In marketing, when it comes to measuring results, some things aren’t crystal clear. While some campaigns provide a clear roadmap to its success or failure, others can get downright confusing. Content marketing is an area that tends to lean towards the latter. However, it does work. Most of the time.
Content marketing is challenging to measure because it doesn’t always translate directly to a sale. If someone reads an article that you wrote and comments on it and shares it, they haven’t brought the sales cycle full circle. Their actions have just expanded the reach of your content. While this is a critical component of any marketing strategy, it doesn’t provide concrete data for quantifying results.
Think about content marketing as a means to an end. The fruits of your labor will eventually pay off. It just takes time and a good portion of know-how. The three pillars of marketing are to engage, educate and empower people. If you are doing these things right, your business will grow. Here’s further breakdown into how these three essential elements directly impact content marketing success.
Three Pillars of Content Marketing Success
Engage – To engage with your target audience, you must first understand them. To what kind of content do they respond? What services do you offer that parallel with their interests? What social media sites are they using? Buyers responses can vary depending on a variety of factors such as age, gender, geographic location, education level, and occupation. Providing messaging in a format that resonates with this target audience is critical.
The messaging you provide to a 60-year-old woman should be different from what you provide to a 20-something. This is because they are at different stages in their lives. They are presumably interested in different things and use the internet differently. Understand your audience and use that knowledge when developing a content marketing calendar.
Educate – Depending on the type of business, the services offered may not be needed right away. By providing information about the products and services your company offers, you first and foremost inform. Next, you help them better understand their options. You also position your company as leaders in that particular industry. Lastly, through your knowledge, you build trust in the experience you have to offer. Education helps people make more informed and educated decisions. If your business is the one providing the knowledge, the chances are that they will come to you when it is time to buy.
Empower – Content marketing empowers consumers to make more informed decisions. The internet is full of information, and unfortunately, not all of it should be trusted. Often, people do not know their options and because of this, make less than ideal decisions. In healthcare, this can be disastrous. When you succeed in content marketing, you empower consumers with the knowledge and confidence needed to make the best buying decisions for their situation.