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It’s not your father’s shop
What’s changed in marketing your business
- By Kayvan Mott
- March 21, 2017
- Article
- Shop Management
Imagine 25 years ago: Buyers had few places to look or search for a product or service other than picking up a phone. Fast-forward to nowadays, where every buyer, engineer, shop manager, and decision-maker has Google, YouTube, and other online resources at their fingertips.
Most of these buyers are looking for one thing - relevant information. And they want it fast. So the first place they go is online to search for that exact information.
Content marketing is defined as “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience— and ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”1 This proactive strategy is proven to drive higher conversion rates (leads turning into new business) and now is used by more than 81 percent of manufacturing marketers.
Although the content marketing strategy for every shop may vary, the end result is usually one form or another of educational information that is relevant to the target audience.
Common forms of content marketing are:
- SEO pages.
- Blog posts.
- FAQ pages.
- YouTube videos.
- White papers (case studies).
- Downloadable spec sheets.
- Infographics.
- Webinars and podcasts.
How Content Marketing Differs From Traditional Advertising
Content marketing is based on the idea that consumers can access the information they need to make a purchasing decision. So, your marketing bears more of an impact at this point of the purchase journey, as compared to a print advertisement. It is timely and highly targeted to the right audience. Traditional advertising—be it on TV, radio, or in print—often is aimed at a large audience but gets a low response rate. It’s typically hit or miss, and more times than not, a miss. With content marketing, you are giving your prospects the information they want to know during their buying journey.
Here are some reasons that content marketing is a good strategy:
1. Content marketing provides value. Content marketing provides value to the audience by providing information they want to know. This can be as simple as showcasing your full capabilities in an engaging video like this example from Sheet Metal Fabricators.
2. Content marketing is cost-effective. With content marketing, you can reach a large audience even if you have a small budget. The different forms of new media, such as blog posts, social media, and YouTube videos, don’t require a lot of costly input to draw the benefits. The same can’t be said for traditional media.
3. Content marketing influences a purchase decision. It can be difficult to sell a product or service that requires you to educate the consumer on its benefits. Businesses can use different forms of content marketing, such as YouTube videos and blog posts, to educate their audience on how to benefit from their products or services. This is particularly important for new companies introducing new products into the market.
4. Content marketing creates engagement and reciprocity. As you continue to give your audience free and beneficial content, you create a sense of loyalty as they begin to look for ways to pay you back for all the help. If you establish yourself as an industry leader, perhaps by providing tips for do-it-yourself (DIY) trailer repairs, your audience eventually could become your customers when they need custom fabrication. Similarly, they can recommend you to other customers who need their trailers, boats, and other vehicles repaired.
5. Content marketing provides ongoing visibility with no additional investment. A single informative blog post or DIY video will remain in place as long as your website blog or YouTube channel remains active. If the content is timeless and well created, you can attract customers continuously without doing anything else.
6. Content marketing offers SEO benefits. SEO (search engine optimization) refers to improving your website traffic for various keywords typed into a search engine. Since Google is always updating its algorithm and changing what it takes to have great SEO, every tip matters. Every blog post, infographic, white paper, video, or other content you create can be indexed by Google, increasing your SEO visibility.
7. Content marketing boosts traffic. The affordability of different content marketing approaches allows you to experiment with different tactics to identify the ones that work best. For instance, an audience that is not inclined to read blog posts may be more receptive to YouTube videos or podcasts or webinars, and vice versa. You can reach your audience through multiple avenues. Maybe your audience prefers email, so think of creating a monthly newsletter that would highlight relevant and valuable industry information.
8. Content marketing is highly targeted. Every marketing campaign is designed to convey the message to as many potential consumers as possible. A large audience increases your visibility, while a more targeted one increases your chances of making a sale. If your audience is interested in what you are offering, they eventually become your customers when the need arises and/or recommend their friends to you.
How to Get More From Your Content Marketing Campaign
Many businesses today have websites that they try to keep up-to-date by posting relevant content on a regular basis and keeping their blogs active. Providing content that your customers want, without actively promoting your products or services, is important. But also experiment with different kinds of content to reach as much of your target audience as you can. This means creating guides, infographics, and videos and engaging in social media.
Create a content marketing plan and find ways to integrate it with your existing traditional marketing. You soon could be receiving more traffic, leads, and sales.
Note:
1. 2016 B2B Manufacturing Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
About the Author
Kayvan Mott
15250 Ventura Blvd., #730
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-990-9843
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The Fabricator is North America's leading magazine for the metal forming and fabricating industry. The magazine delivers the news, technical articles, and case histories that enable fabricators to do their jobs more efficiently. The Fabricator has served the industry since 1970.
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