The 5 Cs of Content Marketing

Content marketing is a term that you simply cannot ignore in 2014. It was reported in July that 74% of CMO’s think that customised content is the future of marketing while 91% of B2B companies now use content marketing to attract new customers.

Although content marketing has been around for some time, the sharp rise in uptake took place at the start of 2013. As more social media algorithms now focus on creative, original material, businesses from all sectors have now started to type furiously in order to fight their way onto our feeds.

As Cobb Digital ventures down new content marketing avenues with new and existing clients, we reflect on the key elements that put the ‘c’ in content marketing.

Conciseness

Although the most outsourced form of content marketing is writing, keeping your messages sweet and concise is key to connecting with the attention span of the average flitting browser. Infographics (big hits with Google’s search engine algorithms) and images can help to cut down the waffle and increase the likelihood of shares, referrals and ‘Likes’.

Creativity

In a digital era that is now dominated by social media and search engines, creativity is king. Being able to captivate and educate your audience through well-structured content will boost rankings, raise brand awareness and increase ROI. Innovative brands that disrupt the status quo – such as Apple, IBM and Red Bull – often stand out in the crowd. Think outside the box!

Connections

In July of this year it was reported that 84% of B2B content marketers now use social media. Social media channels can help amplify your messages and allow companies reach their target audiences and industry influencers. Social media is a great tool for measuring content success as it allows you to view comments, shares and likeability. Using social media analysing tools such as Followerwonk is an excellent way to find out who is following you, what they are talking about and what they search for. You can then tailor your sematic fields to suit this crowd.

Consistency

Consistent content should be treated as an integral part of a branding experience. Content reflects a business’ culture, ethos and credentials. Regularly update your followers with posts in a distinctive style of your own to satisfy visitors, increase traffic and nurture leads.

Credibility

Duplicated content will majorly disrupt your SEO efforts. Although there is currently no formal penalty, Google will take action if content (spam) is repeated in order to deceive and manipulate search engine results – actions which could completely remove the site from their results. There are some legal issues to consider too. The Berne copyright convention states that any content published after March 1, 1989 is copyrighted – with or without a copyright symbol. If someone is found copying published content, they could be sued under copyright law. So stay creative and stay safe!

Want to give your business a boost through content marketing? Give the Cobb Digital team a call on 01273 208913 to discuss our content creation services.