by Mertcan AtikCONTENT MARKETING
Content Marketing, an indispensable element of digital marketing strategies, is one of the cornerstones of building and strengthening the online presence of brands. Content is a powerful tool to tell brand stories, deliver valuable information, and connect with target audiences. Content Marketing not only promotes products or services but also provides audiences with information, entertainment, or inspiration through valuable content. This strategy, used in a wide range of sites from websites to social media platforms, deepens the processes of brands interacting with their audiences and has the potential to leave a permanent mark in the digital world. Content Marketing is a powerful shield that allows brands to stand out in today’s competitive digital atmosphere.
Content Marketing is the process of creatively expressing a brand’s voice and personality. Formats determine the format in which content will be presented; It can be text, images, video, audio, or a combination. Content type includes content types determined by the brand’s purpose of reaching and interacting with its target audience. This includes various content formats such as blog posts, infographics, videos, and podcasts. Topic keyword determines the main themes and keywords of the content so that it attracts the attention of the target audience and is better understood by search engines. These elements, which are the backbone of a content marketing strategy, allow brands to effectively tell their stories, engage their audiences, and establish a strong presence in the digital world.
01 | FORMAT
Content marketing is another way to attract leads and sell by generating more traffic. Writing content is not just about sharing blogs on specific topics for the website. Content formats in digital marketing are quite diverse. New formats are developing every year with the development of technology and the diversity of tools. The behavior of people consuming content and the subjects they are interested in vary from time to time. The important thing is to create content with the most appropriate content formats for the sector and target audience. At this point, while producing content, instead of creating content for a specific format, it plans to try several formats simultaneously. Budgets are carefully organized to reach the widest audiences.
Some content consists of only articles. Blog posts or press releases are examples. Others are just audio files. A potential customer listening to Spotify can stay informed or entertained with branded content by listening to a sponsored podcast. Some content is created by using many formats at the same time. The video content we watch on YouTube contains visual, textual, and auditory elements. Social media posts can consist of only one photo or brand messages can be placed on the same image. Whether it is textual content or visual sharing, the important thing is to choose the format that will reach the target audience most effectively. While doing this, the channel and device on which the content will be broadcast should also be taken into account. The computer makes textual expressions easier to see on larger screens. The habit of watching videos on mobile devices is quite high. If an advertisement work on smartwatches is considered, very limited text should be used.
The content formats that can be used for digital marketing are as follows.
- Image
- Video
- Live Broadcast
- GIF
- Blog
- Article
- Podcast
- Ebook
- Checklist
- Social Media Post
- Tool
- Press Release
- Webinar
- Micro Site
- Presentation
Each format type has its advantages and disadvantages. While some formats are easy to produce, they can be difficult to consume. Textual formats are easy and inexpensive to produce, but a very long product description cannot be expected to take the time to read by customers. The production of the video format takes time and effort. However, the most interesting and easy-to-consume format is video content. For video production, the company needs a specific team or outside support. What brands need to do is work with a team of freelance content producers who can produce content in any format.
02 | CONTENT TYPE
Customers’ expectation of content is always changing. Awareness of expectations paves the way for what types of content brands should create. Sometimes people want to spend time with great, sometimes informative, and sometimes educational or inspiring content. The customer journey is a map that goes until the target audiences realize and think about a product and then buy it. Before buying a product, people try to decide by going online and following the content related to that product. With the content funnel, it is necessary to determine separate content types for each point in the customer journey.
The awareness stage is the stage in which the customer’s ideas about a product are newly formed. The need is tried to be met with a product. It would be correct to present the customers’ audience as educational. Telling the story of the brand informs the target audience. Entertaining content is highly effective for customers to notice brands.
The evaluation phase is the period when customers need more information about products, services, and brands. The brand should provide information on how and in what way it will meet the need. At this stage, the fact that brands offer guide content will capture the trust of the customer.
The decision stage is the closest to making a choice. Comparative content comes in handy at this point. Case studies shed light on how customers who have encountered the same issue have resolved the issue. Product reviews are one of the most frequently referenced content in the type of video content today.
To increase my interaction on the platforms used, it is necessary to produce interesting content. Based on the content funnel, certain types of content are scheduled to be shared. It is necessary to prepare content types with various ideas for content that will be covered all year round. Content types can be diversified by utilizing the structure of digital channels. It is possible to research which topics are interesting by following the trends.
As an example of the content types that are widely shared within the scope of content marketing;
- Product shipments
- Special days
- User-generated content
- Influencer collaborations
- Quotes and comments
- Questions and answers
- Surveys
- Case studies
- Infographic
- Report
- Product reviews
- Mention
- Competitions
For channels or websites to be successful, they need to make sure they are using a variety of content formats effectively. Brands that know their target audience well and know what type of content will benefit them will be successful. No matter what type of content is, no content type can replace popular topics. Content created by users is the most effective way for customer loyalty to be perceived by other customers. Some brands create their content-paring strategy by directly focusing on this genre. Special days are the branded content we encounter most frequently on social media today. However, the entire social media page should not be filled with post works for special days only. Contests are the most common type of content where brands engage with their target audience. Thus, brands both pave the way for customers to try their products and increase the number of interactions. Survey content is the most effective content type for brands to listen to the opinions and suggestions of their customers. Case studies are studies where customers will learn how customers who encounter similar problems solve their problems.
03 | TOPIC-KEYWORD
It is very effective with content marketing that search engines move web pages to the top. The words researched for SEO studies form the roadmap of content marketing. As in the SEO word research model, interesting topics should be found by researching specific themes for content marketing. Topic sets can be created using Semrush’s Topic Research and Keyword Research tools. It will be effective keyword research to determine a central word and prepare sets of sub-topics of that word.
Competitive research is as critical as keyword research. The positioning, tone of voice, content formats and types of similar brands, and the keywords they determine will show where the competition is. There are many tools available to analyze keywords used by competitors. Moz, SimilarWeb, and SpyFu are one of them. Manual monitoring, rather than paid tools, is one way to understand what content formats, genres, and keywords competitors are focusing on. For this, competitors’ websites, blogs, and social media should be examined regularly.
After the determined keywords are customer-focused, what type and type is secondary? It should not be forgotten that the content created with the determined keywords will be consumed by the customers. At this point, the issues to be determined will be planned according to the tendencies of the customers and content will be created in this direction. Search volume is one of the issues to be considered. The average number of searches for the keyword each month will give us how often that topic is searched. It will give an idea of whether the general trend is going up or down on that subject. Keyword difficulty indicates the difficulty level of ranking for the keyword. Higher difficulty means more potential value.
04 | STYLE GUIDE
Content marketing is a type of marketing that will achieve success based on consistency. How successful the content is produced is as important as how long this success is maintained. The general strategy of the brand should always be on the agenda. Content should be in line with the identity and personality of the brand. Content that does not comply with the personality of the brand will create a false impression in the perception of customers. Serious brands should protect the content they share on their social media with the same seriousness. Brands that have created a certain language are required to maintain this language on all platforms. A style guide created with this perspective makes it possible for brands to capture a consistent style in their content.
It contains many topics in a style guide. Tone and sound are among them. How to talk to the target audience should be determined at the strategy stage of content marketing. Working hard on brand identity and exploring the boundaries of brand identity is essential for creating a style guide. The brand identity guide is a guide to how all the visual elements of the brand should be used. The content style guide is also a guide in which style the brand content should be prepared. The guide includes grammar, language usage, tone of voice, and forms. It is not necessary to look at the guide frequently to create new content. The guide is created in line with the needs of the target audience. A consistent approach ensures that audiences find the content they need, when they want it, and how they want it. This is the best opportunity to build loyalty and trust in customers.
05 | PROCESS
Content production is a process that requires a lot of time and effort. The number of writers and managers who will participate in content production varies according to the needs of the brand. Regardless of the number of the content team and the workload, it is imperative to make business management and planning. Content strategy planning, keyword research, and determination of the types of content and production should take place at certain periods. Sharing and analyzing the content after it is prepared are the other steps of the content marketing process. Evaluating the success of the shared content and planning the work to be done in the coming days requires content marketing to progress in a continuous cycle.
Editorial Calendar is the process of planning and managing content according to certain categories. It allows the content to be scheduled before the sharing times arrive. It is mandatory to redesign the content with certain revisions and make it ready for sharing. The editorial calendar is a strategic plan. The content decided in the editorial calendar is included in the content calendar and is ready for sharing. It includes important days, topics, posting frequency, and where the content will be used in the editorial calendar.
Content Calendar is a tool that shows you how to schedule and share content. With this model, in which the whole team is integrated, it makes it possible to prepare the contents in an orderly manner. It is a testament to progress. It sheds light on how success is achieved and where the missing parts originate. The content calendar makes it possible for daily management to be done in a planned way. With a detailed study, the contents are followed in a planned manner. The contents determined within the scope of the editorial calendar are ready to be shared.
Content management is a type of marketing that is very open to chaos and crisis management. Putting the content production cycle in a healthy flow will ensure that the content is published at the planned times. Various sources can be used for content production. Untreated issues can be brought to light by examining the available resources. With editorial and content calendars, content created within the budget can be planned daily.