Capturing Interest through Content Marketing

Traditional marketing tactics like list buys and paid marketing to reach an audience are seeing diminishing returns, and that is causing understandable consternation. The appeal of paid marketing as a tool to reach prospective customers has always been obvious: guaranteed reach to a defined audience with specific targeting.???

However, nothing is truly guaranteed in the ever-shifting online space. Fierce competition for the attention of the same population is driving up paid media costs, with the marketing budgets at some of the largest organizations exploding. This makes it nearly impossible for those with smaller budgets to afford to get their ads shown.

Relying heavily on paid media only is becoming unsustainable. To stay competitive, the marketing mix needs to be broadened to include an approach that relies on the long game to drive results: content marketing.??

Content marketing includes creating and promoting media that educates and sparks interest in a topic. Although content marketing often brings to mind blog posts stuffed with keywords and search engines, today’s content can include articles, infographics, social media posts and other media.???

Complement Paid with Organic??

On August 25, Google rolled out the latest in its algorithm updates. Called the “helpful content” update, this change is designed to suppress content that has primarily been created to rank well in searches in favor of content that informs (or otherwise “helps”) users. Google says this update aims to help searchers find “high-quality content.”??

The good news is that those who focus on creating helpful, relevant content that fully answers their audience’s questions stand to gain increases in domain authority, organic visibility and traffic. The bad news is that those that have an excess amount of outdated, irrelevant and “thin” content will likely experience adverse effects in these same areas.??

The change creates a golden opportunity to offset falling returns on investment from paid marketing with content marketing (from the blog posts and infographics that your team creates to user-generated content across the internet) that boosts organic search results – and conversions.??

Across our partners, we find that inquiries generated through organic channels convert two to three times more often than paid media channels – and at a lower cost.???

Content marketing can also help bolster your paid-media strategy:???

• Thoughtfully created (and well-curated) content can increase visibility for both branded and non-branded search terms.???
• Prospects who first visit your blog may be more receptive to branded advertisements later on in their journey.??
• Popular content can be used for paid-social, paid-content, paid-search, marketing automation and remarketing efforts.?

Content to Support the Decision Journey???

What makes content marketing such a versatile tool is its ability to attract, engage and encourage action from prospective buyers, regardless of where they are in their decision-making process.???

Consumers do plenty of research to inform their purchasing choices. As they gather this information, they move through different stages of the marketing funnel. Your content should be tuned to be relevant and interesting at each stage.???

Awareness Stage – Readers at this stage may not be familiar with your brand – and may not even be thinking about purchasing your product or service type. Content for this stage should speak to a broad audience and focus on general interest topics that loosely align with the programs or features you offer. It should gently inform, without being a sales push. Topic examples:??

• Aggregated lists, like top blogs or podcasts??
• Things to consider when choosing [your type of product/service]?

Consideration Stage – Readers at this stage of their journey are more focused on what a product or service can mean for their lives than they are on choosing a provider or brand. Content for these readers should be highly informational, helping readers solidify and validate their decisions. Topic examples:???

• [Product A] vs. [Product B]: Which is right for you???
• 7 Signs you need a [product or service]?

Closing Stage – These readers are committed to your type of product or service and want to know the specifics of your exact offering. Content should make a final case for what you offer – and how you can help the reader achieve their goals. Topic examples:??

• Navigating the process of choosing a [product or service]?
• Fascinating [product or services] you can look forward to at [your organization]?

Once your content is out there, you never know where it may plant a seed. You can establish your expertise in an area your target audience is interested in, reinforcing the quality they would receive from your product or service. Even if they are not yet ready to make a decision, you’ll remain on their radar for future consideration.??

Before You Write…??

As with any marketing strategy, the pre-work you do will determine the success of your content marketing. Upfront research should focus on:???

• Clearly defined audience personas that represent the most common members of your target audience so you can cater your content to the specific motivations, concerns or obstacles of the persona.??
• Keyword research using keyword planning tools (with ideas guided either by conversations with key members of your team and audience or by research into other industry-specific blogs and publications) to ensure your topics and their associated keywords are relevant and timely.??
• Multiple content types that allow your content to reach more people and make more impact. Even if you do start with blog articles, publishing or repurposing your content as infographics, videos, e-books, interactive pieces or checklists will maximize visibility.???

What to Expect from Content Marketing??

While content marketing can help contribute to increases in conversions, that’s not its sole intent. The impact can be much more widespread. Quality content can:??

• Increase traffic to your website??
• Boost your overall website authority??
• Create and strengthen brand awareness and thought leadership??
• Capture the attention of interested audiences for remarketing??
• Help your team engage with prospects?

A Quick Start to a Long-Term Strategy??

Thoughtfully executed content has the power to engage, inform and inspire action among your target audience. However, content is not a quick win – it takes an investment in team resources, time and continual creation to be effective, and typically around six months to garner traffic. But a year from now, you’ll be glad you started today.?

If your paid marketing results are dropping, it’s time to start thinking about implementing a content marketing strategy that can help drive more sustainable results. This is not always feasible to do in house, but for colleges and universities, Collegis Education can help. Collegis has extensive experience in helping partners meet audiences where they are and providing the content they need to move closer to enrollment. Get in touch with us today at collegiseducation.com/contact-us.?