Content marketing at Farfetched Studios comes down to two simple things:
1. Content Creation
2. Content Distribution
For many content based marketers, step 1 is the start and stopping point, where they continue to produce new content without any real plan to distribute the content to the audience. It is great to be able to create quality content, but if it is not shared with the target audience, results will be few and far between.
Step one combines creativity and analysis, but step two is based almost entirely on data and strategy. Deciding which content marketing channels will be most effective in reaching the target audience in the most meaningful and impactful way is the key to success.
What channels should marketers focus on? It is going to depend upon your industry, goals, and audiences. The following are excellent channels to implement into your distribution strategy:
1. YouTube
Video marketing popularity has grown year over year and is growing more important for businesses than ever. Video was one of the fastest growing types of visual content marketing used in 2020, and more than one fourth of marketers in 2019 said it helped reach marketing goals.
Video has become the staple of communication for business or personal and entertainment during the pandemic as more consumers than ever tuned in to the growing format. Almost half of marketers who used video content for the first time in 2020 said it was in response to the pandemic.
YouTube can do several different things for your brands video content:
• Host all your videos in one place
• A search engine where customers search for information
• Feeds directly into Google SERP’s, giving another opportunity for organic discovery
YouTube is an incredibly powerful distribution channel because the video content that is uploaded is both shareable and easy to embed into landing pages and blog posts or link to social media posts and emails. Also once uploaded, the video content, becomes searchable on both YouTube itself and Google.
As video continues to trend in the way of learning and communication, marketers and brands will want to provide up to date content throughout 2021. For those that want their content to be easily found will want to utilize YouTube’s Channel format and compile all of the video hosting there.
2. Live Video
Video content is one thing, but live video is something else entirely. Close to half of marketers use live video to connect more personally and on a real-time format with their audience.
Multiple industry reports show that the live video medium is growing more important for marketers, and not just in response to the pandemic. Live video was already on the rise in B2B marketing:
• 29% of B2B Marketers used livestream content in 2020. Making it one of the fastest growing content types.
• 63% of B2B Marketing Reps were willing to exchange contact information via live content for access to more information.
• 64% also made note that 20-60 minutes were taken to watch a webinar for research on a purchase.
Facebook Live is likely to be the most popular channel in 2021 with 64% of marketers naming it as the most important, followed by Instagram Live with 19%.
Before choosing a streaming platform, consider where audiences finds video content. LinkedIn supports live video and only 5% of marketers say this is the most important live video channel. This may leave room to stand out among the pre-recorded crowd that fills LinkedIn.
Live video can be incredibly beneficial for B2C brands as well. With more customers seeking information in video format, marketers may be able to find the target audience quickly. A HubSpot survey found that 79% watch live video at least once a week and YouTube is their favorite video content channel.
3. Email
Email should be a key part of your digital marketing as it is a relatively low-cost and high-value content marketing channel. It is an incredibly strong communication method under any circumstance. A Brafton survey discovered following the pandemic, that email was the number one way brands communicated updates to customers.
Email is already among the top channels for most marketers. 87% of marketers said that email is the best way to distribute content, seconded only to social media. The average return on investment for email is 42:1.
Marketers are only going to see this level of ROI if they utilize this channel in a strategic manner that makes sense for the brand, goals and audience. Most brands create a diverse marketing strategy that includes options like: newsletters, sales events, company updates, cart abandonment and more.
Farfetched Studios believes email is a key communication channel for everyone, and brands that put the time into getting the email strategy right stand to gain customers through opportunity and meaningful messages.
4. Blog
This list would not be complete without the mention of the most important content channel of all: Blogs.
This isn’t the most important channel because it is the most lucrative or captures the most attention, or that fact that 93% of marketers already use blog posts in content marketing strategies. But rather an essential addition because: it is home base for all of the content marketing effort. Most if not all of marketers content should live, in some form or another, on the blog. It is easy to neglect how much value is truly gained from a creatively leveraged blog.
Any asset type that is created for the above channels should be repurposed for the blog generating new life and content on your website. Every video should have a search-optimized post to live on and the blog is the perfect place to expand on the video. Emails can also be centered around an editorial and can be used to share new articles and news with email subscribers.
Choose Wisely
A new year always delivers new opportunities for marketers. This year, let Farfetched Studios help move your companies marketing efforts in the right direction to reach your target audience. Whether you choose to explore these new opportunities that await your brand in video, email and blog content or something else, make sure you do so with the audience in mind. This is the only and truest way to connect with them.
