How to Add Content Marketing to Your Traditional Advertising Mix
Recently we’ve been witnessing companies with many years of experience in traditional radio and television advertising now trying to expand their online presence. This is probably most evident with local brick and mortar businesses. When considering different ways to add content marketing to those traditional strategies, one of the best ways is to start blogging. In fact, that’s why we started our company.
For a retail company such as a furniture store, TV ads may briefly mention a few items and sale prices. The problem is, it’s a long-term, considered purchase and customers are being taught to wait until a product is on sale. In order to really hook people, get them to visit your website. Traditional marketing can spark a potential customer’s interest, but your content marketing will be what causes them to have a deeper relationship and trust with your brand.
Very often, customers will hear an ad and remember the name of your business, but they may not remember your location or phone number. This often results in potential customers searching the web for the name of your company. Once they find your website, it isn’t enough to just provide basic information. You have the critical opportunity to use rich content to pull them deeper into your site.
It’s important to give potential customers detailed information that will allow them to realize why they should choose your product. Not necessarily just because of its price, but also because of the difference in quality. Potential customers can learn how products are manufactured and see pictures or videos of people enjoying them. They can see your product in a unique light and imagine themselves owning it. This is your chance to let them know why your product will be valuable to them.
While traditional media isn’t going away any time soon, it’s changing substantially. The radio business will continue to adapt and reinvent itself in ways that we can’t even fathom over the next few years. As marketing with traditional media becomes less effective, it will become increasingly necessary to move your marketing investment into the online world in order to keep up.
Craigslist took classified advertisements away from newspapers. Now the same thing is happening to other kinds of traditional media. Content marketing is allowing companies to move away from an outbound, interruption type of methodology towards an inbound, permission based methodology. Companies can start by providing online blog posts and articles that are entertaining and/or informative. Potential customers will remember this when they finally need the product or service that your business provides.