BACK Articles — February 11, 2019

Unique Ways for Companies to Implement Content Marketing

Content marketing can be overwhelming for any business. Despite the fact that we live in a digital-led world, it's still challenging for many companies to understand how and why content marketing can help increase their business, client loyalty or recruit top talent. The data is clear, having a robust digital marketing presence in 2019 is essential for all companies and can make a major difference to their bottom line.

It’s never surprising to us when a business engages us to start from ground zero with content marketing. From content marketing for law firms to small manufacturing companies are just beginning to understand the value. In today’s digital-led world, leading companies take advantage of this gap in the digital marketing space. And, they rise above their competition. They apply the same determination that they used to build their company to develop their online presence. They commit to posting thoughtfully written web pages, articles, blogs and social media posts.

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”–Dwayne Johnson

So, posting a blog or social media update every once-in-a-while is a waste of time. It just doesn’t work. And, putting out low-quality content is not the way to go either. It can hurt your reputation.

The online world is continually changing. And, for content marketing to work and get traction it has to be:

  • Consistent
  • High-Quality

A study by McKinsey & Company shows that consistency is the number one ingredient in customer satisfaction. And that’s not only the consistency of posting. The company voice, culture, and the message need to remain constant.

Read on to find out how manufacturing companies can gain more market share with content marketing.

What is a Successful Inbound Marketing Strategy for Manufacturers?

There are four main types of inbound marketing that work well for companies:

1. Website Content
2. Blog Content
3. Email Campaigns
4. Social Media Posts

It’s called “inbound marketing” because the leads are reaching to you. That is different from “outbound marketing” like cold calling. In the case of cold-calling, you are reaching out to the prospect.

 

Let’s Start With Website Content, The Most Critical Piece Of The Marketing Pie.

Your website content needs to be stellar, yet easy to read. When a prospect visits your site, show the visitor what they are looking for fast. Answer any questions about your products and services. Visitors love information, make them happy.

For example, credibility is a huge selling factor for large manufacturers. By highlighting your process, products and people with well-written, high- resolution photography on your blog and through your social media and email marketing strategy, you can establish credibility before your proposal ever hits the owners desk.

The Best Blog Topics Solve Problems & Answer Questions

Once you have your core website content written, it’s time to expand your marketing strategy. Blogging is the next important piece. Not only do your visitors like fresh and frequent content, so does Google. One of the best things to do daily is write down any questions you received from prospects. Then, have a blog written on that topic. Adding images is vital to any blog post. They are exciting and pulls the reader’s eyes down the page.

What Is The #1 Key for Effective Email Campaigns?

Maybe you’re thinking – excellent copywriting. Well, that is important. But, the number one key for effective email campaigns is list segmentation. That might sound a bit boring and technical, but it can make or break a campaign.

What is list segmentation? It’s simple. Say you are a manufacturer with a list of 5,000 email addresses.

– 2500 email addresses are from distributors

– 1000 email addresses are from suppliers

– 1500 email addresses are from other companies looking to private label your product

You do not want to send the same email to the entire list of 5000 people. That list needs to be segmented at least twice, possibly more. Once you have the list separated, then you can effectively communicate.

The topics companies can write about vary from industry to industry. But for inspiration look to your ideal prospect, a favorite client, or the most popular products and services. Seasonal or locational based topics are popular.

What Type of Social Media Posts Work for Companies?

You will be happy to know the best content for a social media post is very similar to blog and email content. In fact, when you have a well-written blog post, it can be “repurposed” and turned into a social media post. One of the significant differences between blogging, email and social media posts is the image. High-quality images drive social media. And, the size requirements of pictures can vary depending upon the platform. So, can the content length.

Overall, with social media the content length is much shorter. But, you can direct the visitor back to your website or blog.

Rather than posting a simple text update on Facebook, including an image gets more likes and shares. And, like other content marketing, consistency is a key with social media too.

Ready For More Content Marketing Insights?