Sell Less, Help More
As a sales and marketing professional, your job is to attract and retain customers using every tool available: television spots, direct mail, cold calling, etc. Buzz about blogging and social media is huge, but all you can think is, “I’m already marketing. Why do I need content marketing?”
Times have changed
In recent years it has become impossible to read, watch, or listen to anything without also having to deal with advertising. Television commercials interrupt our movies, drive to work, our YouTube videos, and even our attempts to connect with friends or research products online.
Consequently we’ve done our best to invent things that bypass those irritations: Caller ID, DVR, XM Radio, and good old fashioned ignoring.
Consumers are sick of being sold to, and their trust in traditional advertising is fading. A 2012 Nielsen study makes it plain:
- Trust in television ads is down 24 percent
- Trust in magazine ads is down 20 percent
- Trust in newspaper ads is down 25 percent
On the other hand, the same Nielsen study showed an increase in trust when it came to online media:
- 70 percent trust online consumer reviews
- Almost 50 percent trust information in emails they signed up to receive
- 92 percent consider recommendations from friends/family as trustworthy
There’s a better way
Content marketing is centered around a single idea: if you produce and share useful content, you are more likely to attract new customers, keep current customers, and have them recommend you to their connections.
The balance is quickly shifting into the hands of the consumer. Smart brands embrace that, directing their marketing investment into producing content their community will happily download, bookmark, and share.
Where do I start?
Have you noticed a decrease in qualified leads generated from traditional marketing? Is your company’s corporate blog filled with articles titled, “Our Company Wins An Award,” and “Buy Our Company’s Product”? Download the Marketing Plan for Growth to learn how content marketing can fill your lead sheets and boost your business.
[Image: Bob Dylan/Columbia Records]
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LEAVE A COMMENT
Great article with a very good point. Interesting statistics regarding the trust level on traditional print and broadcast media advertising.
Plus, I love the Bob Dylan connection.
To add a recent experience, we were on vacation staying in various hotels and motels. We used internet ratings and information to determine our places to sleep. We also had a small mechanical problem and located a local business with good ratings, that lived up to them.
The old ways of advertising are indeed on their way out. Good article that was shared.
Yes, the statistics really are interesting. I think to a certain extent people have always relied on advice from friends and family when it comes to products and services; but now that trust is expanding to include reviews from strangers on sites like Yelp and social media networks.
Dylan felt like a natural choice for this one. :)
A perfect mini case-study, Bert. A lot of people are starting to handle travel, job searching, moving, etc. that way. Another reason why review sites and social media are becoming more important for businesses to monitor.
Fully agreed.