7 tips for effective content marketing

With content influencing consumer decisions more than ever, corporate communicators and brand marketers are pressured into publishing more compelling content. But, just how much impact does content actually have when it comes down to increasing spending, brand advocacy and engagement?Waggener Edstrom (WE) Communications’ research – Content Matters: The Impact of Brand Storytelling Online in 2014, – sees that communications and marketing professionals are facing increasing pressure to measure the ROI of their campaigns and connect spending to bottom-line results.As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, brands in Singapore appear to be generating long-term financial value, said the study. Sectors that profited most were food and beverage and healthcare.For healthcare product brands, findings showed consumers who followed brands online spend 172% more on related products and services (per purchase). The incremental impact on spending for food and beverage products was a 108% increase on the purchase of related products (per week).Although not as engaged as other markets such as the Philippines and India, 82% of local respondents stated they followed a brand on social media. On the other hand, Singaporean consumers appeared to be less likely to share information about products and services (65%) or to participate in contests and giveaways on social media (69%).This was particularly true for brands in the mobile device sector, where 77% of respondents stated they followed brands in this category.However, overall, consumers in Singapore appeared to be less engaged with brands online, as they ranked seventh for brand engagement of all markets covered in this study. Nearly 77% respondents stated they obtained information about products and services on social media, while 75% stated they looked for the latest deals and promotions on social media.Meanwhile, another study by Outbrain also found Singaporeans were the least engaged with paid content.“Communications professionals across Asia find themselves under increasing pressure to prove the ROI of their investments in digital content. Our new research reveals a clear relationship between brand storytelling online and increased consumer spending, referrals and engagement,” said Stephen Tracy, APAC lead at Waggener Edstrom’s Insight & Analytics (I&A) practice. “Put simply, the more consumers engage with brand content, the more they spend on brands.”So how do you make content marketing work for you?Here are some tips from the agency:1. Think long termResist the pressure to measure short-term returns in relation to your investments in content marketing. Findings show there is a strong relationship between consumers’ level of exposure to branded content and their likelihood to spend more on products or services (in some cases as much as 257% more). However, this is a long-term relationship, and you need to focus on creating great content through a sound strategy. If you do this, the financial returns will come.2. Measure influence, create advocacyWE’s findings showed that levels of advocacy can fluctuate drastically across borders and business sectors, but the bottom line is advocacy is something you need to measure and should seek to increase. Promoters of your brand create influence and purchase intent, and you need to ensure you have both the people and tools to measure, identify and engage brand advocates.3. Create rich content experiencesAs we’ve seen in some markets, such as Australia and Japan, high levels of social media usage and brand engagement online do not go hand-in-hand. Simply posting updates to your social media profile every day isn’t enough to create advocacy, engagement or increased spending. Create rich content that is relevant to your audience and suitable for the social network (e.g. Twitter versus Instagram), and most importantly, create content that rewards your audience for their loyalty.4. Speak with your audience, not at themResults showed that consumers are more likely to look for information about products and services on social media than click on an advertisement online. Having a presence on any social network, be it Facebook, Sina Weibo or Instagram, requires you to go beyond simply posting promotional material online by creating a dialogue with your audience. Such a dialogue can improve perceptions toward your brand, create advocacy and even increase customer spending.5. Think mobileMobile messenger apps are rapidly evolving into fully featured social networks, and as we saw with our results, apps such as WeChat are becoming increasingly more popular in markets across Asia Pacific. It’s important you consider the role and purpose of any social network before adopting it, but the rapid proliferation of smartphone technology across Asia Pacific, particularly in emerging markets, has ensured social media’s future on mobile. That being said, if your content strategy doesn’t have a mobile component, it’s time to review and refresh your strategy.6. Keep your content strategy freshBuilding a successful content strategy is not a one-time endeavour. As the results of this study have shown, there is a demand for rich content from brands. But marketing through social media is a constantly moving target as the demographic and psychographic traits of your audience, as well as their needs, can change over time. This means you need to have an effective measurement and optimisation framework in place which can tell you how effective your strategy is and what business value it is creating for your brand.7. Measure what mattersEffectively measuring the impact of your content marketing strategy requires you to go beyond the standard approaches to measuring ROI. Be wary of silver bullet solutions, such as one-size-fits-all formulas that promise to tell you the financial value of every like, click and share. Understanding the true business impact of your content requires hard work and tailored analytical solutions that consider your business objectives, business landscape and customer needs. The approach presented in this study is just one approach to go about measuring the ROI of content. No matter which approach you choose, just make sure you measure what matters most.Where does the rest of the region stand?The WE study found that across all markets digital consumers appeared to be the most connected with brands in the mobile device sector, with 72% of all respondents stating they currently follow their favourite mobile brand online.The second most connected sector was consumer electronics and appliances (excluding mobile devices), with 61% of respondents stating they actively follow brands in this category. Overall, it appears the technology brands generate the largest followings on social media across Asia Pacific.On the other hand, digital consumers appeared to be much less connected with brands in the travel and tourism as well as the healthcare sectors, as only 48% of respondents for each sector stated they currently followed their favourite brands on social media.Meanwhile, when it comes to paid content, the Outbrain study found the technology and internet, health and electronics categories have the highest bounce rates, which means visitors who enter the site “bounce” or leave the site rather than continue viewing other pages within the same site. Meanwhile, content related to news, sports, and business and finance showed the highest levels of engagement.WE’s regional study surveyed more than 2,200 consumers between the ages of 15 and 60 across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.