How to succeed in content marketing

Content marketing is one of the hottest trends in marketing right now. It is challenging the way our customers operate and changing the entire business. But content marketing today is not without its problems.

“The greatest challenge in content marketing is the lack of a general view and strategy in companies.  If you don’t know where you’re going to, it’s difficult to set goals or measure results,” says CEO Kati Nurminen from Kopla, a company specialising in consumer engagement.

“The lack of a general view tends to encourage an ad hoc work approach that often isn’t very efficient.”

Kopla has studied the use of content marketing in Finland, and the results are interesting. Challenges are understandable, says Nurminen, as many methods for content marketing are still under development – and even the meaning of the term itself is disputed.

What is clear, however, is that the use of contents in marketing is on the increase. Two thirds of the respondents in Kopla’s research are planning to invest more in content marketing, and none of the respondents will invest less. And there are reasons for this.

The power of conventional advertising is fading

“In our digital and social era, contents are in the core when you wish to create marketing that isn’t annoying and will arouse interest,” says content strategist Ilari Viippola from media company Dagmar.

According to Viippola, conventional advertising simply no longer works the way it used to. People are harder to reach and it is easier for them to ignore advertising. Therefore content that genuinely stirs interest in customers – and the targeting of this content through the use of analytics – will play a major role in modern marketing.

“We’re currently going through a fascinating phase in the marketing business,” says Nurminen from Kopla. The traditional boundaries in the media industry are falling as companies are expanding to content marketing from various angles.

“Media companies, advertising agencies and communications agencies are all compiling their respective offerings in content marketing,” Nurminen says.

But it is not always easy to find the best tools for your company’s content marketing. The options are endless, from print media to YouTube videos, from partner blogs to animated gif images.

“It’s best to start with a strategic analysis of the target audience and goals of the marketing,” says Viippola from Dagmar. “When your goals are clear, tools will be easy to find.”