Companies can use the educate, entertain, inspire and convince content marketing tool to effectively develop a content marketing strategy that is well organized and convert.
If you want to attract the best investor and guide your business to success, then you need to find a way to attract and retain customers. This is where content marketing shines. Over 70% of businesses concluded content marketing increased lead generation quality and quantity. Companies that used content marketing tactics achieved 27% higher sales closed rates than those without a content strategy. The evidence is clear. An effective content marketing strategy can have a serious impact on the number of leads you generate and, ultimately, sales you close.
Let’s look at how you can organize your content strategy with a simple content marketing tool developed by Smart Insights. Their marketing matrix organizes different types of content marketing into 1 of 4 quadrants (Educate, Entertain, Inspire, Convince) based on what they are most effective for.
Educate
Educating customers is all about establishing trust and building loyalty. When a customer views your company as being informative and an expert in its field, they are more likely to believe in your products and form a lasting relationship with your business.
The most common forms of content marketing used to educate customers include:
Infographics - Infographics receive 30% more engagement than other forms of digital content marketing. Buyers want to see cool little graphics with some key statistics.
Guides - A well-designed content marketing guide should break down how exactly your products can help a customer.
Trend Reports - Keep your buyers informed about the industry. This is particularly important for B2B content marketing, where customers are looking for industry insights to improve their company strategy.
Press Releases - Let your customers know all the goals your company is smashing through marketing press releases. Buyers want to use products and services from successful companies.
Articles - Keep buyers engaged by marketing articles that are both entertaining but informative at the same time. Focus on posting unique content on topics other companies aren’t talking about.
Entertain
If you want to keep customers and potential buyers engaged, then you need to entertain them. Think about it, why would a customer take time out of their day to interact with your content if it is not providing them with some sort of benefit?
Here are some great types of content marketing to ensure your customers are always smiling when reading or viewing your content:
Branded Videos - 80% of people watch videos before purchasing products. Creating fun and interesting branded videos is a proven content marketing strategy.
Quizzes - Quizzes are a great way to keep your customers entertained while at the same time getting insights into who they are and their motivations. Make sure, when creating quizzes, you effectively collect customer information such as email, age, and location.
Games - Most customers would rather play a fun little game for 5 minutes than spend that same time reading a dry article. If you don’t have any ideas for games, you can always hire professional content marketing services to help.
Competitions - Who doesn’t like winning free stuff? Giveaways and prizes are a proven way to drive up your engagement and get people talking about your company. The secret to this type of content marketing is balancing giving away too much vs too little while also having simple and easy-to-follow instructions.
Inspire
As a company, you want to plant a seed in your buyers’ minds that they need to take action and that their new future includes your products. Creating this type of SEO content marketing is not easy. We are talking about altering the subconscious here!
However, we have some great ways for you to inspire through the use of online content marketing:
Community Forums - Community forums help inspire buyers because they read stories about how other customers are using your products to enhance their lives. Who wouldn’t want to buy your product after reading countless forum posts on how your product has increased their sales by 20% or cut their operating costs b 32%?
Influencer Marketing - For every $1 companies spend on influencer marketing, they make $7 in sales. This is because using influencers to promote your products is highly effective at building social proof. Remember, when using this strategy, keep an eye on content marketing metrics to ensure you don’t overpay for pricey influencers.
Celebrity Endorsements - An amazing content marketing strategy guaranteed to get people talking about your brand is celebrity endorsements. Let’s face it. When we see our favorite singer, actor, or athlete using a particular product, we are immediately intrigued. We want to know what it is, who makes it, and if we could use it. The key is finding a celebrity who fits your brand and marketing plan and also not blowing your entire marketing budget on one deal.
Convince
Buyers who know your company and have a general understanding of your products sometimes need that extra push to be convinced to click that buy button.
Here is how content marketing can turn buyer interest into sales:
Ratings - 93% of buyers read ratings and reviews before purchasing. This is an incredibly powerful form of content marketing if you want to get buyers over the line. You need to cultivate reviews by making them simple to post, prompting customers to write them, and even offering discounts.
Case Studies - Case studies are the perfect form of content marketing to show companies how a similar business has been able to effectively use your products. Case studies are practical examples that cause the social proof to skyrocket.
Product Features - Customers who are close to buying want to know your product can solve the exact issue they are facing. If you can show them your product has the capability they require, they are likely to buy.
Conclusion
You don’t need fancy content marketing software to create a well-designed strategy. With the help of this simple tool, you can create a high-performing content marketing plan. Just remember to refer to the matrix and have a clear goal in mind of what you are trying to achieve before creating content. For example, if you want to entertain, design a competition, but if you want to convince, you better produce an engaging case study.
We would love to hear about how you design and organize your content marketing strategy. Please comment below on your specific content marketing design process. If you are looking to find a job in this domain, search and apply for the latest content marketing jobs here.