Every industry has its own unique content marketing challenges, so it’s natural for brands in some spaces to fret over the holidays while companies in other niches don’t even bat an eye. In reality, most successful brands have some kind of marketing plan in place.
For example, auto marketers are getting onboard with formal marketing strategies. In fact, research by IMN Marketing found 46 percent of them have some kind of formal content marketing plan in place. This is better than average, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Around 44 percent of companies said they have a documented strategy, while 49 percent admit they don’t yet.
Marketing plans can be responsive to any given industry’s needs, which means they aren’t always comprehensive. But having a plan period is better than flying blind, especially as the holiday season gets into full swing. Auto marketers can benefit from any of these plans:
• Content calendars: Creating a schedule of blog posts that reflect customers’ seasonal pain points
• Email schedules: Nurturing leads by offering a connected series of emails
• Social strategies: Marketing to buyers of different types of cars who use separate networks
There’s still time left to build a content marketing campaign for the holidays. More importantly, brands should start getting their affairs in order for 2015, as the best way to start the year off strong is to have a plan for the next 12 months ready to go.
