Tag: Branding strategy

  • How to Launch an Effective Brand Activation Campaign

    This article has been contributed by Akanksha Sharma, Co-founder and CEO, CITTA.

    Embarking on the journey of launching a brand is undeniably thrilling, but the true test lies in sustaining its presence and achieving long-term success. One of the key components in this pursuit is the implementation of a well-thought-out brand activation campaign, a strategic initiative that not only introduces your brand to the world but also forges a lasting connection with your target audience. To ensure triumph in this competitive landscape, a clear vision, well-defined goals, and meticulous planning are imperative.

    Understanding Brand Activation
    The Foundation: Clear Goals and Objectives
    Solving Problems and Adding Value
    Understanding Your Audience
    Crafting a Compelling Brand Story
    Leveraging the Digital Landscape
    The Keys to Effective Brand Activation
    Offering Tangible Experiences
    Measure and Analyze Results
    Continuous Innovation and Evolution
    Seamless Integration with Overall Marketing Strategy

    Understanding Brand Activation

    Before diving into the intricacies of launching a brand activation campaign, it’s crucial to grasp the concept of brand activation itself. At its core, brand activation is the process of making a brand’s identity come to life. It involves creating memorable experiences that engage consumers and foster a genuine connection between the brand and its target audience. Successful brand activation campaigns go beyond traditional advertising; they seek to immerse consumers in a brand’s story, values, and ethos.

    Here are some easy steps to plan and execute a successful brand activation campaign.

    The Foundation: Clear Goals and Objectives

    The foundation of any successful brand activation campaign lies in setting clear goals and objectives. Before embarking on this transformative journey, take the time to define your brand’s values and mission. Ask yourself what you aim to achieve through your brand activation campaign. Whether your focus is on increasing brand awareness, introducing new products, or reshaping your brand image, having well-defined goals will guide your strategy and contribute to the overall success of the campaign.

    Solving Problems and Adding Value

    A brand activation campaign should go beyond showcasing products; it should address the pain points and needs of your target audience. By identifying and solving real issues, your brand can position itself as a problem solver, adding tangible value to the lives of consumers. This approach not only establishes a positive brand image but also fosters trust, a crucial factor in building long-lasting relationships with your audience.

    Budgeting for Impact

    Careful budget planning is essential for a brand activation campaign, especially for newcomers in the industry. Competing with established players may seem daunting, but a well-structured budget allows you to maximize your resources and make a significant impact. Consider allocating funds to various aspects such as marketing, promotions, events, and technology adoption, ensuring that each dollar spent contributes to the overall success of the campaign.

    Embracing Change and Staying Relevant

    Staying relevant in the ever-evolving business landscape requires a keen eye on emerging trends. Incorporating the latest industry trends into your brand activation strategy can set your brand apart and enhance engagement. Utilize emerging platforms and technology to reach a wider audience, staying adaptable to the rapid changes in consumer behavior. By doing so, your brand remains not only relevant but also attractive to consumers.

    Understanding Your Audience

    Understanding your target audience is paramount for the success of any brand activation campaign. Through research into their preferences, desires, and pain points provides invaluable insights. Tailor your messaging and activations to resonate with your ideal customers, creating a deeper connection with them. Personalization is key, and a targeted approach ensures that your brand resonates with the right demographic.

    Crafting a Compelling Brand Story

    People connect with stories, and your brand’s story has the power to evoke emotions and build strong relationships with your customers. Share your brand’s purpose and journey in a relatable and authentic way. This storytelling approach helps customers understand the essence of your brand, fostering a sense of connection and loyalty.

    Leveraging the Digital Landscape

    In the digital age, the internet and social media are invaluable tools for brand activation. Crafting engaging content, collaborating with influencers, and implementing social media campaigns are essential strategies to increase brand awareness and reach a larger audience. A well-executed online presence can significantly amplify the impact of your brand activation efforts.

    Offering Tangible Experiences

    Allowing potential customers to experience your products firsthand through sampling initiatives is a powerful strategy. Research platforms that enable cost-effective distribution of samples to a broader audience. Collaborate with influencers to endorse your products, extending your reach to more potential customers. By providing tangible experiences, you not only showcase your products but also create a memorable interaction that can influence purchasing decisions.

    Measure and Analyze Results

    Once your brand activation campaign concludes, it’s essential to conduct a thorough analysis of its impact. Measure key performance indicators (KPIs) against your initial objectives and assess the overall success of the campaign. Identify areas of improvement and gather feedback from consumers to inform future campaigns.

    Continuous Innovation and Evolution

    The business landscape is dynamic, and consumer preferences evolve over time. To stay relevant, embrace a culture of continuous innovation. Regularly assess industry trends, consumer behaviors, and technological advancements to adapt and refine your brand activation strategies. The ability to evolve ensures that your brand remains at the forefront of your audience’s.

    Seamless Integration with Overall Marketing Strategy

    A brand activation campaign should not operate in isolation; it should seamlessly integrate with your overall marketing strategy. Ensure consistency in messaging and visual elements across all channels to reinforce your brand identity. A cohesive approach enhances the effectiveness of your campaign and contributes to a unified brand image.

    The Keys to Effective Brand Activation

    Launching a brand activation campaign is a critical step toward success in today’s ever-evolving industry. Meticulous planning, a clear vision, and a customer-centric approach are the keys to effective brand activation. By understanding your target audience, embracing new trends, and leveraging technology, your brand can make a significant impact in the market.

    At CITTA, we have witnessed remarkable results through our well-executed brand activation campaigns. By following the strategies outlined in this guide and staying committed to your brand’s purpose, your brand can also achieve remarkable growth and create a lasting impact in the industry. Remember, the journey of brand activation is not just about launching a product; it’s about creating an enduring connection with your audience that transcends the initial excitement of a new brand.


    How to Launch an Effective Brand Activation Campaign
    Crafting a successful brand activation campaign requires marketers to navigate many choices and strategies. Discover how to launch an impactful campaign.


  • Driving Growth: How Branding and Marketing Can Transform a Kids Toy Brand

    This article has been contributed by Deepti Sharma, Director, ThinkerPlace.

    Today’s digital world makes having a strong online presence essential for any business to succeed. This is especially true for ThinkerPlace. The brand encourages kids to learn beyond books, and in this exciting journey, they learn to make their own gadgets and implement theoretical concepts in real life. ThinkerPlace tries to tell this story to its target audience with effective branding and marketing strategies. Such strategies are crucial for connecting with the target audience and sustaining success and customer loyalty.

    Strategies for Transforming Your Brand

    It’s important to understand the role branding and marketing play in business growth. Here’s a look at the strategies ThinkerPlace implements to grow its online presence, which can help you transform a kids toy brand:

    Defining the Brand Identity

    At the heart of every successful business is a well-defined brand identity. To establish a toy brand, defining a brand identity involves much more than just a logo and color palette. It’s about crafting a unique story and setting that resonates with the values and interests of parents, educators, and most of all, children. The name, slogan, and objective of the brand should promote a love of learning and curiosity in kids.

    Connecting with the Target Audience

    To target a wide range of ages, it’s essential to understand the target audience’s needs and preferences. Market research gives valuable insights into what parents and children want, allowing for the tailoring of products and messages accordingly. Surveys, polls, and social media interactions help build a connection with our audience and create a community around the brand.

    Building an Engaging Online Presence

    In today’s digital world, it’s not enough to just have a website. To reach potential customers, one must leverage different channels and platforms. Popular social media sites, like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, showcase the brand, from eye-catching visuals, tutorials, and interactive games to happy customer testimonies. Plus, maintaining an active blog on the website can help establish the brand as a leader in STEM education and foster better connections with the audience.

    Content Marketing for Education and Entertainment

    ThinkerPlace’s goal as a STEM DIY toy brand is to provide value to its customers beyond just advertising its products. Content marketing enables the brand to offer informative, entertaining content related to STEM, DIY, and educational tips for parents and educators. This approach helps a brand position itself as a reliable source and maintains the audience’s interest, driving organic traffic and potentially increasing sales.

    Leveraging Influencer Marketing

    Influencer marketing with mom bloggers and parent influencers who share a zeal for STEM learning helps boost the brand’s reach and credibility. These influencers, with their massive following among kids and their parents, introduce the brand to new audiences and create a sense of excitement and buzz about the products. Such collaborations bring a variety of user-generated content that enhances the brand’s credibility and impact.

    Implementing SEO Strategies

    Many online businesses are using SEO to grow their online businesses, and it is very effective at driving traffic organically.

    “We also optimize our website with relevant keywords, meta tags, and backlinks from credible sources to increase our visibility online and attract organic traffic,” said Deepti, Director, ThinkerPlace.

    This strategy helps achieve higher rankings in Google search results and drives overall growth by organically reaching potential customers.

    Email Marketing Campaigns

    Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with existing customers and attract new ones. By categorizing the email list, personalized content and offers are sent to both existing and potential customers by ThinkerPlace, increasing the chance of conversion. Sending regular special offers, newsletters, and new product launch information helps with brand recall and building a loyal customer base.

    Analyzing Customer Insights

    It is important to analyze what you have already worked on to boost a brand’s online marketing. A brand must regularly analyze data and monitor KPIs. One can use Google Analytics, social media analytics, and sales data to gain customer insights into their shopping patterns, preferences, and much more. This analysis helps to optimize ad campaigns and strategies and make decisions on what other strategies to look forward to.

    Conclusion

    Wrapping it all up- An awesome brand and strategy is important for taking the online business to the next level. Creating a brand that aligns with the interests and preferences of the target audience and staying ahead of the game with compelling content, influencer marketing, SEO optimization, and email marketing are some of the important strategies. These strategies help create a unique story that resonates with the target audience. Like ThinkerPlace, in this dynamic world of education, it’s essential to stay committed to enhancing problem-solving skills, critical thinking, creativity, and imagination in kids and introducing them to futuristic skills like robotics, coding, automation, electronics, IoT, and much more.


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  • How Companies Use Green Marketing Strategies For Their brands?

    In 2022, we are living in an Era of Climate Change. It is a well-known fact that people are now becoming more concerned about environmental issues. The awareness of sustaining the environment has risen to a global level. Human beings all around the globe are thinking of being kinder to the planet and considers pollution of all type (air pollution, plastic waste, global warming, food waste, etc.) as a major threat to the environment around us.

    In a small initiative towards our mother planet, people have been showing interest in buying products or engaging in purchasing services that are eco-friendly and have less or no impact on the environment, even if that product or service would cost them a little more. For example, people are more comfortable paying high prices for organic cosmetics than the ones that are cheap but processed chemically. On a similar note, organic products, or services that have negligible impact on the environment tend to experience high demand from their customers or users.

    Catching on to the trend, organizations have started utilizing sustainable approaches to their business models and aim to contribute to societal goals through Corporate social responsibility because these factors determine the future of their organization.

    Green Marketing Strategies

    Importance of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility for Businesses Worldwide
    Green Business Model
    Benefits of Associating Brands with Ecology
    Green Marketing Strategy and Its 4 P’s


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    Importance of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility for Businesses Worldwide

    Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility for Businesses
    Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility for Businesses

    The world has arrived at a point where the climate is a matter of concern and needs to be dealt with seriously. The heatwaves around the globe and scarce natural resources are already the signs of it getting worse day by day even after prolonged healthy ways of sustainability. This proves that we need to do even more of what is already being done. We must accept the fact that we caused the climate crisis and need to incorporate a changed, rather much more productive business model to be a thrust for good in the world.

    Sustainability is utilizing resources in a way that not only fulfills the needs of the present generations but is also sufficient for the coming generations and thereafter. Utilization along with preservation is the key to gaining sustainability.

    Corporate social responsibilities are the policies and practices incorporated by the organization to leave a positive impact on the world. These are ethically oriented practices that reflect accountability and commitment to the well-being of society.

    Businesses need to combine environmental sustainability as well as their social responsibility in their business models to create something that is not only beneficial for them in monetary terms yet additionally profitable for the people, society, and the surrounding at the same time. Even consumers nowadays want to associate themselves or build a transactional relationship with organizations that are eco-friendly in nature. They think that their actions make a difference, in other words, they feel when eco-friendly companies are prioritized over others, they are not only taking the initiative to protect the environment themselves but also pushing other organizations in doing the same.


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    Green Business Model

    Green Business Model
    Green Business Model

    As the name suggests, it refers to new, innovative, and eco-friendly ways of leading a business that is not only suitable for the present generation yet additionally builds a sustainable environment for the coming generations as well. To incorporate a green business model, companies adhere to certain practices that are fruitful for the environment around them. A few basic ways in which companies could frame their policies in the context of the green business model are:

    • Recycling of their products and materials used,
    • Substitution of unwanted or toxic elements,
    • Reducing the ecological footprint,
    • Focusing more on environmental values than on economic benefits,
    • Utilizing renewable energies,
    • Adhering to Corporate Social Responsibility,
    • Reducing expenses on plastic packaging, transportation, and energy and water usage.

    Benefits of Associating Brands with Ecology

    Brands with Ecology
    Brands with Ecology

    There are a lot of monetary as well as psychological benefits to the green business model. The below-mentioned points are a few reasons for incorporating businesses with an ecological marketing framework:

    • Businesses get an opportunity to take positive action concerning the environment.
    • The business is regarded as a progressive and revolutionary brand
    • They become more trustworthy in the market in no time
    • They tend to attract the section of customers that are eco-friendly and are highly concerned with protecting and preserving the natural environment. These customers have a willingness to spend more to be ethical towards society.
    • Associating business models with ecological aspects is an amazing way to differentiate a particular business from competitors in the market.
    • The brand always stays on top in the market, as organic products nowadays have a high demand. This ultimately benefits the organization in rapid growth.

    A Complete Guide on Green Marketing, Its Importance & Benefits
    Green marketing is the process of promoting products or services which are eco-friendly. These products or services may be environmentally friendly in themselves or produced in an environmentally friendly way.


    For example, there are a lot of leading shampoo brands such as Sunsilk, Clinic Plus, Head & Shoulders, etc., available in the market, but the ones that have just entered the business, like WoW, Mamaearth, and Khadi have been proclaimed as a much trustworthy brand than the former by the same customers despite being costly and have encountered a rapid growth within a couple of years. This is sole because they have focused on delivering organic materials.

    Green Marketing Strategy and Its 4 P’s

    Green Marketing Strategy and Its 4 P’s
    Green Marketing Strategy and Its 4 P’s

    A marketing strategy is a plan that resembles the vision and goal of an organization and is reviewed on an annual basis. Whereas the green marketing strategy plan focuses on developing a market plan that only maximizes the profits for businesses yet additionally works with principles and policies that are sustainable for the environment.

    There are a few key elements of a green marketing strategy:

    • The goal of the business: To develop a green marketing strategy, the mission and vision of the organization should be lined up to plan out things in the most appropriate way possible.
    • The objective of the business: The objective of the business ought to be stated very clearly and should cover the goals as well.
    • Strategies and Plannings: After the goals and objectives of a business are formulated, the most important that comes is the strategies and planning. The strategy must be articulated in a way that depicts how the objective of the business will be achieved and in what period of time.
    • For example, if a company is indulged in the manufacturing business, then it should focus on buying locally available resources instead of importing raw materials from outside. This step will help the organization in reducing its carbon footprint. Furthermore, planning refers to specific means that would be utilized to accomplish the strategies.
    • Market: The market segment that will be targeted needs to be predetermined.
    • Target customers: Identifying potential customers or users is the most critical task. There are all sorts of customers in the market, people who are enthusiasts about the environment and would only purchase products that are eco-friendly or organic. Whereas there are still a large number of people who are not concerned much about the environment and buy products that suit their budget or are considered cheap and best.
    • Therefore, choosing the targeted audience is a critical task and needs to be formulated in a way that the products and services of a business not only serve one section of the customer but are beneficial for the other as well.

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    Furthermore, the 4 P’s had to be incorporated into the above business plan to lead and gain maximum trust and profit from the market. Developing the strategies around these areas enhances the brand value, sales of the product and services, and profitability. They are:

    • Green Product: Companies nowadays are focusing on developing greener products that are eco-friendly and use recycled scraps to manufacture new products to lessen their need for new raw materials. For example, Nike manufactures most of its shoes by recycling scrap and plastic bottles from waste. This step not only reduces landfill waste but also helps them in cutting manufacturing costs while decreasing their dependence on new materials.
    • Green Price: It is a well-known fact that green products are costlier than non-green products which only attracts only a few segments of society that are extremely concerned about the environment and are willing to pay more. So, this aspect needs to be worked on a little so that the pricing of greener products and conventional ones do not have a difference in pricing.
    • Green Place: Companies ought to choose a place that minimizes the customers’ as well as the manufacturers’ efforts in purchasing or selling the product. E-commerce websites are quite eco-friendly in this aspect as it cuts down the transportation of goods and services.
    • Green Promotion: While selling a product in the market, companies donate a portion of their profits to charities that are doing good for the environment. They have long-term environmental goals, such as 50% less carbon footprint by 2025, creative ways to save power, no plastic usage, and planting a tree for every item sold. These measures help them in bringing practices that ultimately promote them as an advocate of the environment.

    Conclusion

    Globally, people are thinking about how to treat the world better and see pollution as a serious threat to the ecosystem. People have been interested in acquiring eco-friendly goods and services that have little to no impact on the environment, even if they cost a little more, as a modest gesture to our mother earth. Sustainability is achieved through both consumption and preservation. Innovative, sustainable business methods that not only benefit the current generation but also create a sustainable environment for future generations.

  • Leveraging LinkedIn for Branding and Lead Generation

    LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform for establishing a strong professional network globally. LinkedIn not only helps you build connection across your industry, but it has become one of the major tools for promoting your brand. The professional networking platform that was started as a job listing platform for companies is growing hugely and has come up with several features. While employees and jobseekers use job search and LinkedIn learning features, Entrepreneurs can use LinkedIn for business. It can generate leads and helps promote your brand.

    Here are opinions shared by some of the startup founders and entrepreneurs on how LinkedIn can be used for lead generation and branding.

    Vidisha Debsarkar – Head, Growth Marketing, TradeSmart
    Aditya Singh – Co-Founder, Eggoz Nutrition
    Neeraj Sharma – Vice Chairman, The Lexicon Group | Director – Pune Times Mirror
    Gauri Bhatia – Founder, The Unveiled Sagas
    Amulya Nagaraj – Executive Director, PEPPER INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
    Ashmita Dhingra – Managing Director, Digifish3
    Abhishek Singh – Senior Vice President of Marketing, Hirect India

    Vidisha Debsarkar – Head, Growth Marketing, TradeSmart

    “LinkedIn being the largest professional networking platform provides a huge potential to build brand awareness worldwide. Marketers should definitely consider LinkedIn in their brand outreach programs and social media marketing strategies. A significant platform for making public company announcements, displaying work culture, and leading conversations on changing trends can in turn lead to building goodwill for a brand.

    People wanting to know more about a brand – prospective customers, partners and talent can eye a brand’s LinkedIn space. Hence, maximizing the offerings and analytics of the platform to create valuable and high-end content centering the niche audience of one’s sector can garner an overwhelming response.

    The LinkedIn blog feature is an effective tool for thought leadership providing unique insights on a specific product, customer behavior, and the evolving industry trends. It is also a great place to showcase human interest stories related to a brand. Intelligent use of LinkedIn ads can further help in successful lead generation from appropriate target audience. When all of these are used holistically, the platform ensures awareness and growth of a brand.”

    Aditya Singh – Co-Founder, Eggoz Nutrition

    Despite having enough potential, LinkedIn remains under-utilized; as marketers continue using common social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, etc., for business promotion. LinkedIn can be a treasure trove for businesses in branding and lead generation. This is primarily because LinkedIn is widely used by Fortune 500 companies. Being a professional networking platform, LinkedIn brings in marketers, working professionals, and the general audience at the same platform, providing businesses with the opportunity to build the brand while generating sales qualified leads.

    LinkedIn also provides marketers with industry updates and gives access to a company’s profile and latest performance updates. With the scope to do extensive business research, marketers get the opportunity to contact other relevant businesses and enhance their outreach.

    One way to leverage LinkedIn for branding and lead generation is by making a list of target companies and providing them with the company’s relevant information such as services, performance details, and upcoming projects. This increases the visibility of the company in the domestic as well as global market, thereby being an effective way of branding; it also opens the door for lead generation through interaction with other businesses. LinkedIn has a sales navigator to help businesses effectively manage their sales pipeline. The LinkedIn sales navigator also saves the searches and leads and provides sales updates in real-time, connects to the sales tools, and automates the process of lead generation.


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    Neeraj Sharma – Vice Chairman, The Lexicon Group | Director – Pune Times Mirror

    With the advancement in technology and increased consumption of social media across a myriad of geographies, marketers have successfully mastered the art of leveraging social media for branding and lead generation. Thus, creating the booming field of Digital Marketing. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are widely used by marketing teams around the world, and LinkedIn is joining the club at an accelerated pace.

    LinkedIn offers extensive prospects to marketers with opportunities to connect with Business Leaders and decision-makers of virtually all industries in one place, also serving as a platform for debate, research, and networking. A recent study by hubspot.com on the impact of social media on lead generation conducted for more than 5000 businesses showed that LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.74%. This was 277% higher than the conversion rates of both Facebook and Twitter.

    Though grabbing attention or coming into the spotlight has to be subtle, the advantages of marketing via LinkedIn and the resulting conversion outweigh the efforts by a large margin. The platform is professional and offers a massive amount of data relevant to the criteria utilized in targeting. The audience can be targeted based on their professional information and business fields. Important promotional announcements in the format of new posts have the potential to reach the correct audience interested in goods and services similar to or even the ones you offer.

    An added advantage of the platform that can assist marketers is features like the LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Showcase Pages, and even the availability of selective groups of individuals who share interests, offering or providing services. Features like saving your searches and leads, automating lead generation, CRM integrations, and pages to promote products can be highly beneficial for lead generation and branding when utilized with an appropriate marketing strategy.

    Gauri Bhatia – Founder, The Unveiled Sagas

    LinkedIn is one of the goldmines when it comes to lead generation. It is an organic directory that indexes on Google- you can control your reputation by editing your profile yourself.

    If nothing else, just enlisting your services and your expertise in your profile will get you consultations. I remember when I worked in a corporate, LinkedIn had come to my office to celebrate our 5 million followers– we didn’t even have an active ad campaign going on. Just regular, targeted content was getting us the traction that we needed. Well-written copy and easy to comprehend graphics are all that you need to feature on LinkedIn.

    Of course, I would still recommend people stay true to the platform- it is a professional platform, expanding to the virtue of maybe containing the career trajectory. Diluting the content by posting personal information has turned it into another Facebook- which I am not in favor of.

    For brand building, my company and I stick to only publishing information, opinions, or industry reports basis our studies of our clients.

    For lead generation, although it is better to run traffic ads on LinkedIn, we use the platform for what it’s worth- hyper niche targeting. We run ads for a very small target market- let’s say, entrepreneurs with 15+ years of experience, staying in California with a company of over 200 employees. Those guys have the money and the knowledge required to invest in our services. Of course, I love Google for mass targeting and low CPC, and of course, this kind of campaign is going to burn a hole in my pocket- but the leads I get are so specific and so precise, that I don’t even have to try to sell. They’re filtered, verified, and knowledgeable.


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    Amulya Nagaraj – Executive Director, PEPPER INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    Amulya Nagaraj - Executive Director, Pepper Interactive Communications
    Amulya Nagaraj – Executive Director, Pepper Interactive Communications

    LinkedIn has over 800 million registered users across the world, and this includes senior leadership members who access and pay attention to the platform. In a chaotic social media world, LinkedIn has streamlined its content to purely business and work. Good content shines on any platform, but with LinkedIn, the organic reach for a good piece of content is so much higher than any other social media platform.

    Secondly, building a network for lead generation is simpler on LinkedIn. The 6 degrees of separation are clearly showcased in LinkedIn. Your network is a powerful tool to showcase your brand, your vision and encourage others to reach out to you.

    This means the network and reach out can happens with a good blog, an insightful post or even a good video. Being active and interacting with people can also happen with just comments and minor engagements. The data of demographics available on LinkedIn help you create micro audiences for better ROI via ads.

    Additionally, each employee of a company becomes a brand ambassador on social media. The amplification of content of any form is more effective when your team engages with the content on your company page. The insights available on pages also provide a wealth of information on your current audiences and allow you to modify the strategy if required. The audience segmentation is available under job function, industry, seniority, location and more.

    Ashmita Dhingra – Managing Director, Digifish3

    LinkedIn is indeed a powerful social media tool for connecting with professionals or for brands catering services to a B2B clientele’. This social media platform is indeed transforming into a very powerful tool for branding as well as lead generation for many brands.

    LinkedIn as a platform is helping users to network with businesses and marketers worldwide. It has evolved tremendously as it has more than 750 million users on its platform.

    Interesting, isn’t it?

    Brands today are not only trying to position itself on the platform as a communication platform but also enjoying the benefits of getting leads with LinkedIn Marketing.

    Armed with the right strategy, you can grab audience attention and grow your business while generating leads. You can also use LinkedIn to increase website traffic and reinforce brand credibility.

    Impressive, right?

    Once you start working on creating valuable content, optimizing, and engaging with people, you will begin seeing traction from LinkedIn. Make sure to have a  strategy and evolve the same with user response.

    If you focus on generating quality leads, make your funnel strong enough to get your prospects to paying customers. Using LinkedIn for qualifying leads is efficient, and you get better quality results for sure.

    To conclude, Building a company page on LinkedIn is like having a booth at the world’s largest networking event. Why not seize the opportunity to promote your business and build new contacts?

    With so many B2B businesses using LinkedIn for lead generation, understanding how to make the most out of the channel will save you time chasing leads that don’t matter. Whether you’re meeting new prospects, promoting lead magnets, or sharing customer reviews and testimonials, LinkedIn is a great way to amplify those efforts.

    So, what’s the wait for?

    Start leveraging LinkedIn TODAY as when you water your audience regularly, leads will begin to sprout automatically!

    Abhishek Singh – Senior Vice President of Marketing, Hirect India

    LinkedIn is a networking site primarily used for professional networking and growing career opportunities. The platform is one of the largest professional networks that allow individuals and brands to build their online presence and connect with other professionals.   With LinkedIn’s user base proliferating, there are many ways in which one can leverage this platform for branding and lead generation purposes. In this article, we will discuss some techniques that Hirect uses to attract more leads that other brands can use to make their business stand out from the rest of the crowd.

    Many marketers and individuals prioritize LinkedIn as one of the critical platforms for finding the right customer and building brand awareness. The platform helps to network with people working across different industries.

    A brand can utilize the existing features like joining relevant business groups and participating in industry-specific dialogues, which will help generate leads and enhance brand visibility. LinkedIn provides a plethora of groups for numerous categories and businesses, filled with like-minded professionals.

    One of the best ways to use LinkedIn for business is by using it as a content marketing platform. This can be done by publishing blogs on relevant topics on the platform, which will help you rank higher in search engines and add your voice authority. A brand can also create presentations uploaded on the profile so that others can access them easily. Another way to leverage LinkedIn for branding is by hosting webinars on the platform, which will allow you to reach out to more people and help you build authority through different narratives.

    For example, Hirect uses LinkedIn to generate leads by reaching out to recruiters and assisting them with onboarding by analysing and solving their talent acquisition concerns. Hirect’s Outbound and Inbound marketing strategies have generated significant brand awareness.  With initiatives like ‘Bring It On’, ‘Counter Offer Comics’, and events like ‘Through Founders Lens’ and ‘Humans of Hiring’, Hirect has constantly evolved its content game to reach the relevant audience and successfully hit the correct string to find the prospects with its strategic marketing approach. With events like Humans of Hiring, Hirect is building a community of HRs where we talk about various aspects of hiring every week in the form of webinars. Hirect executes the campaign in the form of audiovisuals along with influencer marketing which helps to reach out to a large user base.

    Hirect also leverages LinkedIn to create informative and engaging content for job seekers and recruiters. It thrives on posting appealing videos and organic content, which leads to a higher reach and engagement rate. Hirect engages with target users by posting thought-provoking content and participating in industry-specific discussions.

    Conclusion: As a brand, it is essential to understand the target market and use LinkedIn strategically. In general, LinkedIn can be a helpful tool for raising conversion rates, establishing identity, engaging with quality leads, and helping increase sales over time.

  • Ultimate Product Image Guide for Your eCommerce Store

    If you’ve ever done online shopping, you must have evaluated the product by seeing the available product images. But what if you were presented with a poor-quality, blurry, static product image on the online store? Would you still buy the same product? The answer is a big NO. Unlike a visit to the traditional brick-and-mortar store, you don’t get the option to pick a product and assess its quality during online shopping.

    You instead try to judge the product and its quality by seeing the product image. It would be an understatement to say that many online conversions result from uploading top-notch product images. If you own a relatively new or old eCommerce store and are struggling to generate sales, making changes in the product image quality can bring a huge difference.

    While eCommerce store owners understand the importance of uploading top-quality images to their online store, many don’t know the best practices of doing it. It inadvertently hurts the bottom line. To help you improve your store’s user experience and boost online sales, we’ve curated this epic product image guide for eCommerce store owners. So let’s quickly go through the below-shared practical tips or settings that can get you visible results.

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    Tips for Improving Product Images for Your eCommerce Store
    Upload a Product Image in all Available Colors
    Maintain a Balance Between Website Performance & Image File Size
    Allow the Shopper to Zoom in & Zoom Out Without any Hassle
    Maintain Brand Consistency Throughout the Product Images
    Upload Pictures from All Viewing Angles
    Why Focus So Much on Product Images?

    Editing E-commerce Product Images

    Tips for Improving Product Images for Your eCommerce Store

    Upload a Product Image in all Available Colors

    Instead of telling visitors that you offer a product in three more colors, show them the different available options with the help of images. Visualization helps people make better decisions than mere statements.

    For example, if you sell luggage in different color variants, click an excellent product picture in all the available color ranges. The viewer should be able to see the product in the desired color he clicked on. This one change can bring a massive difference to your online sales.

    Maintain a Balance Between Website Performance & Image File Size

    Have you ever visited any online store whose catalog and product images took an extended time to load? If yes, you’re not alone. Various eCommerce stores are yet to optimize their product’s image size and website performance.

    If image loading time and page loading time are not aligned, visitors can immediately leave the store for other better-performing sites. You should ask your SEO manager and website developer to work together with the product photographer to fix this problem. Together they can ensure the product image size and resolution are pitch-perfect.

    When uploading the desired image file type, always store and upload product images in JPG format. This format is supported by many online store platforms, including WooCommerce, Shopify, etc.

    Allow the Shopper to Zoom in & Zoom Out Without any Hassle

    Irrespective of the product you’re selling online, it is crucial to allow the prospective customers to easily zoom in and zoom out by clicking on any part of the picture. This feature lets customers get a closer and relatively clear look of the product. If you’re into the clothing business, you can leverage this feature to your advantage.

    Customers can get to zoom in and display any intricate design or detail that sets your product apart from others in the market, ultimately leading to increased sales. You can either check whether the platform you’re using to run the eCommerce store is offering this functionality or contact a web developer to do the needful.

    Maintain Brand Consistency Throughout the Product Images

    Branding is a crucial component that can make any brand appear more reliable than others. As a store owner, you wouldn’t want your website images to look like random picture pieces picked up from the internet. When it comes to product images, store owners can subtly include their brand style to exert the much-needed influence.

    To maintain branding and consistency across all uploaded pictures, pay special attention to the lighting, product placement, background, modeling, etc., while clicking the picture. Inconsistency in product images can be distracting and can prevent store visitors from making a purchase. To impart a professional and more reliable feel to all the product images, always ask the concerned professional to abide by the brand guidelines.

    Upload Pictures from All Viewing Angles

    It might sound like a piece of cliché advice, but you’d be surprised to know that not many eCommerce stores have incorporated this into their website. When shopping online, people don’t get the benefit of picking a product in their hand and analyzing it from different angles. But you can fill in this gap by offering advanced, and high-resolution product images clicked from various angles.

    When the same product is viewed from different angles, it highlights details that a static image or a specific angle fails to cover. It is why when you visit eCommerce giants like Amazon, Flipkart, eBay, etc., you get the option to view a product from different angles. It lets you know how big or small the product really is. It also enables you to gauge the product better.

    If the product you’re selling has some unique details, don’t forget to highlight it by clicking pictures from relevant angles.


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    Why Focus So Much on Product Images?

    Customers Survey on improvement of the Product Images in E-Commerce Grocery
    Customers Survey on improvement of the Product Images in E-Commerce Grocery

    While product descriptions are essential for online shoppers, quality product images are equally important. According to a survey, approximately 75% of respondents said that product images are very influential and help them make a purchase decision. The same poll also disclosed how around 22% of respondents returned the purchased product because it looked very different from what it looked online in the product image.

    Online shoppers want to see product images because it gives them proof of texture, color, shape, design, and more. Well-taken pictures instill a spark among potential buyers, inclining them towards a particular product. It also gives shoppers a clear idea of what they will get for the offered price. If you can provide this one thing that customers yearn for, you can definitely boost your online sales.

    Your sales revenue gets boosted by bettering the Product Image Quality.

    The necessity of having high-resolution and quality product images on an online store cannot be emphasized enough. In today’s age, a lot depends on how products look and feel. With eCommerce players doubling down on product imagery and visual content, you cannot take the risk of being left behind. If you have uploaded multiple good-quality pictures of every product to woo your visitors but still aren’t getting impressive results, try adopting the tips shared in the guide.


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    Conclusion

    After analyzing various eCommerce stores across different niches, it has been found that stores offering the best product imagery content perform better than the rest. This guide suggests some of the best and most practical tips that have the potential to skyrocket your online sales, so give them a try for visible results.

    FAQs

    Which image format is best for eCommerce websites?

    JPEG and PNG image format is the best for eCommerce websites.

    What size should WooCommerce product images be?

    The recommended size of WooCommerce product images is 800×800 pixels.

    What size should Shopify product images be?

    Shopify recommended product image size is 2048 x 2048 pixels.

    What is the best image size for online?

    The optimal file size for images on an eCommerce website should be less than 200 KB.

  • Hyper Connect Asia – Shaping Brands in the Digital Age

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Hyper Connect.

    Digital marketing and advertising have seen unprecedented growth in the past few years. Digital media is witnessing phenomenal growth in terms of marketing skills and has become one of the essentials to building trust among customers. Surviving in the digitally transformed world needs a strong marketing strategy, design, and development needs for a business. Technologies have brought innovative ways to promote your brand and services effectively on digital media platforms. Hyper Connect is a digital marketing agency that offers brand strategy, campaign management,  content designing, e-commerce development, UI and UX designing, and more.

    Read the success story of Hyper Connect, a digital marketing agency to bring all the solutions required to keep your business alive and grow in this hyper-connected world. Know about Hyper Connect, its founders, the startup story, and more.

    Hyper Connect – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Hyper Connect
    Headquarters Mumbai
    Industry Digital Marketing Agency
    Founder Ankur Pujari and Kiran Khadke
    Founded 2018
    Website hyperconnect.asia

    Hyper Connect – About
    Hyper Connect – Industry
    Hyper Connect – Founders and Team
    Hyper Connect – The Idea and Startup Story
    Hyper Connect – Service
    Hyper Connect – Name, Tagline, and Logo
    Hyper Connect – Business Model
    Hyper Connect – Customer Acquisition
    Hyper Connect – Challenges Faced
    Hyper Connect – Most Successful Marketing Campaigns
    Hyper Connect – Growth
    Hyper Connect – Future plans

    Hyper Connect – About

    Hyper Connect helps brands shape up for the digital age! As digital mediums have become mainstream, they fuse strategy, and creative ideas with data-driven media to help brands realize their ambition. Their suite of services encompasses brand strategy, communication design, mar-tech development, and media outreach.

    One philosophy that they imbibe in every engagement is Clarity is Power and, in every work, showcase you will see the clarity creating effective solutions.

    Hyper Connect – Industry

    The industry is very bullish as more and more brands are entering the market, competition is getting intense and in the age of consumerism, a differentiated brand is the only way to success. They are witnessing this growth in their rapidly growing client base & revenues.

    Indian digital advertising industry crossed the 22,000 Cr mark at a CAGR of 35% from last as per Dentsu-e4m Digital Advertising in India 2022’ report. The industry will cross the 36,000 Cr mark by next year.

    Hyper Connect – Founders and Team

    Ankur Pujari - Co-founder of Hyper Connect
    Ankur Pujari – Co-founder of Hyper Connect

    Ankur Pujari and Kiran Khadke are the co-founders of Hyper Connect.

    They were friends first and founders later. They both worked on different sides of advertising, Kiran came from pure mainline agencies, and Ankur worked across digital 1st clients from as early as 2009 in India and later in Singapore. While their mediums were different, the world was converging to brand solutions anchored in digital and that’s where their skills together became a force to reckon with. They started discussing this increasing gap of agencies where mainline agencies had the understanding of brands and digital agencies were mostly tactical media focused. They created an agency that converged a strategy anchored in digital and shaping up brands for the digital age.

    Kiran Khadke - Co-founder of Hyper Connect
    Kiran Khadke – Co-founder of Hyper Connect

    In Hyper Connect, they work around strengths. Kiran Khadke leads the creative vision and Ankur Pujari drives business and growth. When it comes to hiring, they look for bright energetic minds who have a passion for different things in life, like the ones who love to travel, cook, review beauty products, foodies, etc. This helps them get a diverse talent where passion drives the client’s business and their processes ensure that they deliver a solid solution.

    Hyper Connect – The Idea and Startup Story

    Back in 2015-16, when digital had started to take the front seat in driving brand outcomes, ace digital managers were then being promoted to the helm of marketing & digital transformation. They saw a huge gap for an agency that understands traditional brand building along with digital platforms. Kiran Khadke had been part of building large-scale brands in India during his stints with O&M, L&K and most prominently with Saints & Warriors while managing creative & Delhi brand on the other hand Ankur was honing experience of managing A listed integrated brands in South East Asia based out of Singapore. They felt that the vortex of their experience is where the future of brand building lies and they spoke to their mentors from precious agencies, chalked out a plan for the next 6 months and Ankur packed his bags lock, stock & barrel to meet Kiran in India and kick-start Hyper Connect in September 2017.


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    Hyper Connect Logo
    Hyper Connect Logo

    When Ankur was in Singapore, he was discussing this new company with his colleagues and came up with this line called An agency for the hyper-connected world and that’s where they struck gold. Kiran & Ankur unanimously came up with the name Hyper Connect.

    Hyper Connect – Service

    Hyper Connect team believe in Clarity as Power and they strive hard to imbibe this into every brand solution they work on. They have always worked on strategy-led communication solutions and they have extended their offering across social, digital, data-driven media, and web builds.

    Hyper Connect – Business Model

    Hyper Connect’s business model is fairly straightforward. They go after clients who are looking for strategic work and respect strategic thinking.

    Hyper Connect – Customer Acquisition

    Well, honestly it was a punt but their anchor was strategic and robust.. they could sense the brewing trend and needed a gap for this agency that would build brands for the digital age. So personal relationships worked as they got their 1st 2 clients who were ready to take a leap of faith with us and they proved their decision right.. Then good work and good word spread fast, they started getting more leads from references.. and till date, 70% of their clients have come through recommendation.

    Hyper Connect – Challenges Faced

    The major challenge they faced was nurturing a team that was able to deliver for the rapidly changing media landscape. Brand building in the digital age is not easy, there are multitudes of factors that can make a campaign successful for a tank. They need to consider all of that through the lens of search, social, reach, campaign idea, measurement, actual impact, etc. Train a team is the biggest hurdle they are able to overcome successfully.

    Hyper Connect – Most Successful Marketing Campaigns

    Hyper Connect’s Set Wet Year-End Campaign

    Some of the successful marketing campaigns of Hyper Connect are:

    • Set Wet Year-End Campaign
    • Kotak Mr SIP
    • Kotak – It’s Automatic
    • Twitter for Delhi Police
    • Bio-Oil Natural launch
    • Sodabottleopenerwala Kolkata launch

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    Hyper Connect – Growth

    Hyper Connect is growing at a healthy pace doubling its growth year on year.  And the future looks very bright. They hope to cross and enter the league of big agencies revenue-wise in the next 1-2 years.

    Hyper Connect – Future plans

    They plan to expand more into delivering experiential solutions in AR/VR/XR but with long-term strategic implications.

    FAQs

    Who is the founder of Hyper Connect?

    Ankur Pujari and Kiran Khadke are the co-founders of Hyper Connect.

    When was Hyper Connect founded?

    Hyper Connect was founded in 2018.

    What service is offered by Hyper Connect Asia?

    Hyper Connect Asia offers digital services, that are:

    • Digital Marketing Services
    • UI/UX Designing
    • Technology and Development
  • 7 Steps to Create the Perfect Content Marketing Strategy

    Every good marketing technique requires a strategy and content forms the core of this strategy. The leading goal of using content marketing is to create brand awareness. Using the content wisely would not only help you get more customers but also in reviving and strengthening the trust of older ones.

    Today, most brands including the big ones like Microsoft, P&G, Google, etc. are using content marketing. But, do you really need content marketing for a successful business?

    The answer is yes. If you are still asking why we have listed below the areas where content marketing will help your business to grow:

    • By creating awareness about your products & services.
    • By building a strong and loyal relationship with your customers.
    • By reaching your target audience with solutions.
    • By developing a community around your brand.
    • By boosting your conversion rates.

    Owing to all these reasons content marketing has emerged to be not just important rather mandatory for the success of any brand across the globe.

    There are several tips and tricks that will help you master the art of content marketing. For example, posting fresh content regularly would help you to earn links, rank on SERPs, and also in driving social engagement. However, to get the desired results a good content marketing strategy is as crucial as good content itself. This means the right content must reach the right audience at the right time for the right reasons.

    This has become especially important in post COVID times when most companies have to cut down the cost of marketing owing to the future uncertainties. As per the studies, the overall revenue spent on marketing has declined from 11% in 2020 to 6.4% in 2021.

    This has resulted in businesses rapidly moving towards online forms of marketing resulting in a sudden boost in demand for compelling and valuable online content. Owing to this the revenue for content marketing has increased several folds worldwide.

    As per statistics, the overall worldwide revenue for content marketing which was around the U.S. $42.2 billion in 2018 has increased to the U.S. $76.09 billion in 2022. Moreover, this revenue is expected to increase to the U.S. $137.2 billion by 2026.

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    So if you are struggling to develop a perfect content marketing strategy for your business, you have ended up at the right place. In this blog, we will share the best content marketing strategies for 2022.

    Before you begin devising your strategy, we must first understand what all will we require for it i.e. the key elements of a content marketing strategy.

    Key Elements of Content Marketing Strategy
    7 Steps for Creating the Best Content Marketing Strategy

    Key Elements of Content Marketing Strategy

    There are five key elements that must be clear in your mind before you begin your planning. These elements will help you come up with the perfect strategy and take your business to new heights. They are:

    Audience Persona

    Before you feed them, you must know what they like. For a successful content marketing strategy, you should know the persona of your target audience. Their choices, preferences, expectations, etc. everything should be clear.

    This is also sometimes called buyer person. It will enable you to bond with your target audience through effective communication.

    There are a number of ways to do this:

    Review the analytics of your website: Make category-wise notes on your audience includes. Divide them into groups like customers, potential customers, visitors, etc. This way you can identify your target audience as well as their pickings.

    Conduct surveys: The best way to know what they like is to directly ask them. This would save you from making assumptions. Leave small one-word or one-sentence answer-type questions for your visitors. Review the poles to get a clear picture.

    Analyze the latest trends: Whatever your business is everything changes with time. To sell better you must always remain updated. Explore the market regularly to know what your customers might be expecting from you. Keep revising your products as per the need.

    Track your competitors: “Keep your friends close and enemies closer.” This might sound dramatic but is true for any business person. If you wish to stay ahead keeping track of your competitors is imperative. See what makes them desirable to the customers.

    Overall knowing the challenges, preferences, and priorities of your audience would help increase your conversion rate.

    Positioning & Brand Storytelling

    The story of your brand and the positions of your products should be clear. This will help in providing a consistent experience to the audience even when they visit you through different content channels. Moreover, as multiple individuals are involved in developing content a clear story will also help them create the right image of the product.

    Knowing your existing and potential customers as well as your top competitors is very important. Further, knowing the unique value of your brand, and the challenges it is helping to resolve would be very useful in creating your brand story. All this together will aid in bringing your brand forward as a better and preferable choice for your customers, over your competitors.

    Content Marketing Mission

    It is actually a statement meant to answer all your questions regarding content marketing. This describes the target you wish to accomplish using content marketing.

    This may include questions like “why to create content, who is your target audience, how to reach them, what goal will you accomplish through this?” etc.

    This must also focus on the unique value you wish to provide your audience through your content as well as your detailed business model. Doing this will help you identify the right format for your content.

    Business Case

    The ultimate aim of your content marketing strategy is to get more business. Therefore, documenting a well-defined business case is highly crucial. The business case will assist you in identifying your business goals and how your content marketing strategy will help you in achieving them.

    Moreover, it will also recognize the resources that need to be invested in your strategy to generate desired results. Benefits, costs, and risks related to a content marketing strategy can be easily figured out using the business case.

    Action Plan

    Finally, you will need an action plan that covers all your goals. This should include everything starting from the format and language of your content, content topics and campaigns, channels for promotion and distribution, as well as publishing and managing your content. Creating an editorial calendar can also help you with your plan.


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    7 Steps for Creating the Best Content Marketing Strategy

    In this section, we will share with you the 7 most powerful steps to craft the best content marketing strategy for your brand. So let’s begin.

    Categorize Your Audience and Content

    As described in the earlier section, you must have your audience persona handy and segregated it into different categories. However, an important piece of advice here is to not consider any of these categories useless.

    The visitors of today may turn into your loyal customers tomorrow it all depends on what you have in offer for them. So, observe the activities of every kind of audience you have.

    Usually, an individual connects with the brand slowly. They may just scroll down through your websites for months before they finally decide to take an action. It takes time for people to trust a brand and its products.

    Moreover, remember that you would buy a product on the advice of a friend, not a salesperson. So, try to be a caring friend to your audience whom they can trust. The best way to do this is to provide them with the right information. For example, if you are a skincare brand, tell them about the skin requirements and basic skincare tips before you actually introduce them to your product.

    Having said that don’t forget that your ultimate goal is to increase conversion rate and that will only happen if your audience remembers your product. Integrate your brand with every story you tell your audience. They should get comfortably aware of everything you are providing.

    The customer must feel that you genuinely care for their needs. Once they start trusting you try to resolve their problems by extending your relevant product. A clear call to action is extremely important at this point.

    Another important thing to remember here is that no customer will buy every product. Each of them has different requirements. Hence, you must serve them accordingly.

    The book “Business model generation” written by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur talks about the Empathy map based on a comprehensive approach. They describe it as a collaborative tool that will help you understand and connect with your audience better. It actually promotes walking in the shoes of your customers.

    This concept focuses on adopting the audience’s perspective to understand their needs. This will provide you with an overview of what they think and feel. Also, you can decipher the factors that will encourage them to develop a strong relationship with you.

    The audience is looking for the solutions to various problems they have and your responsibility, as a marketer, is to fit your product into their requirements.

    Setting Your Content Marketing Goals

    Your content marketing goals must comprehend the overall goals of your company. By looking at the wider scenario you will be able to make a better analysis of how can you actually make every content count.

    You must also identify suitable content marketing metrics for your business. They might be primary, for example, the direct revenue generated by content marketing, or secondary, for example, organic traffic, SERP rankings, etc.

    Further, consider the resources that are available to you. This will let you set motivating yet practical goals that are specific, measurable, and achievable. Setting the timeline and using realistic benchmarks to assess the goals is also very crucial.

    There are a number of frameworks that will help you through the entire process of goal setting and tracking. Key Performance Indicators can be of great help if you are trying to set higher goals for your business. However, if you are worried about the complexities or intricacies of most frameworks as a beginner, we would advise you to go for OKRs. Objective and Key Results will help you set agile goals and track your performance through key results.

    As a leader make sure to involve your team in every discussion. Ask for their opinion, and see how some of them may surprise you. Allow them to set separate goals individually or for the teams. This will make them feel more independent and important. Also, it will encourage them to work more efficiently towards the goals.

    Analyze Your Existing Content

    There are almost 1.17 million websites on the internet that produce around 70 million blog posts every month. This data is enough to bring your attention to the quantity of content available for your audience. Hence, if you want to have more engagement with your audience focus on quality. It is important to remain active but, it is equally important to maintain eminence.

    This is why you must analyze the content that already exists on your website. Also known as content audit it is done by most successful companies annually or half-yearly. The basic idea here is to analyze the existing content to identify the best-performing topics and keywords. Also, it will help you recognize the communication channel most preferred by your audience.

    When implemented correctly it can help in generating more organic traffic, securing better ranks on SERPs, as well as in boosting the engagement of your content.

    Editorial Plan and Content Calendar

    To create an editorial plan and content calendar is to allocate your resources and recognize your limitations. You should be absolutely clear about your content marketing goals at the beginning of the year.

    After your goals are set it is extremely important to prioritize them. At this stage, you can actually identify opportunities to experiment and at the same time create a plan that will save you from making blunders.

    Your entire plan should be based on what services or products you are offering, renewing, or launching for your audience. The plan will include the roadmap for the product campaign and recognize the resources needed to implement it. It should also be able to estimate the potential gains.

    Creating an excellent editorial plan starts with finding relevant topics. You can use various paid and unpaid tools available for this purpose depending on your budget. These topics must be in the interest of your target audience. Try looking for content that is evergreen. This means that your content should be sustainable yet fresh for the readers.

    Topic Selection

    It should always top your priority list. Majorly there are two factors that help you in topic selection. First, whether it will sound attractive to your target audience, and second, does it have the ability to achieve conversions.

    If you have a problem finding a large number of topics try to create topic clusters. These are several inter-related topics that share the same central term with other relevant subtopics. This will help you establish yourself as a pioneer of that particular topic amongst your readers making them trust you even more.

    Also, before you finalize your list of topics do not forget to dive into the content of your competitors. It might prove really useful in finding relevant topics, formats, or keywords. For more ideas you can also visit the other content publishers, for example, influencers, online magazines, etc., that share the same area of expertise.

    Your content plan should be such that it covers all the aspects of the customer’s journey. This is highly important as you will have a variety of audiences visiting your site for a variety of purposes, this is known as the customer journey. You must have content for each of their need.

    The different aspects of a customer’s journey include:

    • Recognition: Recognition is when an individual recognizes you as a brand and begins interacting with you.
    • Contemplation: Contemplation is when they start considering you for their needs.
    • Selection: Selection is when they select you to help them with their issues.
    • Retention: Retention is when they start relying on your product for their requirements.
    • Endorsement: Endorsement, is when they start recommending your products to their nearby people.

    Prepare a list of your topics based on these factors. Once you have the list in hand, decide a deadline for each topic and put the schedule on your content calendar. This will keep the information handy and organized. You can also track the progress of a project at any point in time and not miss a deadline.

    Content Development

    The entire process of content marketing revolves around the content. You cannot afford to make mistakes in this area. Even when you want to speed up the entire process and reach your goal with rocket speed, you cannot compromise the quality of your content.

    The originality of the content is most important. No matter how well you write if the content isn’t original neither the audience nor Google will give weightage to it. For good quality content apart from reading the resources online also include your personal opinion, knowledge, and experience while writing.

    Do not just focus on specific areas rather include diversity in your topics. More diversity means more engagement for a variety of people. Use graphics and images to keep your readers engaged. Whenever possible provide statistics for better understanding and acceptance of your content.

    Repurpose your content into different styles to make it reach a wider audience. For example, you can create podcasts, infographics, or even videos out of a blog after publishing it.

    You can also include User Generated content for your website. The top positive comments you received, or videos or photos shared by your customers, share all on your website. This will attract a lot of positive attention to your product.

    Content Distribution Plan

    As discussed in the earlier section, good content is only valuable if you can make it reach the right audience at the right time. Even the best content becomes worthless without proper recognition. For this, you need an excellent content distribution plan.

    There are majorly three channels for content distribution. They are:

    Owned media channels: Includes blog posts, landing pages, newsletters, social media profiles, etc.

    Paid media channels: Includes social media ads, influencer campaigns, sponsored content, etc.

    Earned media channels: Comments, shares, mentions, guest posts, etc.

    Basically, the purpose of all of these channels is to publish your content and promote your products. While you plan your content distribution analyze all the channels. Use past performance and experiences to identify the best suitable channel for your audience. Also, look for other new alternatives available in the market.

    Align your messages and goals across all the channels to provide a clear picture of your brand and products. The omnichannel approach is considered the best to bring your product to the attention of your audience.

    Focus on content optimization and content quality to get desired results. The main target while developing any kind of content should be to improve user experience. The readability of the text, the tone, and format, everything should be as per the convenience of your users.

    Regular Update & Analysis

    Content marketing is a regularly evolving process. Therefore, the evolution of your content is also mandatory. Analyze the performances of your previous content to understand where the audience connects the most and where they don’t. These are the signboards for the success of your content.

    Identify the content with the best engagement and conversion rates, and develop more similar content that intrigues them. There are four essential metrics of content marketing that decide whether your content is valuable or not.

    User behaviour: See how users react to a particular type of content. How much time they spend on that page or the number of new or returning visitors. Identify your top-performing pages.

    Engagement: The comments, reviews, and shares are all signs of engagement. Look at them to know the worth of your content.

    SEO outcomes: The dwell times, backlinks, organic traffic as well as keyword rankings will define how often you will appear in searches.

    Company revenue: Nurturing old leads, generating new leads, cost per acquisition, conversion rates, etc. will help you identify the best and worst content on your site.

    Examine your content based on the above factors to decide upon the future course of action in your content marketing plan.

    Conclusion

    Like any other industry, the trends in content marketing also keep changing with time. However, if you understand the basic principle your brand will sustain all the changes and still stand strong.

    Understanding your customer and winning their trust is the ultimate key to becoming a master of content marketing.

    P.S. Special advice for beginners: Don’t jump into the rat race immediately as a single wrong decision can ruin your goodwill forever. Keep optimum pace and take time to establish yourself amongst your audience. Build trust as well as brand value. Soon the audience will start engaging with your content.

    FAQs

    What is a content marketing strategy?

    Content marketing is a marketing strategy that is built to attract more visitors, create high-quality content and rank higher on Google.

    What are the 4 pillars of content marketing?

    The four pillars of content creation are originality, relevance, engagement, and relevancy.