I don’t need to remind anyone about the power of content marketing, it’s everywhere these days from Hungry Jacks to Uber. But, what exactly is content marketing and how is it best carried out?
With a quick Google search, you’ll see that content marketing is the use of online material in order to promote. Well, that’s a good start, but in reality, it’s much more than that.
Content marketing is a subtle art. Above all else, it’s about ensuring that your company has some connection in people’s everyday lives, without them feeling like you’re giving them hard sell constantly. It’s about making use of every way that the internet age provides you to get your company into the minds of the general population and keeping it there- without driving them mad in the process.
Browsing Instagram yesterday I came across the account from Rolex, and it got me thinking. Who in the world doesn’t know what a Rolex watch is? Why does a company so massive need to be on a platform like Instagram (a site for sharing holiday snaps with friends and taking photos of your breakfast)? They have a beautiful website, so, what’s the point?
Well, 5.9 million followers are the point.
A website is all well and good, but it doesn’t mix. It’s like someone at a party standing in the corner and keeping to themselves. The personal nature of Instagram is why brands flock to it. One minute you’re scrolling past Dwayne The Rock Johnson working out at the gym and then you’re seeing a Rolex. That’s something that doesn’t happen anywhere else.
Another good example is a company like Deliveroo. Almost the polar opposite of a brand like Rolex in that Deliveroo is quite new. It’s a company that is heavily involved in a not insignificant shift in the restaurant industry and the way that people dine. It’s essentially a courier company for food, and you’ve no doubt seen their bicycles all over the city with distinctive branding.
Deliveroo does a lot of content marketing, but it’s not so apparent, which means it’s working. They run a Foodscene which is a site that looks a cross between a food blog and an online magazine. And it’s fascinating.
What these articles do is stir up interest and in turn brand recognition. Even though they’re discussing things like up and coming restaurants and smoothie trends (which isn’t exactly world-shattering content), it’s doing it’s primary job- creating an everyday presence. The articles are then shared by Deliveroo’s Twitter or Facebook and deliver bite-sized (pun intended) content daily to more than a million people.
Content marketing is indeed an art, both simple and sophisticated simultaneously. And, one thing is for sure: it’s quickly becoming a requirement for any business wanting to thrive online.