Qualitative or quantitative content? Focus on value and substance? Pump out more content in a shorter period of time or less quantity but more authority and in a longer period of time? Quality always precedes quantity. Regardless of what business you’re in. Customers express a strong level of peculiarity towards any product or service. In a sense, it’s a measurement of standard that defines the value behind a product or service. Content marketing attributes largely to the establishment of a cohesive brand perception. It also assist with the development of a quality brand standard.
For the record, websites such as Mashable, Huffington Post, Tech Crunch, Gizmodo spit out an enormous amount of content. These are brands that have invested in a team of creative writers capable of churning quality content. One of the exceptions to the rule.
Content marketing has truly evolved the business development arena. Reasons being are in actuality quite obvious. Well, maybe to me perhaps. Like anything else there’s always a logical component factorial of performance. Strategic content marketing takes a good amount of labor, research, and writing. However, in the grand scheme of things, content marketing impacts consumer decision making process. So, in essence it carries a human component that many brands seem to forget. Therefore, from a business development standpoint, content marketing acts as an inclination to potential prospects.
The average visitor consumes 3-5 pieces of content on the web. Anything from comparison shopping, research, social media, video, or merely leisure reading. This is the playground where your brand should reside and interact with those potential prospects. When it comes to content marketing and its role in business development, there’s a few imperative factors that attribute to relationship building, lead acquisition, and nurturing.
Quality
When I first started my blog in 2009 I sucked at content writing. Verbal communication was never my forte, even in school. But over time and through plenty of practice my writing skills began to improve. Therefore the quality of content stepped up a notch and started to invoke more interactions. The quality of your content in a sense dictates that knowledge and subject matter expertise of your brand. It is beneficial from a business development standpoint simply because your audience are cognizant of it. If you push out quality content that resonates with your audience then eventually they will latch on. It assists in establishment of an authoritative brand positioning through the use of quality content that gains recognition.
So, ultimately the powerful and quality content attributes to the lead generation opportunities. Quality being the keyword here. Prospects dislike reading poorly written content but most importantly articles that do not resonate with their interest.
“Generate Quality Content That Inspires People.”
Inspiration
Inspiring people plays as a huge ingredient in business development. Giving them a reason to engage is part of the lead acquisition process. Content marketing is intricate in this endeavor because it inspires people. In a previous article I briefly mentioned the Human-2-Human (H2H) aspect of business. Inspiring through a human approach sparks feelings in individuals and attributes to new business opportunities. Using content marketing initiatives in a creative way by building an audience will inspire a mass audience. Only a matter of time before you build a sizable community that appreciates quality content and is inspired by the content you share.
“Inspire Others to Succeed in Business.”
Perception
We live in a world where perception matters. Online or offline perception in the way others interpret your brand. As much as I dislike this aspect of things because it’s so judgmental, the reality of things dictate the purview of your brand. Content marketing used in the sense of business development can create a positive perception in the digital marketplace. Maintaining good quality and substance through inspiring information tends to entice people. If people are enticed in a way that addresses their needs than chances are they will engage. If you thinking about the sales funnel – Awareness, Interest, Purchase mentality than content can assist with this by driving people through it.
“Perception establishes acceptance in new prospects.”
Relationships
This is the golden goose. Forging strong relationships for longevity in the business world is critical. It is difficult to accomplish. Content marketing embarks upon means for relationship building through quality, inspiration, and perception. The transparency factor behind your brand allows prospects to gain an insight on operations and processes. Something many brands to this day are extremely hesitant about. Content marketing helps brands sparks new business relationships through valuable and authoritative content. Prospects seek value and content allows for that level of satisfaction.
What are your content marketing struggles? Are you seeking new horizons with your business development efforts? I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. Always open for a discussion as well.