I have always thought everyone knows that content marketing is a winning strategy for building brands. But not until I got a few questions that caught me off guard.
Well, that’s part of the reason I had to share this article. The insights here will be relevant to anyone eager to build a super brand.
It doesn’t matter if you are a professional or a newbie.
A simple way to see content marketing is as a consistent delivery of valuable content for a specific purpose that is not far from solving problems, engaging, entertaining, and building relationships with a target audience.
So, that begs the question of what is the reason you are creating content?
After answering that question, the next should be what is your brand?
Your brand is simply the totality of what identifies and differentiates you from others. It could include your website, your essence, your logo, your name, voice, product, process, your idea, culture, colour, and more.
Content and brand are not the same. Content is part of what makes your brand. Whereas content marketing is one method you use to build your brand (identity, name, essence, difference, etc)
Now, I have succeeded in getting those keywords clear to you. Let’s dive into how content marketing does the job that brought you here.
How does content marketing build your brand?
The power of content marketing is not limited to any industry or type of product. You can build or strengthen your essence, and your identity using relevant content.
In Semrush Eye-Opening Stats 2023, marketers attested that spending more on content is valuable despite the economic recession. Also, over 55% of marketing practitioners agreed that creating and sharing more content boosts rankings.
Content is part of the reason everything makes sense. Your logo is almost nothing if it doesn’t have narratives that come with it and that is where a good content strategy comes in.
For example, if you visit a page online, you could see different formats of content- videos, audio, pictures, or texts referring to different subjects about a particular business or a person.
In today’s world where consumers are faced with information overload, a strategic use of content makes the difference.
Here are 5 ways content marketing builds your brand regardless of the industry
1. Increases perceived trust:
Remember the simple definition I gave you for content marketing? Helpful content, helps a target audience to solve their problems even without paying a damn.
Gradually, someone you have helped consistently will one day start seeing you as a reliable source.
Sharing relevant and useful content gradually turns your business into an authority which leads to a more positive brand perception.
2. Enhances your brand visibility online:
The role of good content in SEO does not need to be overemphasized. Google made it clear even in its mission statement that content is among the reason they are doing business.
Google’s mission is to “organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” This is why quality content is allowed to appear in the top search engine result pages (SERPs).
The role of content marketing in driving your online visibility and building a super brand is captured in Google’s search quality rating guides.
The rating guides include EEAT which implies that your online content should have an element of Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trust. This works with a good content plan.
3. Supports your customers in their journey:
Humans move from one stage to another before and after they make purchase decisions.
Consumers are humans and they move from awareness, and consideration to the decision stage in their buying journeys especially when it is not a convenience product.
At each stage, content has a role to play in shaping how they perceive, value your brand, and process information.
For example, Mr. B wishes to buy a car that does not consume too much energy. So he searches on Google for “a car with low energy consumption.” Here is what came out when I searched:
Mr. B will find the content pointed with an arrow very insightful as it seems to be very informative. That could even direct his next move.
He could decide to either give the company a call or visit the store after consuming the content.
The relationship between content and brand preference is very clear. 62% of respondents from a 2021 Content Preferences Study by Demand Gen showed that consumers rely on content like case studies, visuals, and webinars for decisions.
4. Increases brand recall:
Consistently publishing content on your digital channel allows you to be in front of your customers regularly.
Good content shapes the mind of a potential consumer for your good. With consistency, your target audience can easily recall your name, your style, culture, solutions, colour, product lines, and everything else that makes your brand.
5. Supports your brand positioning strategy:
In today’s competitive business environment where consumers are faced with information overload, your brand positioning strategy cannot do without content. Brand positioning entails taking a place in the mind of your target audience.
Do you want your target audience to see you or your business as an authority, a premium brand, or a mediocre? It starts with your content marketing strategy. Your content is your voice and it speaks volumes about your brand personality.
Final Note
Building a super brand through content marketing is not as simple as it sounds. It requires you to be consistent in creating relevant content that will meet the needs of your target audience. You need to see it as a strategic (long-term) investment so you don’t start expecting results after a week.
Did you find this value? let me know in the comment section.
Jackson is an obsessed content marketing specialist. A brand storyteller, not a teller of stories. He is passionate about helping online businesses grow with compelling digital marketing strategies. Follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
