The AI vs. Creator Challenge.

This is going to be a long one. Prepare yourself and don your critic hat. Two of these articles are written by human beings and one is written by an AI algorithm (a.k.a. machine!!!). Your job is to guess which one is written by the machine. Remember, you might be wrong about this. Judge carefully and use the link at the bottom to cast your vote.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SMTGKDK

You’re missing too much, if not using effective content as a marketing tool (Article One).

“We want to create Coca-Cola stories and not stories by Coca-Cola. If the story can be told without Coca-Cola, then it’s not a Coca-Cola story”, Kate Santore says while sharing Coca-Cola’s storytelling approach.

Before we delve more into the content and its impact on the current marketing strategies of the brands, let’s look at some of the staggering facts and figures –

“More than 95% of the B2B service and product buyers consider content as trustworthy while evaluating a company and its offerings.”

“Almost 75% of the marketers consider branded content more effective than traditional magazine advertisements.”

“Content marketing achieves twofer gains — reduces the marketing cost by 62% while generating almost three times the volume of leads as compared to traditional marketing approaches.”

What is the content and content marketing?

Cambridge dictionary describes content as “the subject or ideas contained in something written, said, created, or represented”.

Further, the Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action”.

If you carefully analyse both the definitions, you can identify how content marketing is so underrated in today’s business world.

Few points to ponder

• Content is not confined merely to written articles and blogs. It can be in any form and style, written or spoken;
• Content marketing aims at solving the problems of the audience rather than pitching the products or services;
• Content is all about CONSISTENCY — consistency drives profitability.
• The final objective of the content is to persuade a customer to take action.

How can content transform the business?

What is the primary objective of a business? — To sell the products or services and earn revenue. It will remain intact always.

However, something has changed drastically now — the approach of business towards prospective and existing customers. Customers are no longer interested in hearing specifications or benefits of a product or service.

They come to a company to get a sure shot solution to their queries — if they get it, they become permanent customers; if they don’t, businesses vanish.

How does content help here? — Content helps the businesses to quench the customers’ thirst by providing everything they wish to know.

A useful content adds values to the customers’ lives and portrays you as an expert and a one-stop solution. Customers see you as a “problem solver” rather than just an entity selling products and services.

The problem-solving approach results in deeper customer relations and trust building which are indispensable for continuation.

Storytelling — the future of content marketing

Jimmy Smith once said, “There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling”. Those days are gone when a business would place a product before the customer and expect him to know what it is and why it’s there. Storytelling is transforming the businesses and their approach of selling the products and services.

Airbnb doesn’t offer houses and rooms; instead, it provides home and a feel of the local experience. Before booking rooms for staying, customers already know whom they will stay with. Airbnb has made the customers a brand by showcasing their stories and experiences in “Stories from Airbnb community” section on the website.

Content marketing is different for every individual, company and objective. What suits A may not suit B. Rather than comparing the content strategy, it is advisable to formulate unique and business-oriented plans which can fetch success and profitable actions.

Good Content For Businesses (Article Two).

Like any other businesses, your company is probably wrestling with a convergence of modifications which are upending the familiar tactics you’ve always used to communicate with clients and prospects. Demographics diversity, interactive technology’s adoption, and evolving media consumption habits have shifted the way they perceive communicating messages that are branded and customers get info. You have heard about something as you grapple with how to talk efficiently with customers. You have read about it or adviser or a colleague has indicated it. But before you dive in, you will need to discover more.

What is content marketing? Does it really mean anything, or is this just a cool buzzword? Can it assist you? And if so, how? This article’s purpose is two fold.

Firstly, we define content advertising for you. Secondly, we show you why content advertising should be part of your communicating strategy.

What’s Content Marketing? The Content Marketing Institute provides the following definition of content marketing — A strategic marketing strategy focused on generating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent articles to attract and retain a distinctly defined audience and finally, to drive profitable customer actions. Content marketing is a well-defined marketing strategy not haphazardly posting items to your network feeds. You’ll need a clear sense of what you need to achieve and how your articles are supposed to get closer to your objectives and digital online marketing plan.

Your articles must benefit a clearly defined audience. Go beyond demographics here. What are the wants, needs, interests, questions, concerns, and pain points of your prospects? How does your service or product fit in their lives? What expertise do you have that’s of use to them? What type of content could you distribute that will inform, entertain, and engage them in a meaningful way? Third, your articles must be valuable, relevant, and consistent, but to whom? To your audience. Valuable individuals that read your blogs or see your videos should get something worthwhile out of it. They should come away feeling like they’ve learned something or that they’ve been entertained in a manner that resonates with their own lives and values.

Relevance — Your content must address customers wants, needs, and interests. Be that trusted expert they could turn to for answers. Show your audience that you get them and you understand what’s intriguing, hilarious, heartwarming, or relevant to them. Consistent Effective content, delivered over an amount of time, makes you immediately recognizable. Your look, feel, tone, and writing style and of course the material should talk with the same voice that can help consumers get acquainted with you and grow familiar with your organization. Lastly, a good content advertising strategy drives profitable client action.

How Good Content Transforms your Business (Article Three)

When I write content for clients, I am often confronted with client’s concern about its impact. With all the buzz going around the importance of content marketing, an increasing number of businesses are investing in the creation of quality content for their brand. But, what they generally fail to understand is commitment to content marketing is a long-term one. If you keep up with the process, you will see great results. Probably not right away but eventually.

Apart from being patient with the process, the below points are extremely important for a good content marketing plan:

Strategize: What is the objective that you want your content plan to fulfil? What is it that your competitors are playing on? What innovative campaign will help you engage with the audience? Converting visitors into customers will take a lot of efforts from your side. A strategy consisting of goals, vision, mission, objective is a must.

Create value: What can you write that will be genuinely useful to your consumer? Making your content less sales centric and more value-centric will go a long way in rewarding you with results.

Get experts on board: Professional writers are well versed with techniques of writing a content that doesn’t look product-centric but still includes important product information. Moreover, they are also aware of how to rightly integrate important keywords in a blog post. So, getting experts on board will make all the difference.

Once you are set with a plan, here is how content will help you transform your business. Read on!

Creates Awareness of your Company:

Gone are the days when FMCG was dominated by HUL alone. With the entry of start-ups and many local brands, each company must up their marketing game to thrive in the business. The new age consumer wants to know about your company before they know about your product. Content marketing through social media platforms is a great way to let consumers know more about your company. Blog posts, interactive videos, social media posts are some of the ways to let your consumer know about you.

Helps building Relationships:

Building client loyalty is now easier than ever. Customers value being asked for feedback, opinions. If your content plan includes talking to a range of customers about how, where and why they use your product/service; it will help you a great deal in making positive significant changes in your business.

Enhances Reputation:

Content marketing will allow you several opportunities to enhance your reputation. Consumer, today, with a single complaint, holds the power to ruin your brand name. However, if properly dealt with, it can work in your favour.

The best way to deal with negative reviews is by adding counter positive reviews (Genuine, of course). You also have the platform to communicate and clarify any misconception that might exist about your product. Basically, your brand has the opportunity to be transparent and build goodwill.

So, if your brand doesn’t already have a Content Plan. It’s time you start building one. I’d like to conclude this blog with a famous quote ..

“Traditional marketing is telling the world you are a Rockstar; Content Marketing is showing that you are ONE “

Hope you enjoyed this challenge. Please use the survey link below to cast your vote. Follow us on LinkedIn to know the results when we declare it this weekend. Share with your friends too.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SMTGKDK