Content marketing today has evolved to the degree that it may as well be studied as a whole subject in itself. It has now become an integral part of the B2C marketing process and the brand management process, while the allocated budgets for content marketing are significantly increasing the world over. Capturing attention spans in this day and age has resulted in competitive content creation. And the continuity of this movement in content marketing means that B2C marketers are becoming more innovative with their content strategies.

According to the 2018 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends Report by Content Marketing Institute, research suggests that 86% of participating brands make use of B2C content marketing. However, the same study also suggested that there is plenty of scope for improvement of their content marketing strategies. As more and more companies get onboard this marketing bandwagon, here’s a look at some of the methods to boost your B2C content marketing efforts in the near future.

Quality over Quantity

Consumers are today flooded with content every waking hour of their lives. Gone are the days when you could keep flashing your content multiple times a day to leave an impression on your target audience. It is time to replace the ‘number of posts a day’ strategy altogether. Instead, focus more on a ‘specific post with a specific purpose’ strategy that directly communicates with the customer and keeps them engaged. This can be achieved in any number of ways such as localization of content, emotional association, informative communication, and diversification of content. The idea is to produce engaging, high-quality content that shows the consumers a certain level of sophistication. This can go a long way in converting the consumer into a customer and help develop brand loyalty. Moreover, it sets your business apart from the ones that simply pump out content one after the other without really investing time and energy into it.

Target Your Audience

According to one survey, a staggering 45% of B2C marketers don’t bother to target their content at all. A brand without a target strategy will necessarily end up making the mistake of selling their product to the wrong consumer bracket. While the ‘sell your product to as many as possible’ approach may have been the go-to approach in yesteryears of marketing, it is simply irrelevant today. Every product has a specific group or demographic of consumers for itself and unless you’re targeting that specific group, your marketing efforts are more or less invalid. Personalization of content is of paramount importance in this context. And technological advances are all out to make the marketing system smoother, thanks to feedback and customization options. All you have to do is device a strategy that delivers your content to the right group of people at the right time and through the right medium.

Going Beyond Dated Techniques

Research shows that B2C marketers use blogs and videos three times more than any other content type as part of their content marketing strategy. Although articles, blog posts, and video clips are relevant in their own ways, content is no longer just confined to the screen. Off-screen interactive mediums such as voice controlled devices augmented reality, and virtual reality is already on the way to being next to big rage. Consumers are moving towards a more connected way of life. Device pairing and smart home technology offerings in the market simply means that B2C marketers can now also reach their audience through voice-enabled options, be it through the keyword search or voice-enabled video content. Moreover, featured snippets can be optimized in order to boost visibility and rank higher in organic search results. Close to 90% of text-only featured snippets are said to return a voice answer and can also provide marketers with clues regarding consumer needs.

It’s All About Strategy

That B2C content marketing needs to be approached with a proper plan of action and a devised strategy is not something new being said. Surprisingly enough, however, research shows that 40% of B2C content marketers don’t actually plan their content in advance at all. Moreover, most don’t even have an editorial calendar in place for all their content creation and marketing efforts. It is understood without having to explicitly say so: Brands that document their marketing strategies are much more efficient at content marketing than those that don’t document. Additionally, almost 38% of B2C marketers don’t even use data and research methods in planning their distribution strategy. Now, we understand that content is all about artistic creation and imaginative abilities. However, if data is not used to gain insight into consumer behaviour and usage patterns, then how will you know how to aptly distribute that content? The key here is to work smarter rather than working harder.

Although it may seem done to death, but keeping the above pointers in mind and going back to review your work time and time again can significantly impact sales efforts. There is a whole barrage of content being created and consumed by today’s consumers and it definitely has become a tad bit more difficult to stand out. Audience segmentation and data implementation can go a long way in boosting your visibility. Remember, it’s not the customer who will come to you, but that you have to reach out to the customer.