In the last few years, technology and the services that link them have experienced a huge growth. We are only just beginning. We now have software that can teach software how to create better software, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (or Machine Learning).
Content marketing was a key driver in the early days of IT and IT Service company marketing strategies. Marketing was initially resisted by many engineers and product people who saw it as a negative word and similar to lying. IT professionals don't like being sold to (or lied to) and they won't say it. Many of these product engineers called me a "marketeer" early in my career. It wasn't a compliment.
Content marketing was able to shift the conversation. The context of new technology is important for IT Service and Technology buyers. Engineers saw the value of content marketing and realized that it could help them. Publishing and creating content that answers questions of prospects and customers is how to build trust and get measurable traffic on your website. It also helps you to generate leads for your IT services.
The Big Picture of Content Marketing
Content marketing is a strategy that consistently publishes customer-focused content to your website. This allows you reach and convert customers for your business.
Content marketing does not include ads, product promotion, lies, or brochures.
In industries with high educational requirements, content marketing is more relevant. This is why content marketing is most popular in IT Services, Finance, Healthcare, and Finance. Because it's what your customers want.
Quick Takeaways
- Content marketing is a cost-effective way to reach new clients and convert them to your IT Service company.
- Publishing useful content that educates your audience will be more effective than traditional forms of paid advertising.
- To achieve a Compounding Marketing ROI, it is important to maintain a consistent content marketing schedule.
We've compiled a list of things you should know and how to implement content marketing to your brand in order to maximize the return on your content marketing efforts for or your IT Services business.
Content Marketing Your IT Services
Know Your Audience [WHO] ]
Understanding your buyer persona is the first step to deciding what content you should write.
Your target audience for a B2B IT service is typically business owners and technology executives. As I love to say: Personas can be great, but they can also be a pain. You won't be able to create great content if they don't care what you call them, or how old they are.
WHAT are They Inquiring in?
Focus on your interests. What are their top concerns, challenges, and questions? What are their interests? What are the most popular topics in your industry?
Source: Forbes
Why do they care?
Like we did here, you need to answer the WHY of your persona and its relationship to your business. There are many other ways! Why are privacy, security and digital transformation so important?
WHEN to post
Research shows that businesses who publish more than once per week see 4-5x the traffic and leads than those that don't publish as often or at all.
Remember that buyers search for solutions to top business problems every day.
Google loves to hear that your website should have a beat, a cadence and a rhythm. This is something that I love to tell you.
WHO Written
Excellent technicians, service personnel, and sales representatives are essential to your IT company, whether it is a startup or an established pillar. They are experts in their respective fields and champions for excellence.
They are not writers. You will need to find quality bloggers with journalism or blog writing experience if you don't have it yet. You should be looking for people who are experts in cybersecurity and tech to help you build your website and improve your content marketing efforts.
However, hiring bloggers directly can be expensive and time-consuming. You have two options: hire freelancers, or work with an agency.
Both have their pros and cons, but there are options for content creation in your digital marketing campaigns. Outsourcing content is a way to gain an edge because it allows you to get experienced writers at a fraction of the cost of full-time employees and requires less effort than hiring them.
Blog writing is not the only content that you should consider when marketing your content. Videos, animations and demos as well as customer testimonials are all important nowadays.
This is SaberVox Cloud Software's example:
They will explain why your company needs them by using expert analysis and real-world applications. Content marketing is all about leading your prospect to this conclusion. Hire experienced videographers and content creators to help you create similar content.
How to Create Your Content Marketing Strategy For IT Services
The framework that we have provided should help you get started. You can also call us to have it done for you. You should always consider these things, no matter what you do.
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Who are you writing to? What are their questions?
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What are you publishing? Your website is the best way for new leads to be attracted.
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Who does the work. It is crucial to find someone who can help you build your content strategy.
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How frequently will you publish?
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How will the content be distributed? Are there ways to automate certain aspects of promotion?
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How do you measure your results
WHAT MUCH Value Does It Provide
Content marketing is only half the battle. You need to measure the results and be able read your analytics to gain insight into your audience. You need to track how many customers you reach and convert.
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Engagement
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Conversion
Traffic to your content is the number of people who visit your site. During analysis, you should ask yourself important questions such as where my viewers are coming from, how many, and with whom are they most popular. These questions will give you an accurate picture of the viewership for your content marketing and provide a solid foundation to work with.
Engagements are the sharing, commenting and interactivity with your content on social media. This includes comments, likes, conversations, and discussions about what your page has posted. Social media platforms that have higher engagement are more likely to share your content with new eyes.
Your content's conversions include the number of viewers who become customers through your content. This is because the goal of conversions on your content is to convert prospects into loyal, returning customers and clients. This will allow you to determine which content has the highest overall viewership and gives you the best chance of increasing your bottom line.
These metrics should be used to guide your content marketing strategy. It is important to be able look at the trends in your content online and see the details. You might find some things that work better than others. Find out what works and do more.
Know Your Site(s)
Good UI (user interface), is essential to the user experience. If your web experience is poor, then who would call you to implement IT Services?
It is also important to know what your social media presence and presentation look like so that you can maintain a positive brand image for prospects and clients.
This checklist is compiled by us after working with many companies on a website relaunch.
Your main website is not the only one. Social media channels can be powerful tools for sharing your services to the world. IT services are best if they can be shared through professional channels like LinkedIn and Facebook.
See what industry leader Tata Consultancy Services has to say on LinkedIn. They have over 10 million followers and are promoting their brand voice to customers and prospects around the globe. They are able to show their authenticity and credibility by effectively using a professional platform.
You don't necessarily have to be on Snapchat if you are an IT Service provider. However, identifying your communities across Twitter and Facebook can help you get in the conversation.
Wrap up
It is difficult to stand out in IT services. You must be able to present the information that your prospects need to convert to research-oriented businesses. You can increase awareness about your services by knowing your audience, creators and analytics. Get to it
Are you looking for a marketing consultant to help your IT service provider? You have come to the right place! MIG offers a weekly blog service and a complimentary consultation.
Marketing Insider Group's first article, The Power of Content Marketing in IT Services, appeared first on Marketing Insider Group.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the major types of marketing?
Marketing is the process of communicating ideas and values to consumers. It is common to hear “marketing” interchangeably used with advertising. Marketing encompasses more than advertising. Marketing covers all communications that promote and market products or services.
The three key components of marketing include branding, promotion, and distribution. The company's brand is how it identifies with its target audience. Promotion is the act or obtaining attention for your brand using paid advertisements, promotional materials, and public relations. Distribution is the delivery of your message to your target audiences. It can be done through traditional methods like television, radio, print, and email, but new technologies have made this more accessible than ever.
What are some indirect marketing examples?
Think of ways you could use indirect marketing techniques to promote your business. One example is a social media campaign that encourages people to upload pictures of their products. This could help spread word about your brand.
You could advertise in the local paper if your auto shop is open. This would encourage people to take their cars to your shop instead of visiting other shops.
You can also send coupons to customers' email inboxes, or post ads on bulletin boards located in public areas.
Because it isn't expensive, indirect marketing works well.
Building trust takes time, so patience is a must when promoting your company.
Keep track of the effectiveness of your campaigns. Measure the number and quality of leads that each method generates.
This will let you know which methods are best for you.
What are the 5 marketing concepts?
These five marketing concepts are:
- Branding – A brand is an image that people have for you. It's what people see when they hear your brand name. A consistent brand identity is essential for all media.
- Positioning – Your positioning is the way you position yourself in your market. What does it mean to be who you are and why should people care?
- Message – This describes the message. What is your point? What is your point?
- Marketing mix is when you combine channels, pricing, or promotions to communicate your message to your target audiences.
- Measurability – How can you measure your success?
What are some direct marketing examples you can think of?
Direct Marketing Examples include postcards, brochures, flyers, e-mails, etc.
Direct marketing is a great way to reach people anywhere you are. Direct marketing is the best way for customers to choose your product or service over other brands.
You must know what kind of message would appeal most to your target market.
Find out what your customer needs, then provide it.
Direct marketing can be used in many ways to promote your company. Direct marketing can be used to promote your business in many ways. You can send out catalogs to potential customers and advertise in local papers.
You could also create a separate mailing list for your customers. You can easily add new subscribers to your list if you have a good contacts database.
Last but not least, ask existing customers if promotional materials are something they'd be interested in receiving. Some companies offer discounts to those who sign up for special offers.
What's the difference between marketing or advertising?
Advertising is communication that promotes brands or products. Advertising is usually accompanied by a clear call for action, such “Buy Now!” Click here.
Marketing is another way to communicate the mission, vision and values of your company to potential customers. Marketing can also help build relationships between current and potential customers.
You might use marketing to tell the world about yourself and your products if you sell footwear online. Talk about your philosophy, history, and commitment towards quality. You could share testimonials from satisfied customers. To encourage people to visit your site, you could also create an event that gives away shoes free of charge.
Marketing is all about telling stories. Advertising is about selling things.
What are the 4 functions of marketing?
Marketing is the art of creating demand and products.
It gives information about the company's offerings and its values and how they affect customers' lives.
Marketing stimulates interest, creates awareness, and finally drives action (or purchase), in response to an invitation.
These are the four functions of marketing:
- How to Create Demand – This is about building relationships and convincing potential buyers that your product or company has value.
- Stimulating interest – This is when you increase consumer awareness about your product or service.
- Building Awareness – This refers to making sure consumers are familiar with your product and services, as well as why they might be interested in buying them.
- Driving Action – This is ensuring that customers make purchases once they are aware of your products or services.
Statistics
- 81% of brands employ affiliate marketing, and eCommerce sites are particularly good candidates. (blog.hubspot.com)
- From 2020 to 2022, eMarketer predicts that digital marketing will grow by 36% and take up 54% of marketing budgets! (marketinginsidergroup.com)
- Meanwhile, a PartnerPath poll found that co-marketed ads help 68% of consumers arrive at a buying decision before even speaking to a salesperson. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- Today, 81% of brands around the world have affiliate programs. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- In 2017, 34% of marketers cited co-branding as the most effective way to increase the number of email subscribers. (influencermarketinghub.com)
External Links
youtube.com
blog.hubspot.com
statista.com
moz.com
- SEO Learning Center – Moz
- [Case Studies] How Moz ranked #1 for a high-volume Keyword in 3 Months or Less
How To
How to get your Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate
Google offers an online course, Search Engine Optimization for Beginners, that is free and available to all. This is a great way learn how to optimize your site for search engines like Google.
The course covers SEO topics like page titles (meta tags), internal linking, and site speed. These lessons can be used to improve the performance of your website if you have one.
A certificate of completion will be issued to you after the course is completed. This certificate is valid for 2 years and will allow you to add “SEO” to your LinkedIn profile.
You will also receive 10 CPE credits for completing the course. These credits are accepted at most colleges and universities.
Google Certified Partner (GCP), is a paid certification program offered by Google. Candidates must pass a rigorous exam to become GCP certified and also submit proof of relevant experience.
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By: Michael Brenner
Title: The Power of Content Marketing for IT Services
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-for-it-services/
Published Date: Tue, 01 Nov 2022 10:30:29 +0000