It is simply not enough to market your Brand by advertising sales to your customers. Consumers want there to be a relationship beyond a purchasing transaction. Gathering relevant information and presenting it to your customers can help create that connection. Content curation turns your brand into an authority. By offering useful information instead of constantly marketing your own product, customers will interact more. They will want to engage with your brand by sharing, commenting and generating their own content. Curating content can build relationships with influencers on social media networks. This is where most of the curating will be done. Long gone are the days of checking libraries and universities for the most relevant sources. Now, those sources come from blogs, influencers and other individuals all targeting your audience. Your brand will be recognized for creating long-lasting relationships within the community between both consumers and influencers.

Content Strategy for Brands

Having a well-defined content strategy is crucial for a brand because it helps cultivate a relationship with the consumer. Not only that, but it exemplifies your company and brand’s style and tone. It informs consumers about what they need to know and keeps them coming back. They will want your products and information.

91% of B2B marketers and 86% of B2C marketers use content marketing. Not only that, but 80% of those marketers stated they could show the increase in audience engagement.

Your content marketing strategy will be unique to your brand. It will set the tone for your business and most of all cater specifically to your consumers. The truth is, without a content marketing strategy, your brand is going to fall behind. With so many businesses in the content game, it’s impossible not see the reasons why. Content builds trust, brand awareness and returns people to your website.

Content is important for SEO. You want your brand to be at the top of the search engine, or at the very least on the first page. Your content must answer their questions for the product which you sell. Then maybe you’ll get that coveted zero spot on Google. It brings people to your website, getting you a lead that might become a customer. It avoids the hard sell, which no one wants forced on them. There’s no way around it. With so many different types of content to produce, there are bound to be people who like that type of content.

Content marketing is here to stay, and is continuously shown to be the best in gaining click-throughs. With consistent, quality content, brands build a following which brings in more potential customers.

Brand Credibility

It’s crucial to your brand to be authentic. Customers don’t trust many companies. In fact, 75% of people don’t believe that companies are transparent. With content marketing, consumers will get to see a brand’s voice and tone, and it’s human driven, not part of an algorithm. Sure, automation has its place, but the best way to create an authentic relationship with the consumer base is to show that there is a real face behind the products. Reviews are a great way to show proof of your product quality or services as most consumers trust them. Consumers trust peer-reviewed products, it’s called the social proof phenomenon. People trust others to be honest about their experiences and so they use product reviews as their research on the item in question.

Overused Platforms?

Social media sites have a large amount of users across the board, but that also means there are tons of marketers trying to get their attention. It’s simply not possible for your brand to thrive using only those sites for your content distribution. Though they undoubtedly help in the social media marketing plan, it’s important to have a variety of channels that also target more niche groups within your audience. That said, it’s important not to understate the importance of sites such as Facebook, Instagram, etc. They do reach a lot of people and plenty of them will see your content. It’s hard to beat the data analytics provided by these sites.

With video seeming to rise in importance due to its massive popularity, many think that blogging is dead. However considering that it is one the ways in which people can expect to get authentic content, it certainly is not on the wane. Long form content is actually on the rise. Longer blog posts means more detailed information for the consumer, and there is simply no replacing that with a simple video.

Content isn’t going anywhere. It’s taken many forms, from blogs and newsletters to videos and podcasts. It’s been proven to generate more traffic and bring in more revenue. Furthermore, it’s shareable and can be spread along from person to person, maximizing reach. Content gives a reason for people to return back to the your website since they will see that your brand isn’t only looking to sell something. People want relevant and useful information, and by creating content for your audience your brand will become a leader in the industry. More quality content is better, meaning longer posts if you have a blog and more informative videos if your brand works better visually. Whichever way you choose to go, content marketing is all about providing for your customers so that they will then become loyal advocates for your brand.

Sharon Shichor is the CEO of Eighteen Knowledge Group LLC, your solution and knowledge base for brand building and getting your products and services in the hands of consumers.

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