In my 11+ years of working as a Marketing Manager, and having worked with various businesses, and managing a market (South Asia market) that is versatile in terms of behaviour, cultures etc., there are a lot of learnings.
But if I had to distil it down to one marketing tip that would be most important for businesses, regardless of size or industry vertical, it would be this:
“If Content is the King, Consistency is the next of Kin.”
The marketing world is constantly changing, with new platforms and emerging technologies. As a result, it can be challenging to keep up and easy to fall behind. However, if you want your marketing efforts to be successful, one thing you must do — Be Consistent.
Consistency is the Key
When it comes to content marketing, Consistency is the most important of marketing concepts today. You need to be consistent in terms of the quality and quantity of your content. Viral marketing is a myth. None of the marketing managers would know for sure which one of the posts or videos will go viral, so being consistent would be the ideal marketing strategy when it comes to digital marketing. And then Viral marketing fizzes out as fast as it picks up, leading to no actual results.
Be Consistent
Consistency in content marketing will yield better results. Your audience will start to recognize and trust your brand, and you will build a loyal following.
The genesis of Advertising and Marketing.
Why and How did “Content” become the King?
Long Story Made Short
Let’s go back to a few hundred years ago when marketing mostly meant word of mouth (which still is an excellent way of marketing). Apart from this, product branding or town criers were also a common marketing practice.
The advent of Print Media and its Impact on Marketing
In 1440 came the great invention of Gutenberg’s press. This became an instrument of change for many things, including marketing. Now, handbills, posters, flyers, pamphlets and other publicity material can be produced in large numbers. The printing press also enabled the practice of printing newspapers. After a period, newspapers started selling out spaces for advertisements and marketing messages to be printed on their newspapers, which readers would view. As the demand for these spaces increased from marketers or advertisers, the spaces started to become costlier and tinier. So, content played a significant role because the marketers wanted to grab the reader’s attention in the small space allotted.
The Advent of Electronic Media and its Impact on Marketing
Fast forward a few years came the television set (and radio a few years ago), and then, of course, there was a significant shift in marketing techniques used by brands. But yet again, the time slots were limited for running commercials, so the content had to be catchy.
The Repetition Theory in Marketing
Then was the theory of repetition in marketing (which is still relevant to an extent), which believed in repeatedly showing the same commercial (if enough budget is available) to gain mind share. Emerging businesses with limited resources still had a challenge marketing their products.
The Advent of Digital Media and its Impact on Marketing
Fast forward a few years again. This was the age of the internet, websites and blogs started mushrooming, and social networking sites came into existence. Startup culture began, and now we have many organizations with limited resources which wish to build a brand. And now, the internet has breached the space and time constraints of traditional marketing. Now, you can have a website or page on social media and put as much content as you like. All you need is connection and a loyal follower/visitor base. (Will repetition work now? Think for yourself).
So, while you need good content to create a brand image and build a brand voice, you must also be regular and consistent.
Why is Consistency one of the essential factors of Marketing today?
Any novice would agree that the most enormous fallout in any brand’s marketing today is a static website or any marketing channels that are irregular. You can’t expect to raise brand loyalty or customer loyalty by sharing great content randomly sometimes and forgetting your customers the rest of the time.
The Question of Content over Consistency
Most of the marketing managers/marketers in various established brands or marketing agencies would agree that this is a challenge they face with their managers/seniors who have spent their prime time during the Print Media and Electronic Media era. These senior managers believe in the marketing strategies that used to work a few years ago that they cannot adapt to the transformed age of digital marketing. While content remains the King in any content marketing/ digital marketing strategy, Consistency is content’s shadow now. Many a time, each word/letter/image need not go through various layers of approvals just to be posted on a social media channel where within a few hours, it is going to be pushed below by the platform’s algorithm anyway (especially if it takes days to ponder over and approve a single post).
The Simple Thumb Rule of Infallible Brand Message or Key Marketing Messages
Whether working with an established brand or a startup, the following steps can be handy.
Brand Image and Brand Voice
The tonality, look and feel of the content (image/video or text) should follow the already existing brand guidelines of the organization. If the brand guidelines have not been defined already, then the business should ponder over what kind of image and voice they wish to create in their customer’s minds, and that should be followed throughout all the marketing activities.
Alignment to Business Goals
The content marketing/digital marketing team should clearly understand the business goals (short-term and long-term) to align their efforts to lead to tangible results for the business. This will give them a better understanding of what kind of content needs to be created and how often should it be pushed out.
Targeting
No matter how great your content marketing strategy is and no matter how consistent the content is, if it is not targeted towards your target audience or a relevant customer base, then all the marketing efforts are futile.
Do your market research well, understand where most potential customers are to be found, and what their preferences are.
The content and the content distribution channels and the frequency depend upon the research done on the customers.
To Conclude
So, marketing has and is constantly evolving, and so should your marketing mix. For successful marketing campaigns, listen to your customers intently and in alignment with your business strategy, and formulate a marketing plan that doesn’t just promote your product or service but also focuses on raising brand awareness and building relationships. With a plethora of media available now, startups need not blow money on television advertising or newspaper ads. Instead, a lot can be achieved through minimal budgets and efficient internet marketing activities.
Remember
“If Content is the King, Consistency it’s next of Kin.”
Thanks for reading! Feel free to share your experiences or ask questions in the comment box below.
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