media update’s Nakedi Phala takes a look at four content marketing strategies that can lead your brand to great marketing success.

Content marketing is a strategy that has been around since the early 1700s. Yeah … it’s been around that long and it was used by the likes of Benjamin Franklin to share content about his Poor Richard’s Almanack to sell printing services.

It gained momentum in the 1900s and was used by popular tyre brand Michelin when creating The Michelin Guide.This guide offered content that not only looked at the maintenance of tyres, but the maintenance of the whole vehicle.

Time to shift gears and tap into the dissecting of content marketing tools. Here are the four tools that you definitely need to know about:

1. Blogs

Blogs are a great way to share in-depth information about your brand or service.

It’s through blogs that you can establish yourself as an expert in your industry of trade. It’s also through blog content that you can express your expert advice, which can influence the audience to look into your services or product.

Blogs can help give your brand a unique voice and it’s through the style and the tone of the medium that a writer can bring the brand to life. This, in return, gives off a vivid and humanised picture of your brand. It does so by answering those questions that a client or potential client is seeking answers to.

Nowadays, a number of brands offer a blog tab on their websites, saving the customer time of calling and sending emails looking for information. This is just one example of how blogs can be useful as content marketing tools.

2. Videos

Some years ago, creating a video as a marketer for advertising only meant that it would go to television, which was quite costly and, quite frankly, still is.

And once again, thanks to the development of tech, we have many streaming platforms that marketers can consider for their campaigns. Video marketing is the way to go if you’re looking to sell your brand in a short time.

Through video marketing, you have a number of elements to take advantage of, such as:
  • visuals and audio
  • an opportunity to play around with colours, scenes and scenarios that tell a story, and
  • supportive sounds that add quality to the content.

The greatest part about video content is that your audience can save and share the video content to watch later, when it suits them, to learn more about your brand or service.

3. Infographics

Infographics are simplified information in an image, summarised with graphics that cuts to the chase!

They’re great for audiences who are looking for a quick insight. They’re also appealing to the eye through creative graphics. But how do they really benefit the brand? Well, an infographic is an image that you can share on your website’s landing page and social media platforms; it creates engagement, especially on a social media platform like Instagram.

Infographics are also a plus to include in your newsletters because illustrated information is far more attractive than black and white text that is strictly business.

Essentially, infographics are simplified content, easy to engage with, straight to the point, well designed and downloadable for reuse.

4. Social media content

One would argue that a content marketing strategy in 2020 without social media content marketing is incomplete. Well it is … and we’ll explain why!

Social media platforms are a great place to curate content. This makes it convenient for marketers to share content that improves brand awareness and nurture new and existing relationships with consumers. The building of these relationships can be done through posts, clips and links that spark interaction.

See? There are many ways to share content on social media platforms. These platforms also have features that interpret your KPIs, giving you insight on how many users engaged with your content. The analytics are useful to make decisions regarding the brand or the social media strategy.

Utilising content marketing is a sure good way to drive brand sales. Which other marketing strategy do you know of? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Content marketing and brand storytelling are commonly associated since they feed off and complement each other, here’s a read on Content marketing versus brand storytelling.