As audiences become harder to reach and less receptive to traditional advertising and marketing, more and more brands are executing content marketing strategies that engage with their audiences in unique ways. 

So what is content marketing? Put very simply, content marketing is when a brand uses a combination of media to communicate with their audience through relevant, engaging content – including video, photography, articles and blogs. It’s not about the hard sell, it’s about creating beautiful, engaging and interesting content that communicates a brand’s personality and gives an audience insight in to the brand lifestyle. 

Our top tips on getting your content strategy right….

Firstly, it goes without saying that you should know your audience, but it doesn’t hurt to do some demographic analysis. Do your audience demographics change according to platform? Is there a difference in age or gender? Where are the majority of your audience located? You can use this information to tailor your messages. 

Identify your key customers’ needs and wants. Where else do they shop? What music do they like? What media do they consume? Create content that appeals to that customer and that considers all elements of their lifestyle. 

Create content that’s inspiring, aspirational and communicates the lifestyle of your brand. One of the best examples we’ve seen recently is the beautiful short film series produced by Free People. www.prweb.com recently wrote, ”The series is a heartfelt account of two lovers, played by Christopher Abbott and Sheila Marquez, in a developing relationship filled with heartache. Part two titled, “Roshambo: Rock”, takes place in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro and introduces Spanish polo player, Diego Osorio as an alluring love interest. Set to the tune of “July” by Youth Lagoon, the film is a much anticipated follow up to the first video released this past February . Roshambo: Rock is part of Free People’s first ever short film series that is set to launch throughout the year.”  The series gives you an insight in to the lifestyle of the Free People girl. Travelling the world, falling in love, excitement and freedom are all key elements of the Free People brand personality. Every girl aspires to that lifestyle and the videos’ showcase the brands collections in an interesting way, ultimately driving sales. 

Have strong themes and key messages and produce content that fits under one of these themes. If it doesn’t, it’s out, it’s as simple as that! By sticking to consistent themes and messages, your audience will better understand your brand and they will know what to expect. 

As with our other posts about using Instagram and Pinterest, we cannot stress enough that content has to be visually appealing and good quality. That means high res images, well written blog posts and well produced video. Poor content can really damage your brand perception. 

And finally, measure how your content is received. Use analytics to see how your content is distributed, how many follows and shares it gets and who’s talking about it. 

Content really is king! Brands have to continually find ways to engage with their audiences in unique, exciting ways or face being left behind.

Get in touch to find out how Purple Riot can help you with your content strategy.