With brides becoming more savvy and more competitors arising everyday, companies have had find more effective ways to reach their target market — this is where content marketing has come into play.
But, what exactly is content marketing? According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience to ultimately drive profitable customer action.
Content marketing has been successful because instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering ongoing, high-quality information to your consumers instead. Regardless of what kind of tactics you are employing, quality content should always play a significant role in each component of your marketing mix. And, if you create your strategy properly, all of these different tactics should work seamlessly together.
Social Media
With the immense decrease in Facebook’s organic reach, creative content has never been more important. Social Media is not only the perfect way to show off your company’s personality, but also your content. Your posts should be strategic, tailored to fit each social media platform and its respective followers, and provide a high engagement rate. Keep this in mind when creating your social media posts:
- Create content that’s engaging and shareable
- People like to feel important, so let them be involved and ask questions
- Once you have selected your brand voice, stay true to that personality and be authentic
- If you don’t have the time or can’t think of something compelling to write every day, share other’s content or hire a marketing agency who can do it for you
Blogging
If you don’t have a blog or if it’s non-existent, then you really need to start changing your priorities! A blog will not only increase your SEO, but it will also give your brand more influence, create better customer relationships and drive more traffic to your website. Blogs also provide you additional content to share on your social media channels and in your email marketing. The only catch? People actually read blogs, so make sure your content is well written and thought out, provides relevant information, and stays true to your brand voice.
Emails & Newsletters
Having a robust email marketing strategy is essential these days. But, first things first, you need to build your database. Whether you use an email capture form on your website, hold social media contests, or collect emails at the next Bridal Spectacular Show, you need to give people an opportunity to sign-up first (offering incentives to sign-up is always a plus too!). Then once you have a solid database, be sure to provide your contacts with useful content, rather than just a myriad of sales pitches. Creating good, relevant content is the key to ensure you keep your brides tuned-in and not opting-out. Remember:
- Opting-in to your email program should be easy to find and sign-up for
- Send your contacts useful, shareable information
- Don’t constantly hard sell to your customers
Public Relations
Creating and disseminating a press release is a great way to attract attention to your company that is essentially free. You could write a press release that talks about a seasonal wedding package, a new partnership, or the latest social media contest you’ll be running. Even if some publications don’t pick up your press release, any unique content on the web about your company is always great for SEO. You can also post your press release on your blog and social media channels to gain even more exposure — now are you seeing how everything works seamlessly together?!
Videos
The Millennial Generation has drastically changed the marketing landscape as we once knew it. People no longer have the attention span to watch TV commercials or listen to radio ads. Today, short videos showcasing your brand, valuable tips, or even how you set up for a wedding is the way to go. What’s better, videos can go on almost every social media platform these days and you’re not only limited to YouTube (though having a YouTube channel is still valuable.) Keep the following in mind when creating a video:
- Keep it short and simple
- Provide useful, appealing content
- Think about the problems your brides might face and show how your company can solve those problems
As Las Vegas’ longest running regional wedding magazine and bridal show since 1991, Bridal Spectacular can help you reach your target market at prices every business can afford. Please call (702) 368-0088 for questions and more information.
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Great article! A few thoughts on creating content. Understanding your target demographic is crucial! Utilizing tools such as social media insights and Google analytic’s will help you identify your target audience to where your friends, fans and followers are coming from, what type of device they are viewing your content on, who’s viewing your content (men or women), what age groups they fall in, and how much time they are spending with it. When curating your content think geographically, be age and gender specific and include a CTA (call to action), book now, buy now, read more, etc. guide the reader to the next step.
In regards to press releases. While issuing a press release can be beneficial you need to be selective as to what content you want media outlets to pick up. It is also beneficent to work with a reputable firm that has established relationships with the media outlets your are seeking to engage as well as a firm with experience in your industry. Working with a firm who’s are of expertise is in government relations will have little impact for a business in the wedding services industry. In my experience you will see the best results from your press release when they are issued for specific events, significant milestones, or topics that have community impact.