55% of Americans tune in to the television for updates on news and current events, and 21% rely on the Internet. This translates to over 75% of consumers opting for a visual outlet over traditional print for keeping up with the world around them.
On a related note, Nielsen recently reported that more and more television subscribers are turning off the tube entirely and opting for an online-only entertainment and news experience.
What does any of this have to do with content marketing? For managers and content marketers tasked with building brand loyalty and an ever-increasing customer base, the answer is simple: Worlds.
In short, the channels of communication are changing and the way consumers seek, receive, and process information is trending toward online avenues.
In short, the channels of communication are changing…
With the prevalence of smartphones and the power of the Internet in the palm of a hand, and most of those smartphones accessing videos, shows, and broadcasts, progressive content marketers recognize that modern success can be found by thinking outside of the box…and thinking inside of the box by creating relevant, entertaining, and informative videos, online magazines, apps, and other interactive multimedia assets.
Basically, the best way to deliver your brand’s message and remain relevant to an active and engaged audience involves the creative use of rich media content marketing.
For more on that, and a few more tips for getting the word out there to an interactive society about your company, check out these brand-building strategies.
People Want to Be Entertained
Whether actively involved or invested observers, people will seek out entertainment in all forms, and the smart content marketer is the one who recognizes and acts on this. For example, hosting a competition is a great way to use content (much of it, user-generated) to grow and entertain your audience.
Since before the time of the ancient Gladiators, one thing about human nature has remained constant: People love to compete, and the opportunity to best someone else at pretty much anything is hard to pass up. Even if you are not taking part, few things are as entertaining as watching a heated competition between invested competitors.
Just check out the prevalence of voting shows to crown the next “best” singer or dancer or chef if you need a bit more convincing. Sure, what is the “best” anything is entirely subjective, but it doesn’t matter in this case. As long as your customers have a choice and feel inspired to take action, it is irrelevant whether they have actually made the “right” choice.
Example: If you handle content marketing for a brand of hamburger buns, host a cook-off that poses the question: “which is better on a Better Burger Bun—ketchup or mustard?” Film it with a live audience of taste testers, post the video online, set up a method for viewers to vote on their favorite and reveal the winner of both the live audience taste test and the online voters to see which is bette.
You are not going to solve this age-old question because there is no “right” answer, but you are going to get a lot of people engaged in the activity and eating your burger buns in the process.
People Want to Be Invested
If people don’t care, they won’t spend their time consuming or engaging with your content. In other words, if you don’t foster an emotional investment or stake in your brand, it will be much more difficult to build a relationship with new customers, much less a loyal customer base who will choose you over the plethora of competitive options they have available to them.
If people don’t care, they won’t spend their time consuming or engaging with your content.
To set yourself apart in the business realm, consider creating a brand mascot like “Cashy,” Lyoness’s cheeky little rewards card has a recurring role in Lyoness.TV spots on the website, and takes viewers on backstage adventures as we learn about everything from wine bottling to exotic travel locations.
Cashy is part of the bigger sphere of Lyoness’s targeted video reporting in online magazines “ZOOM” (business issues) and “inLife” (lifestyle aspects).
People Want to Be in the Know
Now that you have some web weapons in your content marketing arsenal, spread the word through all of the channels at your disposal.
In addition to the social media sphere—which you should absolutely utilize and update on a daily basis—consider the underutilized avenue of guest blogging.
By contributing content to another website, you can not only establish yourself (and your brand by proxy) as an expert and authority in the field and build your reputation, but you can also build your customer base by reaching new audiences.
To give yourself the best shot at this, emphasize the relationship building and mutually beneficial aspects of reciprocal guest blogging rather than using a guest post as merely a link-building exercise.
When you contact those sites that you feel are truly relevant to your brand and to whom you have something to offer in return, highlight the potential to be gleaned by both parties from partnering up including wider, more complete knowledge to transmit to customers and different perspectives on similar areas that can increase consumer awareness of both.
What other multimedia methods of growing your content marketing and customer loyalty have you seen?