by Barry Silverstein
The marketers who will separate themselves from the pack in 2013 have something in common: They all strive to produce compelling content.
Content has become a marketing buzzword in the past year, and this trend promises to continue throughout 2013. According to a new study by the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs, 86 percent of Business-to-Consumer marketers employ content marketing. They use an average of twelve individual tactics, including these top five: social media, e-newsletters, videos, blogs, and in-person events.
Three key attributes of compelling content are:
Relevancy
Consumers want content that helps them live better, work better, or play better. That's why any content you produce must be relevant to your target audience and meet their specific needs. (This is a good reason to do some analysis of your audience's characteristics before you create any content.) Content should not be a veiled sales pitch -- it should have intrinsic value to a customer or prospect whether or not they use your product or service. Offering high value content pays you back in the long run because recipients remember that you are the source.
Originality
Content should be original in the sense that the target audience believes it was written for them. This doesn't mean you can't repurpose something that you previously created, or re-issue information that was published elsewhere (with permission, of course). In fact, a great way to re-use information and make it look new is to re-package it into a new format, such as an "infographic." But the content shouldn't come across as something you just dusted off for re-use. This just diminshes its value. Put some thought into how your audience perceives the value of the content and be sure it feels fresh and new.
Timeliness
Content should be timely. One of the best ways to assure timeliness is to use current examples or reference current events. For example, business-to-business content concerning marketing campaigns would be much more timely if it referenced a few current campaigns. The content would be all the more relevant if the marketing campaigns were specific to the audience's job title or the industry of their company.
It takes a concerted effort to create quality content that is relevant, original, and timely -- but the marketers that make that effort are the ones who will stand apart in 2013.
Barry Silverstein is a brand marketing expert. He has written numerous 123 eGuides on branding, product launches, and sales leads, available here. He also teaches an on-demand online course, Big Brand Strategies for Small Brands. Regularly $39, the course is available until January 31 at the special price of $19. Simply visit www.bigbrandstrategiesforsmallbrands.com and use the code newyear to take advantage of this offer.
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