Joe Smith
Special to The Record
Over the past few years, marketing has changed dramatically and faster than at any other time in its history. One thing remains constant though and that is without marketing there will be no sales.
Despite these changes, marketing still relies on some basic principles like making that first important impression. It hinges on the words and language you use. In some cases the clothes you wear and the values you share. It drives product and service awareness, builds trust, credibility and allows you to create a brand that will be readably recognized.
Perhaps the biggest change is the realization that consumers need more than the basic facts like price and product. Today they are looking not just for a good deal but base their decisions on how well they have been informed, entertained or inspired.
While a lot of attention has been paid to the world of marketing on the internet, even there marketers have seen some shifts especially in the consumer’s attitude towards interruptive advertising. They are now pushing back as can be seen in the rise of the use of adblockers.
Statista Research, in a 2021 study reported that just over 25 per cent of internet users are blocking ads on their devices and that number is growing. The reasons are simple; people want to avoid irrelevant or offensive messages as well as prevent tracking of their online behavior.
If indeed they are looking to find more relevant information to satisfy their needs, this provides a window of opportunity for you to invest more heavily in content marketing.
Unlike outbound marketing … TV ads, radio, print … with content marketing you are not trying to find ways to interrupt the consumer’s attention but rather trying to make your messaging useful so that they come to you via their internet search.
In order to do this you must ensure that what you put out there on the internet provides useful information at a time when your potential customer is searching for it. This means that in order to create this content you need to know who your audience is, what information they may be searching for and how they might phrase a search query in order to optimize your SEO.
Content does not achieve your marketing objectives by operating in a vacuum. It is just one tool in an overall planning process that is born out of knowing your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. You still need to understand your customers’ wants, needs, and desires in order to engage them in a meaningful relationship.
Remember content marketing is all about helping customers make buying decisions. It is also not just a digital exercise but must transcend throughout the other media you may be using so that your messaging is above all consistent and relevant.
Joe Smith is a communications consultant and an accomplished fine artist. He can be reached via email joesmith@shaw.ca
