How Content Marketing Has Impacted Digital Marketing (And What It Means for Your Business)

No matter where you are, it’s pretty obvious that content marketing is having a moment lately. A Content Marketing Institute study found that 58% of B2B marketers are planning on increasing their content marketing budget this year, and a whopping 92% of marketers are using content marketing.  

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Naturally, this content marketing surge is affecting other aspects of marketing; specifically, it’s forcing digital marketers to reexamine their strategies and adapt accordingly. When done correctly, content marketing has seen great success in nudging leads along the buyer journey, keeping them engaged with the brand, and increasing conversions.

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But the content marketing that works doesn’t just succeed because a digital marketer stumbled upon a cool topic that resonated with his or her audience. No, the most effective content marketing targets a specific buyer at a specific point in the buying process. 90% of consumers admit that they find custom content useful, and content marketers have made it a priority to research their buyer personas and their feelings at different stages in the buyer cycle.

And that targeting is what digital marketers have picked up on recently. For example, content creators plan their latest strategy through the lens of a specific buyer persona. Questions about what content would benefit this persona and what format of content the persona is most likely to engage with help refine the content from a broad endeavor to a more targeted, more effective campaign. In a similar manner, digital marketers are catering towards different target personas to keep marketing messages focused.

The buyer’s journey also has a huge impact on the type of content that content marketers plan. A lead who’s just gaining awareness about the company will appreciate different type of content than a lead who’s about to make a purchasing decision. Digital marketers are recognizing this philosophy and planning separate campaigns for the awareness, evaluation, and purchasing stages of the buyer cycle. And combining that information with the specific personas leads to even more targeted digital marketing.

So what does this mean for your business? You’ve probably guessed- I haven’t really been subtle in this post. You have to target a specific consumer and cater your marketing efforts toward that persona. From the content you create to the social media you post it on to the calls-to-action you insert into your blog posts- every detail counts. Consumers now are a spoiled bunch- they likely have a lot of options at a variety of price points. Their decision will come down to what brand they trust the most- or, put another way, what brand has worked the hardest to show that they’re putting the consumers’ best interests first?

The consumer-first marketing effort takes time, effort, and the ability to empathize with your consumers on a deeper level, but it’s well worth every bit of work. Show that you’re a consumer-first company in your digital marketing efforts, and soon, it’ll be your moment to shine.