When it comes to the content marketing game, one has to be continuously on their toes, updating themselves with trends that could make a huge difference for any brand or company. You need to find ways to connect with audiences, especially when competition is fierce. Being an industry that’s dynamic, novel content ideas and strategies present themselves out of the blue.
A perfect example would be the bold statement of technology market researcher Gartner that resonated throughout the marketing world. According to their statistics, “By 2018, companies that have fully invested in all types of personalization will outsell companies that have not by 20 percent.”
Contently pointed out that even if this thesis won’t be tested for another year, you cannot deny “that personalization is already having a dramatic effect on how companies do business.”
In a world where customers’ attention spans are fleeting, an increasing number of brands are leaning toward catering more closely to their audience’s needs and making content more relatable. Gone are the days when hard selling would seal the deal. Admit it, it’s easier to retain the memory of a certain product or service when it isn’t shoved down your throat.
What is content personalization?
According to the Marketing Insider Group, personalization “is about targeting content that is tailored to individuals based on their needs and interests.”
Scott P. Abel of The Content Wrangler, as quoted in an article by The Content Marketing Institute, also specifically defines this as targeting content based on “who they are; where they are; when, why, and how they access content; and what device they use to access it.”
With tons of materials and information on the web, audiences will only bother to read so much. Yet if it’s something that they deem to be valuable and relevant, it won’t take long before it catches their eyes.
This is evident in a study by Demand Metric in 2016 which showed that 80 percent of marketers believe personalized content is more effective.
The growing importance of personalization in content marketing was also studied by Forrester Consulting as recently as last year. The American market research company asked a group of senior marketing executives from the US and Europe about their approach to personalized marketing and 67 percent said they used behavior-based data to develop content based insights and emotions.
Forbes writes that now is a good time to create highly personalized experiences for readers and potential clients by utilizing social data and marketing technology.
They also explain that personalization has become such an effective strategy because people are bombarded with all kinds of information from multiple channels and platforms everyday. Seeing content that speaks directly to them – your target audience – or one that offers solutions that they are looking for naturally piques their interest.
Simply put, “the focus is on creating a memorable experience for customers at all points of interaction with your content and your brand.”
Want to start building a personalized approach when it comes to your content marketing strategy? It doesn’t take a marketing genius to tell you that you have to know your audience first. Do the necessary research, gather facts and data, and try to see things from their perspective to gain an understanding of what it is that they would want to see.
Aim to trigger the “emotion of satisfaction” from them and before you know it, audiences will be hooked.
With a passionate team of wordsmiths and creative individuals, Content Collision helps you create quality and engaging web content. Does your brand have a story to tell? We can craft it for you. Drop us a line at info@contentcollision.co or check us out at www.contentcollision.co.
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