Constant Content Gets The Clicks
We’ve all learned by now that in order to make it in this economy, businesses must always be adjusting their operating expenses, particularly when it comes to marketing efforts. These days, there is no shortage of things to try. However, each “thing” can end up costing more than it brings in. With website development, social media marketing, electronic newsletters, Google or Yahoo! ad words, online banner advertising, highway billboards, and of course, print publications, marketing costs certainly add up.
For most small businesses, advertising using each and every method mentioned above is unlikely, so it’s best to stop and decide what the goals are first, and then find the right combination of marketing techniques that will work best for your company overall.
In our experience, it’s become clear that in each of the major industries we serve (forestry and construction), marketing departments and company owners all agree on wanting to get their company’s name out there as often and as visible as possible. The common thinking is that the more you cast, the more people will bite. However, there is more to success than frequency alone. Strategy also plays a role.
First, decide if your company wants to be like the one above. If so, you should focus your efforts on branded advertising. A highly branded company is one that is recognized just by name or logo alone. The key to branding is saturating your key media channels with as many print ads, billboards, TV commercials, and web banners, as you can afford. Messages are placed frequently and the message is simple: “Buy from us because we’re big, and we’re everywhere.”
The increasingly popular method of advertising we recommend for a lot of our clients is a more content-driven approach. You’ve probably stumbled upon a lot of content-driven marketing lately, in the form of question and answer columns and restaurant reviews, for example, that show up in your local newspaper. Instead of opting to purchase a one-page ad in the newspaper, companies are opting to use that space to carry a larger message. They are providing value for the reader. Like all who advertise, these company owners are banking on the fact that readers or viewers will take the time to read their headline, and, more preferably, dive right into the article. The hope is that the reader will ideally learn something new, which in turn will motivate them to buy from you, or at least remember your company in the future.
Another benefit? Although everyone who drives by a billboard on the highway will indeed see the message, that’s not the case with content-driven advertising. Only those who are interested in going to restaurants, or hearing from an expert relating to something in their own lives, will follow through with reading the advertisement. And this is exactly why we feel this method of reaching your customers is growing at such a steady pace. Those who have read the article or blog post you’ve placed in front of them are volunteering to hear your message. They have agreed to hear your sales pitch. They aren't feeling bombarded with loud commercials, or banner after banner. In many cases, people are now actively searching for this information via website, feature articles, and reviews online, so you’d best give them something to find.
The people who read your content have, in a sense, prequalified themselves as a lead. If they don’t like what you have to say, they will move on, but at least you will have given them the level of information they needed to come to their conclusion.
When it comes to your 2012 marketing strategy, which will you chose between branded vs. educational content, or a combination of the two? We suggest finding an agency or an individual that can assist you with a customized approach aimed at tackling both at once. A bit of branding mixed with a bit of social media, an online presence, and selected print advertising, can be the recipe for your company's best year yet.
