Telling the story of a brand has always been a key piece of the marketing puzzle. In order for people to care about and take interest in a company, they have to be engaged with it and that happens when you create compelling copy. Whatever stage your company is at, content marketing will play an important part in the strategy used to get you noticed.
You may be a new business attempting to be discovered. If this is the case, your budget is probably focused on search engine optimisation. In order to be found in the first place though, you have to have created some ‘noise’ to spark an initial search. Once prospects land at your website, the key is to keep them there and that means – in addition to a great range of products and services – you need to have something interesting to say that will engage an audience.
Once you have achieved this, you can think about converting leads to sales.
The evolution of brand storytelling
Content marketing is not a new concept and is something that has been a successful marketing tool for many companies for years. Brandstories.net cites the Michelin guides as one of the earliest forms of the marketing method, which began life as far back as 1900. Another example given by the website are the Jell-O recipe books, which were launched back in 1904 and made the company more than £594,000 over the space of two years. Branding is indeed an exercise for the master marketer.
Technology’s role in developing content marketing
While it is clear that content marketing itself is nothing new, the way it is being used to sell to customers has evolved immensely. The birth of TV advertising clearly had a massive impact on how companies were able to tell their stories.
They were no longer bound by the written word and graphic images, but they could explore stories in more depth and engage with customers quicker and with arguably greater impact.
The advent of the internet was another key stage in the evolution of brands and how they sold their stories. Banner ads, search engine optimisation and tracking software have all helped companies to become sophisticated marketers.
As this technology has grown, so have the possibilities for companies to reach out to prospects and customers.
The Content Marketing Association notes that the arrival of tablet PCs has made it easier for brands to tell their stories online.
It suggests that consumers use tablets like books and are able to digest large amounts of information easily, comfortably and “pretty much anywhere”.
More traditional marketing methods still have a place
The fact that companies still produce hard copy marketing materials like brochures and flyers is testament to their usefulness. It pays to be able to give prospects something physical to remind them of your company and brand.
That’s where promotional products like T-shirts, memory sticks and mugs from companies such as 4imprint come into their own. With promotional merchandise, there is the opportunity to add a strapline and your company’s message – which in turn means that they should act as a constant reminder of your brand.