Archive for ‘CONTENT MARKETING’

Wouldn’t it be great if your business had a way to show off what you’ve done to prove your trustworthiness and get clients to want to work with your company? In the show CSI, week after week, a team of investigators’ review the details of a crime scene. And by the end of the show, they have figured out who perpetrated the crime from their research by putting together a story of the details. But instead of investigating a crime, this blog post will investigate the benefits of putting together and using a case study to show your value to a potential customer.

Let’s face it, when pitching new business or trying to get someone to try your service, you need to first demonstrate your trustworthiness in order to earn the business. Before signing on the dotted line, potential client’s want to learn more about your company. They want to know what services you offer, your business history, and what other customers have said about your company. More importantly, they want you to prove that by hiring your agency, that you can be effective for their business. Whether it is a pitch for new business, or part of your overall content marketing plan, a case study is arguably your most effective sales tool.

A case study allows you to show how your collective expertise as an agency has delivered solutions to get results. This is your chance to take your potential clients on a journey and tell a story about what you’ve done and how you were able to think outside the box. It is more than just showing off your creative design; it’s about analyzing and determining what the client’s problem is in order to develop a strategic solution that will make a difference.

While there are many ways to put a case study together, listed below is information that should be included:

BACKGROUND

First, you want to set up who the client is and provide some background. Are they a store that sells cupcakes at the mall? Or do they offer a service? Even if it is a well-known client, it is a smart idea to start your story by explaining about their products or services to give the viewer context.

STATE THE PROBLEM

Detailing a specific problem will help determine your strategy to overcome it. Did a competitor come in and take over market share? Are they just starting out and they are not clear on how they should position themselves? This helps set up the story so you can show in the next steps how your company will devise the solution.

SHARE YOUR PROCESS

Summarize the methodology. What steps did your company take in order to uncover a unique strategy for your client? Did you conduct a focus group? An online survey? Or maybe you started by doing an in-depth analysis of the competition. This provides further insight into how your company thinks.

SHOW EXECUTION

This step is about showing how the work actually helped the client achieve their goals. Once you formulate a unique strategy, what did the actual creative look like? It must show how you executed something that stands out from the competition. Some agencies even include their team members in order to personalize the process even more.

PROMOTIONAL MEDIUMS

Detail what type of media was used to promote your campaign. Was it through social media? Or maybe print? And why were those used? Did you also include public relations? What was different about the way it was promoted that other agencies may not have thought about doing? And what objectives were put in place to evaluate the performance?

RESULTS

Share the results of your campaign. Did you increase awareness? Or social shares? Or leads? Or sales?

FEEDBACK

This is your opportunity to share testimonials about the positive feedback you received. What did the client have to say? Were there any mentions in the press? What did customers think of the program?

There are a variety of formats in which a case study can be displayed. Some agencies include interactive ones on their website with the intention of getting potential clients to contact them. Other formats include video, or simply putting together a PowerPoint or SlideShare presentation. While this format is more traditional than some of the others, it allows the agency’s sales, or business development manager to talk about the details of each step as they go page by page to explain the case study.

EXAMPLES OF A CASE STUDY

VIDEO EXAMPLE: The lead advertising agency put together the following case study for the work they did on Oreo Cookie. They showed potential clients how they took a 100 year-old brand and make it as relevant as ever. This case study shows potential clients that if they could do it for Oreo, they can do it for your brand too!

INTERACTIVE WEB EXAMPLE:

When it is used on a website, it is usually a streamlined version of a case study in order to get a potential client to take interest in reaching out to your company. Here is an example on how Amp Agency showed what they did for Pretzel Crisps. Click here to view full case study.

When used properly, case studies are powerful for sales. They allow your potential customer to get more insight into your process so they will trust your expertise about what you can do for them. Of course, not every process has a clear and perfect point A to point B, so do not be afraid to show what problems you came across and how you worked with your team to gain effective results.

A case study shows how you took a client’s problem, executed a solution and produced a positive outcome. And while a case study may not be as critical as investigating a homicide, it can still be murder to your company’s bottom-line if you do not use it to your advantage to win new business.

What do you think? What are some other benefits of using case studies?

If you enjoyed this post, I encourage you to write a comment, like it, or share it with your network. You can also select one of these hyperlinks to follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

Want to learn more about case studies? Check out the following resources, where I obtained some of the above information: Rethinking the Case Study, Advertising Case Studies, Amp Agency Pretzel Crisps Case Study, and 360i Oreo Case Study.

What if you were able to transform your drab and unassuming data into something that your customers would want to review and be more intrigued to take a greater interest in your business? In the movie Transformers, the filmmakers create scenarios where normal cars are turned into alien robots and excitement ensues! And the same way that average cars are converted into something more interesting, Infographics allow you to transform your data to inform and generate excitement with your audience!

So what are infographics? They are visual representations of information or knowledge. Instead of simply listing data and facts, infographics allow your company or brand to showcase information in a graphic and more visually appealing format. Infographics are a type of content marketing, where the idea is that your company can be a thought leader by sharing interesting and helpful information. And if customers take the time to become informed with what your business has to share in this longer form of advertising, they will see you as an expert and reward you with their business and loyalty.

While this may seem like simply an artistic way to display information, companies have been using it to their advantage for some time now. Below are some benefits of how businesses have been using infographics to gain incredible results for their brands.

MAKES DATA INTERESTING

Human beings are highly visual. Most people forget a large portion of what they’ve read, but they do remember what they see. In fact, 90% of information that we remember is based on visual impact and a high quality infographic is 30 times more likely to be read than text-only articles. This is because infographics are more eye-catching than printed words through the use of combining images, colors and illustrations. They help your customers understand the facts that you have to share with them quickly and in a more memorable and compelling way.

Take a look below at a comparison of a simple list of facts on the left side versus the more appealing information shown in an infographic format on the right side.

BOOSTS CREDIBILITY AND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Your content marketing strategy should always come before your social strategy, because you first need content, like infographics to share. When you share information on a regular basis, your customers begin to see you as an expert in your industry. Infographics are a great way to build brand awareness because 40% of people respond better to visual information than text. It allows you to gain trust with your audience and the more comfortable they feel with what you have to say, the more likely they will see your business as a credible thought leader. This creditability will eventually turn these prospects into customers.

New American Funding provides facts on how to determine your credit score through this infographic example. If you are their target and find this information valuable, you will likely be interested in learning more about this company.

DRIVES TRAFFIC TO SITE

A high quality infographic gives bloggers something valuable to share on their site that their readers can enjoy. And they will want to include your infographic if it supports their blog content and is of value to their reader. The benefit for them is that their readership remains high and the value for your company is that when one of their readers clicks on the infographic, it will drive new traffic to your site. Businesses that use infographics grow in traffic an average of 12% more than those who do not. And be sure to always include an embed code so it is easy for people to share on their blog or via social media, such as Pinterest. This increases the chances of this infographic becoming viral. It is also a good practice to track the Infographic’s URL by creating a tag in URL Builder so that you can later see its impact in Google Analytics.

Here is an example of what an embed code looks like at the bottom of your infographic:

IMPROVES YOUR SEO EFFORTS

A big part of improving your visibility through SEO is by the number of inbound links that point to your website. This is because Google and other Search Engines view inbound links as a recommendation. Since infographics contain a link back to your site and display information that people can quickly understand, a good infographic will result in a lot of inbound links. And the more times it is shared and embedded, the more SEO value and visibility you will have coming to your site. If that is not enough to persuade you, building links this way is half the cost of a standard online marketing campaign.

From the above points you can see how valuable an infographic can be for your marketing. The first step is to put together a strategic plan of what the objective is, determine what the value will be to your audience, and how you are going to promote it. Then work with a designer to make it eye-catching and interesting. If it is not a high quality, people will not want to embed it or share it, and that will not be of value to your company. You can also negotiate a paid agreement with bloggers to contain it on their site for a certain amount of time. Some companies are even creating interactive infographics that allow users to interact with the data and showcase movement which enhances the experience.

If you do it right, Infographics will transform your data to inform and attract your audience. Through the use of illustrations, images and data, your company will improve its brand awareness, credibility, traffic, and visibility. And unlike in the movie Transformers, this can all be done without having to change into an alien robot!

What do you think? What are some other benefits of using Infographics?

If you enjoyed this post, I encourage you to write a comment, like it, or share it with your network. You can also select one of these hyperlinks to follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

Want to learn more about Infographics? Check out the following resources, where I obtained some of the above information: Infographic Effectiveness Statistics,How Infographics Help SEO, 9 Awesome Reasons To Use Infographics In Your Content Marketing, 6 Benefits of Using Infographics, Use Infographics To Boost Your Credibility And Traffic, Why Your Business Should Be Using Infographics,Top Benefits of Using Infographics As A Powerful Marketing Tool, 10 Reasons Why Infographics Still Matter In SEO, How To Make Infographics And Get New Business, Visual.ly’s Create Interactive Infographics, & Using Infographics To Draw Customers To Your Website.

During the sixties, before advertising firms became more astute in regards to political correctness, men traditionally ran these agencies. It was a time when the good old boys network would wine and dine a potential client over a three-martini lunch. And the level of entertainment that was bestowed upon a client was often times more important than the creative work that was produced. These masterminds of marketing were often called “Mad Men,” (i.e., short for “Madison Avenue Men”), due to the fact that most of these agencies were headquartered on this avenue in New York City. This real life scenario was dramatized in the hit TV show Mad Men, where the main characters are highly persuasive and sometimes even unethical. And when they got the business, these hard-selling ad men would create advertising that pushed their client’s products on the consumer, who bought into the glossy picture or snappy jingle without much hesitation.

But times have changed. And we’ve come a long way since the 1960s on how to reach the consumer. Besides the “traditional” methods of television, radio and print, there are lot more channels to drive awareness and engagement with the target audience. Today’s consumers are less likely to be swayed simply by a hard-selling advertising campaign and are more informed than yesterday’s buyers. They look at a company’s website, read reviews and learn as much as they can about the reliability of a product or the reputation of a business before making a purchasing decision. And they follow companies and brands that they want to know more about on social media. With this evolution of the consumer, how can a company position themselves in a better way? The answer is content marketing.

What is content marketing? While there are many definitions, content marketing is basically the ability to communicate with your customers and prospects without hard selling. It is about publishing and delivering information on an ongoing basis that makes your customers more informed. The principle belief is that if consumers come to you on a regular basis for information, they will see you as an expert. And if a prospect is willing to take the time to become engaged with this longer form of advertising, they will reward you with their business and loyalty.

Content marketing has been gaining popularity over the past few years, but it is not new. There are countless examples of companies that have been able to effectively use content marketing, but the credit for being one of the first content marketers goes to John Deere. In order to engage their audience, content marketers tell stories and in 1895, John Deere, a company known for their tractors and farming equipment, produced and published a custom magazine called “The Furrow.” This magazine told human stories of the American farmer. And while the magazine focuses on the farmers, John Deere’s equipment was featured. So when farmers enjoyed the stories they read, they associated this feeling with John Deere’s tractors and equipment. The Furrow has been very popular since its introduction and this publication is still being produced today and read by many people in the US and Canada.

While some companies still create printed magazines, most of today’s content marketing is created and distributed digitally through various forms including blogs, downloadable eBooks or guides, how-to videos, podcasts and infographics. Below are some of the main benefits of content marketing.

INCREASED TRUST

Content marketing establishes your company as a thought leader. Let’s say you have a pest control company. If you want to increase trust in your audience, you can start a blog and share the best ways to eradicate termites and other pests. This allows prospects to see your company as one that provides value and this trains consumers to go to your blog regularly to learn about new topics related to your business. Statistically, 60% of consumers say they feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site. This not only improves your brand image, but it increases the trust that consumers feel towards your company.

INCREASED FOLLOWERS

People follow brands that have interesting information to share. Your content marketing strategy should always come before your social media strategy. First determine what would be of interest to your target and then create helpful, useful, and shareable content specifically for that group of people. And promote this content through your social media channels to get more followers. The more followers you have, the more likely you will be able to get sales from them. In fact, 67% of Twitter users are more likely to buy from brands they follow.

INCREASED VISIBILITY

Companies with blogs get 97% more inbound links. This helps you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). But this is not limited to blogs. There are a number of different types of content marketing that you can put on your site to keep consumer retention. Just think how long your consumer will stay on your site if you have a helpful how-to video? And the longer your consumer is engaged, the more Google will recognize that you are providing high quality content which will increase your organic rankings and visibility.

INCREASED VALUE

In general, Content Marketing is more cost effective than other forms of advertising. Traditional media is expensive and in the 1960s, there were not too many alternative options. But now, instead of spending all of your money in traditional media, you can create content to share through the non-paid channels, such as social media. The only expense is the time and effort it will take to create valuable content that people find useful and engaging. There is also the value you get from increasing customer engagement and attracting people with a real interest in your brand, which helps grow a long-term audience.

Instead of the hard-sell tactics used by the “marketing men” of the mad men days, content marketing has improved the way advertising is done. It positions your company as a thought leader and it gives your consumers the information that they crave to become more informed about the products and services you sell. This, in turn, creates a more engaged consumer who will trust your brand and ultimately reward you with their business. And there is no reason to be “mad” about that!

What are your thoughts? What are some other benefits of content marketing?

If you enjoyed this post, I encourage you to write a comment, like it, or share it with your network. You can also select one of these hyperlinks to follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

Want to learn more about content marketing? Check out the following resources, where I obtained some of the above information: The Anatomy of Content Marketing, What is Content Marketing?, 59 Benefits of Content Marketing, and The Story Behind “The Furrow.”