More than 90% of all business-to-business vendors say that they employ or will employ content-based marketing strategies in 2014. If you haven’t heard of content-based marketing, you could quickly find yourself behind the curve of the latest small business marketing trends.
Content-based marketing is shaping consumer behavior
Content-based marketing is an attractive marketing strategy because it’s very good at attracting consumers and potential consumers. But what is content-based marketing? According to the Content Marketing Institute, content-based marketing is, “a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”
What advantage does content-based marketing offer to businesses? Consumers have largely turned their backs on traditional marketing techniques. They have found ways to avoid advertising and marketing altogether in some media. Consumers are drawn to streaming media services, for example, because they can watch the content they want without being interrupted by commercials.
Traditional web-based advertisements don’t command consumer attention because they require consumers to click-through to an advertisement. By turning off the auto-run features of their media players, and by installing ad-blocking software, consumers are straining out the overt Web advertising in favor of the ad-free content they’re searching for.
Content-based marketing addresses that consumer preference by giving consumers what they want (high-quality content) while at the same time promoting a business’ product and service lines in a way that consumers find acceptable. A content-based marketing strategy requires time and effort on the part of the content provider or content sponsor, however. Fresh, updated content draws consumers, builds trust and consumer loyalty. Stagnant content is an invitation for consumers to look elsewhere.
The draw of content-based marketing is that the consumer gets what he or she wants (high-quality information), and the marketer/vendor gets voluntary attention from consumers who don’t find traditional marketing strategies to be attractive or engaging.
Content based marketing can help your business attract and retain loyal customers, and establish you and your business as a trusted authority in your field. If you would like more information about content-based marketing, or how you can successfully employ a more content-based marketing strategy for your website, please contact our Creative Director, Dave Ramsell or give Dave a call at (330) 243-0651 to set up a consultation.
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