Content Marketing, Content-driven PR. Whatever it’s called, companies are using it more this year.
Journalism has turned on its head. Traditional SEO is dead. Companies have to fill the gap, and they are turning to content – called content marketing, or content-driven PR. Content marketing allows a company to tell their story, and tell it completely and accurately. And, best of all, the most effective content ambassadors are the employees themselves.
How much of the marketing budget is devoted to content marketing? According to a survey by Contently, 23% of respondents are devoting more than half their 2015 marketing budgets to producing content. In addition, Contently estimates that the average Fortune 500 brand is probably spending between 26% and 50% of its marketing budget on content. (http://contently.com/strategist/2014/12/03/the-state-of-content-marketing-heading-into-2015/)
So, on what are the companies spending all that time and money? The content strategy can include, of course, social media, blogs, other website content and company newsletters, but can also include contributed articles, infographics, microsites and mobile applications.
Does content-driven PR work? Surveys by Ascend2 show that 89 percent say that content marketing is successful. Surprisingly, the biggest success isn’t in SEO. Ascend2’s survey showed that lead generation and improving customer engagement were the biggest outcomes with content. (http://ascend2.com/home/wp-content/uploads/Content-Marketing-Trends-Summary-Report-150310.pdf)
Finally, what tactics are the most successful? A survey by Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs revealed the most effective marketing tactics are social media, eNewsletters and articles on their websites. (http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/10/2015-b2b-content-marketing-research/)
If you haven’t created a formal content strategy, it’s time to create one. You can start with your employees, creating content for social media, newsletters or even your website. Then, you can branch out to other areas, like contributed articles to media outlets, infographics and microsites. Get going, and start writing.