Content Marketing – How to Convince the Buyer of the Company’s Special Skills and Know-How
The long-term relationship between a brand and its consumers depends on the success of their communication in the form of daily sharing of information, education, entertainment, support… Content marketing is a communication format that uses interesting content to showcase the company’s specific know-how, which, today, is a key instrument in gaining and keeping a customer.
The Croatian market has a wealth of knowledge and advanced communication solutions, what is lacking is the courage of large companies to implement new practices before they get an official confirmation from the outside that something is a trend. In other words, even though large sums are allocated for advertising and promotion, a survey which was conducted within Croatia’s 200 most successful companies and recently published by Lider showed that more than half of them do not consider investment in customer relations to be important. Unfortunately, that is one of the reasons why content marketing in Croatia is still on a level of a holy grail among communicators.
Created with a Vision
Even though there is currently great interest in content marketing among the expert public, when we talk about practical use, very few experts know what it actually is and the possibilities it brings in communication with consumers. Furthermore, only a few media outlets in Croatia still offer adequate space for content marketing formats, and there is only one that was created with a vision that content, as the most important business asset of companies, can be presented to the public in all formats: content advertising, sponsored article, native advertising….Čuvarkuća.hr is currently a unique example of a platform on which high-quality content of each company, whether it is a programme, service, product or education, can be available on the screens and palms of users for which it was created and who are searching for it.
It is the first platform in which all elements, from its structure, design to its functionality all serve the purpose of making this idea come to life in order to provide readers with high-quality information, expertise and added value, targeted towards the community we are creating and a community that demands this form of information.
24 Hours a Day
In the last few years, content marketing in Croatia was suspended in time and space so now, when the world proclaimed it was trendy, it continues to develop but it is, of course, trailing. We are talking about the communication format which presents a specific know-how of organisations, and today it represents the key instrument in gaining and keeping customers. In other words, long-term relationship between brands and consumers depends on the success of their communication in the form of everyday sharing of information, education, entertainment, support…because this is how brands live in real time with consumers and their challenges. Furthermore, this approach will earn the trust of key users and companies will have valuable data which they will knowingly direct into further brand development ensuring added value for the consumers. This way, business ideas and directions for the development of new products, services and programs will increasingly come from the community for which they exist and the need for own communication platforms will increase.
Dialogue Is (Too) Important
Even though the expansion of Facebook was a technological awakening for us, companies are still very inert when it comes to adapting to the challenge and getting ready for users that want more information.
This is proven by the fact that, even though an increasing number of users wants to contact them via Facebook, only 73 out of 200 of Croatia’s largest companies are ready to maintain an official Facebook page. This is a pity, we are now facing a generation of very picky consumers, they know what they want and they are always looking for more information, which is why companies should not miss out on the opportunity for mutual dialogue. Almost all products and services are much more complex today, and that is why it is imperative to present their capabilities to the consumers in as much detail as possible. New generations are more inclined to trust companies that know how to share their know-how and experience with the community and include it in the production process. We hope we will soon see those scenarios on the Croatian market too.
Segmented Approach
Today, consumers have an increasing need for detailed information on products and services they use and I am sure they are eagerly waiting for formats that will enable this. In other words, the market is more than ready for companies to start managing their content marketing well. There are many examples but we will single out the one most of us can relate to – telecommunication services. There are currently almost 50 different mobile phone tariffs on the market. They differ in many details, but minor ones, in order to satisfy every wish of the end consumer, no matter how strange they may be. The adaptation to the modern consumer has gone so far that the largest players (HT and VIPnet) have both introduced their B-brands in order to get closer to a younger, more dynamic and price sensitive public. The situation is very similar when it comes to the creation of many products and need to adjust to the end consumer in the finance and insurance industries too. These industries were the first to recognise the importance of creating a product according to consumers’ wishes, a segmented approach, that is why we expect them to be the first to seize the opportunity given to them by content marketing.
Data Monitoring – Test Your Campaign Online First
It’s not easy to create high-quality content, that is why data monitoring and analysis throughout the course of communication will become an integral skill. Furthermore, today we create and direct communication in real time meaning that if we know to monitor and interpret the data, our online platform content can be upgraded depending on the current reactions of users. This is precisely why companies that have big advertising budgets have the option to test and model their campaign on online platforms and then transfer them to more expensive, traditional media. This way, companies can, in due time, stop a campaign that is not achieving the expected reaction of the consumers, hence preventing them from throwing their entire advertising budget into the wind. At the same time, this method gives them and a high-quality opportunity to test the product cheaply and to come up with communication that will earn the attention of users the way we want.
Source: Sadržajni marketing: Kako kupca uvjeriti u tvrtkina posebna znanja i vještine?//Lider. 2015, 513(XI), page 42-43.
Tags: Facebook, content marketing