When basketball players pivot, they reposition themselves to make a pass or shot—all while keeping one foot planted on the ground.
It may be a move that we see on the court, but it’s an approach that also is reflected in marketing.Companies have overarching strategy and goals that guide their every move. They want to stay connected to these ideas, of course. But they also need to remain flexible so they can maneuver as needed to continue achieving success.
It’s this idea that has led many companies to embrace content marketing. One example is a $50 million medical device manufacturing company in upstate New York.
There is a lot of competition in the medical device manufacturing industry. When this medtech company launched its flagship product, that product had a built-in advantage: It was the first of its kind to become available to consumers.
This competitive edge was one the company could leverage at trade shows—its go-to route to get in front of physicians and surgeons, an audience that is notoriously difficult to reach. While trade shows gave the company a chance to connect with some of this population, its leaders knew there were better opportunities to broaden their reach.
Another challenge arose, too: Once the patent on their product had expired, a competitor launched a product that was almost identical to theirs, and the competitor had a much larger marketing budget to promote the product.
The company’s need for powerful content marketing was very clear. But the marketing director already was stretched thin, so taking this next step required help. That led the company to team up with Kuno Creative.
Before any content was created, the first step was to identify target buyer personas through employee and customer interviews. This information was then used to develop a blog strategy and editorial calendar.
It wasn’t long before the company noticed the impact of the program.
In just six months, strategically distributed educational content brought in more than 400 new leads. Facebook ads, a new channel to this company, also brought in several new customers as well. And by communicating with surgeons through email marketing campaigns with high click-through rates, sales calls became more successful.
These impressive results are only the start. With new content marketing trends on the horizon for 2018, there are more opportunities to build on this initial success.
Building Deeper Connections via Video Marketing
Statistics speak for themselves with video marketing. According to recent news from HubSpot, including a video in marketing emails can increase click-through rates between 200 and 300 percent. And when a video is embedded on a landing page, conversion rates can increase by 80 percent.
It’s safe to say that video is a big component of content marketing’s future. More brands will jump on the bandwagon in 2018, producing and distributing videos that align with what their audience wants to see.
Greater Shift Toward Full Content Personalization
Marketers recognize the benefits of personalized content. In fact, as noted by a 2016 Demand Metric study, 80 percent of those polled find this type of content to be more effective than the nonpersonalized alternative.
That’s why many companies are turning to this approach. Based on their target audience’s interests and preferences, marketers can deliver relevant content in nonintrusive ways. This paves the way for bringing in a higher number of conversions and revenues.
The Rise of Chatbots
Brands are always looking for ways to support their marketing strategy as well as their customers. Chatbots give them the ability to do both.
Gartner estimates that by 2020, 85 percent of customer interactions with companies will be via chatbots. Companies must be equipped to meet expectations as audiences start to anticipate this feature on websites.
Like basketball players who use the pivot to change the course of play, companies can change the course of customer engagement by developing a strong content marketing plan. This enables them to effectively attract potential clients at the right time. Meet four companies that already have made the move with Kuno Creative’s help.
