Heard of the AIDA principle? It’s evolved a bit since first being introduced to the marketing world, but the premise is still the same. Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Once the target audience’s attention has been secured through advertising, content marketing kicks in – building interest and desire to buy into the brand and what it’s offering. Content marketing is an important component of any marketing mix, so here’s what it really means, and a few facts showing that content marketing works:
Content Marketing Defined
Content marketing involves brands educating and adding value to the lives of their audiences through the sharing of engaging, inspiring digital information. For example, a bank promoting home loans offer a free house inspection checklist for download on their website. The marketing side kicks in when the bank starts drawing attention to – or sharing – the checklist across its promotional channels. Content marketing is not sales-focused, but can often lead to enquiries nonetheless.
Five Reasons Content Marketing Works
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Brand Recall
Content marketing is often personalised, as this is what the vast majority of consumers want from brands these days. When content hits home with readers, they are far more likely to remember the brand. Mere exposure also comes into play, where a customer is exposed to a brand regularly will eventually commit it to memory – and will recognise the brand moving forward. A 2015 study by IBM revealed that over 56% of marketers believe that personalised content marketing yields higher engagement rates.
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Conversions
Still not convinced that content marketing works? Here’s a scary stat that might just change your mind: when content marketing adopters are compared to non-adopters, those doing content marketing enjoy conversion rates that are nearly six times higher! Like all marketing activities, content requires investments of time, money, and skills, but can award brands much better conversion rates for the same amount of money spent.
