BID® Daily Newsletter
Nov 5, 2021

BID® Daily Newsletter

Nov 5, 2021

Is Your Content Generating New Business?

Summary: With marketing content, you can produce 3x the leads as traditional advertising for 62% less money. With competition in every industry more fierce than ever, having the right content to attract prospects and retain customers is vital. Here are four content strategies to get you started.

In 2004, King Mohammed VI of Morocco gave women more power in the Mudawana, which is the Moroccan family code. He increased the minimum age of marriage to 18Ys and gave women the right to child custody and divorce, among other things. As you can expect, this change made the king more popular in the eyes of Moroccan female citizens.
Knowing how to appeal to your customers and prospects can make your institution more popular (and profitable) too. Appealing to them with valuable content is an important way to do that. When Bill Gates declared, “Content is king.” around 25Ys ago, he was describing his vision of the internet as a “marketplace for content.” Of course, he was right. But since then, content has evolved from, “…an exciting new marketing concept to an essential marketing powerhouse for pretty much every business in every industry,” explains Mary-Jane Owen of Asset Digital Communications.
So how do you ensure you have the right content to generate new business? Here are four content strategies to consider as you finalize your marketing strategy for 2022.
1. Repurpose content across different channels

Repurposing as a content marketing strategy continues to be a valuable way to improve lead conversion rates.  It creates a seamless experience that helps your audience connect the dots of your business and build a relationship with your brand.
Simply start with the primary piece of content that supports your business objectives and marketing strategy, such as a white paper, podcast, videos, and articles and then repackage it for different channels, such as website pages, webinars, social media, and blog posts. This increases the shelf life of your content and ensures that your message is delivered to all the places your audience is likely to consume it. 
2. Branch out of your content comfort zone

According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing costs 62% less than traditional advertising and produces 3x the leads. Yet, knowing what type of content is effective for your audience is not a perfect science. 
As a first step, stay engaged online and see how others in your industry are producing and delivering content. Then, do an analysis of your own content to see what is working and what is not. You may be inspired to try something new. 
Look at some content trends that have been effective with other financial institutions (FIs).
  • Video tips. Use an affordable, subscription-based online tool to create short videos that offer useful tips like how to pay down loans and build credit. You can build a library of these videos on your site and use social media to engage viewers.
  • Staff profiles. Create content that highlights different people in your organization. It can focus on different areas of employees’ expertise and even a personal hobby to show the human side of the people who are there to serve your customers.
  • Local business posts. Look for social media posts from local businesses and share them with your followers. Also, be sure to tag them. This allows you to build relationships within the community and helps increase your unpaid reach on social media.  
3. Keep your content trustworthy

According to one study, 95% of B2B buyers consider content an important feature of trust when evaluating a new business. When your content is useful and relevant for your audience, they will trust you more and feel more comfortable doing business with you.
Some quick tips to keep your content trustworthy:
  • Focus on how the information can help your audience
  • Be empathetic and personal in your communications
  • Take out the sales and marketing language
4. Make content marketing a budget priority

In order to leverage the right content through the right channels to your audience, you need to have it in your budget. While budgets have likely already been set for next year, we thought you may be interested to see where marketers are putting their marketing content dollars. 
According to a survey from the Content Marketing Institute, about 66% of marketers expect their content marketing budget to increase next year, with a priority of investments in these areas:
  • Video (69%) 
  • Events (61%)  includes digital, in-person, and hybrid 
  • Owned media assets (57%)  websites, blog posts, social media, podcasts, etc.
  • Paid media assets (55%)
Whatever your content marketing priorities are for 2022, it is important to create the content that provides the most value to your audience, since this will increase your leads. It may not be as easy as it sounds, but it will pay off in the end.
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