think it is taking quality information and using it to literally market the product; replacing the traditional, exhausted sales pitch
2) They think of it as a means by which they attract customers and build a reputation; or
3) They think of it as a necessary component to building their brand that requires spending money
Now, you’re probably thinking that all of those sound correct. And, I would be happy to inform you that you’re right. Content marketing is not one of the three choices, but all of the above mentioned. It’s about taking what you know and putting it to use to support your business and your goals. So, how can you use content marketing to build your brand? Let’s take a look!
The first way you can apply content marketing to support your business and build your brand is by establishing a reputation. The number one obstacle all businesses face when selling a product is gaining trust from consumers. Unfortunately, we operate in a market where people are constantly scammed and cheated out of their money. Producing factual and helpful content that not only tells your customers you are trustworthy, but demonstrates it is highly powerful.
The second way content marketing can effectively leverage your business and brand is using it in the form of a carefully crafted sales letter. While attention-spans tend to be short, there is still hope for the long-lived method, but it does require some restructuring. Where sales letters during my grandfather’s day were long and highly-detailed, today’s letter has taken new form. Use strong and interesting language that entices and engages your reader. Use a short story to demonstrate your objective and end with a simple call to action. With the technology available in today’s marketplace, it can be as easy as visiting your company website, or mobile app.
Finally, once your company has established a well-recognized and trustworthy reputation and you’ve set yourself apart from your competitors as a thought-leader in the industry, paid content is a great way to take your brand to the next step. With the popularity of iPads, Kindle’s and Nook’s among customers alike, producing instructional, informational, or even developmental content for your customers to subscribe to is a great way to share your expertise and continue building your brand. Presentation is everything, so package your material in the form of a “course” with transcripts, a workbook, and worksheets. While this may require more money, it also demands greater respect and positions you with a greater reputation (which we all know is key to successful business).
Content marketing is a large topic, that unfortunately can’t be covered in one blog post. However, hopefully you have a general idea of what it is and three useful ways you can use content to establish, position, and leverage your brand.
How does your company use content marketing, and what forms do you find to be most effective?
While most people use Christmas as a time to reach out to family and friends through card-sending, Marian Bantjes, famous designer and illustrator, waits a few months until Valentine’s Day, instead. And, she doesn’t just send out ordinary, store-bought cards. Over the past eight years, Bantjes’ valentines have included laser-cutting, hand-lettering, recycling of old cards, and even drawing an individual valentine for every one of the 150 people on her list. It is her beautiful, careful and personal attention to detail that has led her to such remarkable success in branding and design.
This year, inspired by the travel she frequently does, Bantjes repurposed old postcards sent from from around the world as the canvas for her valentines. The postcards dated from 1901 to about 1990, and some of them had even been sent before, evidenced by the handwritten messages on the back. To add a personal touch, her message, “From me wherever I am/To you wherever you are,” was printed in silver over each one. You can see more of this year’s cards here.
While Bantjes’ custom cards require a lot of time and effort to send out (her valentines list has grown close to 480 people), it is a nice gesture that we can easily use on a smaller scale. Sometimes, just a simple and personalized detail can make all the difference.
For more inspiration, you can see her valentines from other years, here: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
When social networking sites first hit the Web, I found myself fascinated with the idea that I could connect with my friends and keep up with current happenings at all hours of the day. From following my favorite celebrities to checking out the latest from all of my friends’ weekends, I quickly found myself addicted to the sites — giving myself the official title of a social media “junkie”. It wasn’t until I settled into my career path that I saw the true potential of these sites and their ability to effectively represent and position a brand while connecting with consumers in such a way that had never been mastered before. But, how can companies know if they’re truly connecting with their audience? Is there a “secret” to effectively and efficiently managing your company’s social media platforms to leverage your brand? Let’s take a look at how you can identify and determine if you’re talking to the right people, and how to effectively manage your company’s social media channels.
Each year, I have my eye on a few items I am really interested in acquiring, whether they are tech-y or just plain cool. Call it brand monitoring, if you will. Last year, my list was more tech-inspired with the iPad and Apple TV at the top. This year, my list ranges from weekly coding lessons to the highly unattainable iPhone-controlled Coffee Faucet. Regardless, most of the items I find interesting typically revolve around well-branded products or services.
My list is sorted by most attainable (starting with one) to most unattainable (ending with ten). It is also sort of in the order I plan on purchasing these items. Enjoy this year’s eclectic list and maybe some of these things will end up at the top of your list, as well.
Recently, I stumbled upon a file of old proposals. It’s fun to see where some of our relationships began. It’s also interesting to revisit those that failed to pass the “estimate” phase. Surprisingly, in reviewing some of the deals that we didn’t win, I was at ease with the unmatched relationships.
In business, the mantra is often that more is better; we’re tasked to sell as much product as possible. However, somewhere along the way we must ask ourselves if every potential relationship is a right fit for both parties.
This is really more of a discussion in target marketing than anything else. You see, when I reviewed the projects that we didn’t “win”, it was clear that some of these projects were outside of our rebranding scope. Opting out of business opportunities in effort to stick to our organization’s fundamental values and vision wasn’t necessarily a loss, but rather an opportunity for growth in our field of expertise.
