‘Content’ is a term which changes its definition based on the context it is used in. Right from the idea or script of a TV commercial, the perfect synergy of visuals and text on the hoarding, from the smart placements of brands and products in movies, television shows, and webseries, all our digital marketing campaigns, to the pamphlets we distribute outdoors, everything is considered as a content! It is also a proven fact that content is the strongest factor that decides the final verdict of a particular brand. Right from basic digital marketing to central service sectors, content is the king that garners maximum traffic for a company.
Content is known to play a very important role when it comes to establishing any marketing strategy, and its essence remains the same through both traditional channels and digital platforms. It is the content which shapes the entire marketing campaign and persuades people to purchase their goods or services. It has observed that there have been some great products introduced in the market, but due to lack of marketing and publicity it ends up staying on the shelves till it expires.
Talking about any company, the main objective for all their marketing initiatives is to boost their sales and bring more and more revenue to their company. This set goal can only be attained when the content has the potential to connect with the brand’s target audience. Hence it is always observed that through various ad campaigns the brands try to reach out to their target consumers by either showcasing their product through an emotional angle or by associating it with some figurative quality which the product may or may not deliver.
Recently, it is observed that organic and original content attracts customers rapidly and can solely be the most powerful reason for gaining great traffic. Sometimes, investing great time and energy to build and secure content exclusively and not contributing much effort on the other factors like designing and promotion can balance out result in great work due to strong foundation of the content. It is also seen that sometimes all a product needs is the right words to be spoken at the right time, to influence people. This is why companies while choosing an ad agency focus on the idea of an ad campaign rather than the execution capability of any agency at the initial stage.
When we talk about Digital Marketing in today’s time, since the pandemic began, it has become the only marketing technique most brands rely on. Along with creating a presence of the company all over the internet, the most essential task of social media is to generate leads. The concept of leads was quite alien to many brands in the initial stage, as when they marketed their product on various platforms, it would directly get them sales, but getting leads meant that these are prospect customers who are interested in their product or services, but they will have to reach out to them personally and discuss with them what they need and accordingly make things available.
While marketing through traditional platforms as their primary source of promotion, it was nearly impossible to keep a track of things like; Is the advertisement reaching the desired audience, how many people have actually seen the advertisement and how many were persuaded to purchase the product based on the advertisement displayed. But, digital marketing completely revolutionised the marketing industry, as through social media and online promotions, the brands started getting the exact budget of how much money was invested and in that, what was the response they received. This not only made digital marketing more reliable, but it also helped ensure total transparency as to who was watching the advertisement and how they were reacting to it.
Initially when brands marketed through traditional platforms, the content was expected to be relevant to the general audience, but when they adapted digital marketing platforms, it enabled them to design campaigns which were specific to their target audience and this helped them in making an even bigger impact. As through digital marketing, brands got an option to filter their promotional strategy to channelise them towards their target audience. Hence the chances of the advertisement bringing leads or enquiry increases by 10 times compared to the normal promotional tactics.
Initially when these leads started coming many of the companies initially baffled, as they were not prepared for such a great response. It was the time when various forms of content came into use. The concept of explainer videos, unboxing and other marketing techniques were valued more, as it gave the consumer to experience the product through an experienced person even before they purchase it. The easy availability of the internet in our country enormously contributed to the boom of digital marketing platforms.
The revolution of the Internet inspired brands who were hesitant in even having a static website to invest in the idea of building a virtual infrastructure and decided to appoint a team or agency to handle the same. While we all are aware that the amount used for advertisement is considered as an investment, digital marketing ensured rapid and evident returns on all of the sum invested either through ads or social media promotions. This also contributed to the blooming of the Digital marketing industry in spite of there being so many pandemic restrictions.
In the current scenario, generating leads is considered as an easy task, but converting them into customers is something which initially a lot of people struggled as until now, we were so habitual to having customers directly see products at shops, exhibitions and on various traditional marketing platforms which usually consisted of a one-way communication. Suddenly when the customers got an opportunity to directly communicate with the representative before purchasing the product, it opened up a plethora of questions and thus led to satisfied customers at the end of every sale. This personalised way of selling products got a lot of word-of-mouth publicity to the brand, as usually the questions customers asked on google to find unjustified answers, suddenly started receiving genuine answers directly from the manufacturers.
Through the initial stage of connecting with leads, many companies realized the true concern of their customers, and hence with the use of content, they started generally addressing these concerns through blogs and other social media platforms. This step ensured awareness and kept up the popularity and reputation of the brand. These steps not only ensured in building a strong customer and follower base, but also ended up influencing many other people to give the product a try.
Content can help brands grow with time and can eventually increase the number of customers they hold. Experience and timely growth can chip in a flourishing performance leading to the conversion of leads into loyal customers. With time as the brand grows, its relation with its leads gets stronger. This increases the probability of acquiring more customers which increases the brand value furthermore. This is how organic and pure content forms a strong base for the company which later gives rise to the lead conversion, profiting the entire company.
This article is authored by Navel Nazareth, the Co-Founder, and Spokesperson of Neo Aeon Media Solutions LLP.
