How to keep your marketing and content relevant
The value of a strong marketing strategy and original, engaging content is well known for anyone in the industry. Whether an international blue-chip company or a local SME; attracting the attention of your customers, clients or even investors can be crucial for success. Yet what happens when competitors push ahead of the game? When your strategy no longer seems as relevant against the latest marketing insight, what is there to be done? When your content seems out-dated and dreary, how can you add some sparkle?
Here at OTB we know a thing or two about marketing strategies and content, and if you find yourself asking some of the questions listed above, don’t panic, we’re here to help. Here are just a few of our top tips for adding some fresh thinking into your marketing this summer, a making sure you’re not just relevant but at the forefront of your market.
Tell a story
We’re not advocating you publish your life story on your company website. The art of storytelling and its role in creating engaging, relevant marketing content cannot be denied. We work in an increasingly noisy marketplace. Organisations and competitors battle to be heard, so having a unique viewpoint or insight to share can get you noticed.
But how to generate that all important consumer engagement and reach a strong level of trust and belief in your brand? It is important to create an interesting, original narrative that captures the imagination. As The Guardian’s Media Network Blog has argued ‘it doesn’t matter if we don’t recall the precise words, so long as we know the shape of the story, the order in which things happen, and why. That’s where the drama lies.’
Whether you tell your story via traditional media outlets such as the infamous John Lewis Christmas Adverts or using social media to generate a strong visual background story such as the American Express Facebook page, the possibilities are endless.
Be helpful
One of the main marketing relevancy challenges is the change in expectation among consumers about the role of marketing. In years past marketing was centred around promoting a product, service or lifestyle. Nowadays the increasingly savvy consumer wants the adverts and campaigns they are presented with to be helpful, useful or informative.
According to a recent article by industry giant The Drum, ‘the promise of a relevant message tailored inside a media environment consumers are largely curating for themselves is the new reality.’ The increase in technology and data enables businesses to tailor the marketing experience ever closer to the needs of the consumer. Now, the importance of creating relevant and useful content is also heightened.
In a bid to remain relevant, the Drum argues that businesses should therefore adopt a ‘right-time’ attitude towards their creative outlets. This is much better than relying on the ‘real-time’ mentality that has pervaded in recent years.
Watch and learn
There is such an abundance of spectacular marketing campaigns and strategies out there to choose from. There’s no sense in struggling on alone in the search for insights into remaining relevant. Look at those organisations that have successfully reoriented themselves to remain relevant and brimming with rich content.
LA Marketing have argued that paying attention to what others are doing can be extremely useful in the bid to remain relevant. It provides a good benchmarking tool to enable you to pitch your ideas and strategies at the right level. LA Marketing claims ‘watching trends gives marketers new ways to zero in and deliver a powerful message in a way that wasn’t possible before.’
Are you aware of trends and changing opinion in and around your sector? It is possible to learn ways you can keep your marketing and content relevant. Thrive in the face of constant competition and market challenges. Do you need help with your marketing strategy or content creation? Contact the experts and contact us at OTB today.
