Various forms of content marketing existed before the internet (sponsorships, product placement and more), but the field really took off in the 2000s. The internet, an arena without borders, together with the websites of major media groups that rely entirely on advertising revenue, created fertile ground for articles, columns and dedicated sections promoting everything from venture capital funds to toilet paper, through content. The logic is simple: today's consumers have become so indifferent to traditional advertising that even when they see it, they no longer remember it. At the same time, many studies show that attention peaks while people consume content: information they see as relevant and interesting to them. So any product woven into a piece of content in the right way gets far more consumer attention and achieves effective awareness.
Want an example? Here's one: legumes. Sound interesting? Not really. But what about an article on the 10 secrets of a long life? You'd probably click. One of those secrets, by the way, is eating less meat and more legumes, which are rich in natural antioxidants. So the short answer is yes: smart content marketing reaches consumers far more deeply than advertising. The long answer is that creating smart content marketing isn't that simple. Here are the 3 golden rules we at MaxiMedia follow when creating content with our clients.
A long-term strategy
The most common mistake many clients make is expecting content marketing to work like an ad promoting a sale, a new collection or an offer, with an immediate, direct lift in sales of the products it features. Although that does sometimes happen, we don't recommend treating content marketing as a direct sales driver. Instead, see it as fertile ground for telling the brand's story, a strategy for raising awareness and positioning the brand as innovative, youthful or exclusive, each according to its own chosen DNA. Investment in content marketing should be long-term and measured periodically. It pays back through growing consumer awareness of the brand and its direct association with a content world, when the brand is no longer a generic "one of many" but one tied to rich associations, colors, language and content worlds.
Content marketing has to be as interesting as "real" content
Another common mistake is expecting content marketing to read like the product's message sheet. Because in content marketing "the client is always right", the result is often content that only the brand's marketing VP finds truly interesting. To drive traffic to it, content companies resort to clickbait: intriguing headlines unrelated to the actual content (so a headline like "You won't believe who this supermodel found in her bed" often leads to an article about mosquito killers). We work to different standards, judging content marketing by the same criteria as non-sponsored content: it must connect to the media agenda, offer new information, be backed by research, avoid exaggerated praise for the product, and follow many other rules that make even a sponsored article something readers see as real content.
Keep one consistent voice
The third common mistake is an inconsistent brand voice across content channels. For example, a brand whose Facebook page is known for sharp, cynical humor sends out a generic New Year greeting with a floral illustration and wishes for growth and blossoming. That happens when the Facebook page is run by a witty, cynical copywriter while the holiday greeting was designed by a graphic designer. Our approach is to build a broad strategy for the brand's content worlds, which also creates its voice. A cynical, laid-back voice for a sophisticated male audience; a professional, research-based voice for a company promoting paramedical products; and so on. To keep it consistent, we create a variety of content for the brands we work with across platforms (in a monthly plan set in advance), maintaining one brand voice and one complete, consistent brand story across every platform it operates on, a story that ultimately makes an impact and achieves the goals that were set.