Lagniappe. Isn’t that an interesting word? I learned it today and think it’s cool. Lagniappe. Lagniappe. Lagniappe.
Lagniappe is the little something extra you give as a gift. Like, if you’re a furniture salesman and you throw in extra pillows with the purchase of a couch. Customers just love when that happens.
So content marketing is sort of a lagniappe. When customers check out your website and find you’ve offered them some useful information, boy, do they love that. It’s a little something extra that establishes relationships, builds credibility and, ultimately, increases sales.
Content marketing was the big “little something extra” last year. You can bet it will be again in 2014.
Here’s why lagniappe should be one of your new words—lagniappe, as in content marketing:
According to an annual survey done by Brightcove, CMI and MarketingProfs (be sure to check out their cool infographic here), 93 percent of B2B organizations and 90 percent of B2C organizations are now using content marketing to promote their brand. On average, B2B and B2C organizations use 27 percent of their marketing budget for content marketing, and 59 percent of them plan to increase this amount in 2014.
What are you doing to keep up?
Here are six content marketing tactics your competitors may already be using. Implementing just one or two of these could be the extra something that adds to your bottom line.
Blogs
Together with social media, blogs are the workhorse of content marketing. Yes, they’re a commitment. But if you can dedicate time for consistent writing or pay someone to do it for you, blogs are still the number one way to repeatedly keep your name in Google search engines.
Case Studies
People love to read about cause and effect. Case studies allow your customers to identify with a challenge and see the results of your positive solution. Use case studies on your website, blog, or industry-related magazines.
Email Newsletters
Still one of the most effective ways to stay in front of your audience, research indicates more people are now reading eNewsletters from their mobile devices. Responsive layout means single-column, large text, buttons and well-spaced links.
Press Releases
There’s no better press than free press, and that’s just what a press release is. Every organization has newsworthy events. Sometimes all it takes is a little creative thinking and capturing the editor’s eye.
Print Magazines
Think print is dead? Think again. These days a hardcopy in hand carries distinction. Running a client’s success story in industry-related magazines is a sure way to boost your product’s awareness and credibility.
White Papers
Is yours an expensive product? Then white papers should be the king of your content. They’re educative and persuasive essays that use facts and logic to promote a product, service or solution. Use them on your website, as emails to clients, or as a sweet lagniappe when people subscribe to your eNewsletter.
Need help with any of these? You’ve come to the right place!