Content Marketing

 

                                                   Content + social +search+ = content marketing

Content marketing is all about making connections, providing valuable information, and establishing a relationship with potential customers.

 One thing that really stood out to me was a quote in “The Business Case For Content Marketing” that stated, “our initial goal should be to create audience-focused content as if social media and search engines don’t exist.” This quote reinforces the need to establish yourself as an expert in your field. By creating content that is simple and to the point, consumers will be able to better find your business and or brand.

While reading “100- Content Marketing Examples”, one trend that made the biggest impression on me was the use of a microsite. In case you are unaware with what a microsite is, it’s a separate page of a website that provides rich content developed by the sponsoring brand itself. By providing links that attract potential customers to a microsite, you are directly increasing the length of time that a user spends on your website because customers are voluntarily reading information that is either relevant or interesting to them. Additionally, you are simultaneously increasing your brand image and brand knowledge. This will help the potential customer create a “relationship” with your brand, and increase their chances of forming brand loyalty.

So, the million-dollar question is: how do you keep a potential customer hooked? The answer lies in creating quality content.

 In “The Business Case For Content Marketing,” content is described as, “valuable information uniquely tailored to speak the language of your intended audience, while simultaneously addressing the problems and desires that this audience expresses.” What’s important to you, and me, may not be important to another individual, so creating content that appeals to the right target audience is vital. A great example of a company that uses microsites and content that is tailored to their intended audience is Nike.

For starters, consumers that visit Nike’s homepage are active individuals searching for comfortable and fashionable athletic gear that fit their individual needs. Because consumers that visit Nike are searching for specific gear, it is likely that they are willing to visit microsites that will allow them to access additional information.

 For example, if you are a runner looking for a new pair of shoes, then you will search for running shoes under their filter options. Once you select those filters, Nike’s webpage gives you two options: to shop, or learn more about their new product, the Nike Free Hyperfeel. If you are a curious individual like myself, then you will most likely press on “learn more” to visit Nike’s micro page, which promotes their new product, and shares informational content.

Above is an example of their microsite

 

Allyson Felix, gold medal Olympian known for her 200-meter race, is featured on the “learn more” page that Nike offers. By using Felix as a celebrity endorsement, the ad screams, “if these shoes are good enough for an Olympian, then they are good enough for you too.” This is where Nike creates authenticity, which is one of the 7A strategy frameworks. In “A Content Marketing Strategy That Works”, authenticity is described as a way to,” identify the people who would be drawn to your topic covers, and do keyword research to discover the language the audience uses.”

Therefore, another content marketing strategy that Nike uses lies within their strategy of creating emotional appeal. Creating a target audience personification, or using a real life person, is one marketing strategy that has been extremely successful.

 Once an authentic personification is created, you can then form a community, and Nike does this through the use of their Facebook page called Nike Better World. One of their posts features their new running shoe the Nike Free Hyperfeel, which reduces typical running shoe upper waste by 90 percent. Furthermore, this Facebook page is all about creating a “bigger team” and sharing inspiration and building a better world through sport. Click this link to learn more about the Nike better world on Facebook.

An example of Nike’s Better World Facebook page.

 By creating authority and quality content, brands like Nike are able to create valuable information for consumers in a way that influences them to buy products solely on their individual needs. By creating links that lead consumers to a microsite, businesses are showcasing their product to prospective buyers enabling them to buy what they want rather than interrupting them with what they don’t care about.