One of the primary appeals of content marketing is that it’s a relatively low-cost, high-impact tactic. Gone are the days of huge spends on hit-or-miss campaigns. Instead, companies can be smart about targeting the right customers by reaching them where they’re already looking for information. In short, content lets businesses be as a big a deal in their space as they want to be.
However, because of its utility and cost-efficiency, marketers are putting more money toward content marketing. In fact, 2014 should see a modest bump in content marketing budgets. A recently released Curata study indicates that 71 percent of the marketers surveyed expect to see an increase in their content marketing spends during 2014.
Spend wisely on what matters
Companies are realizing that a little bit goes a long way. This might make you say to yourself: I already have a solid content strategy that works for me – so what do I do to keep up? There are a few areas where you could stand to bump up investment if you’re afraid of being left behind. Like the tactics you’ve been using for a while, they won’t drain your yearly revenues, but they will make a significant mark. Just consider:
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Video content. Most savvy companies have content, but do they have a plan in place to produce video marketing pieces? Brafton has discussed the power of this medium and how it’s an incredibly efficient use of resources.
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Social experiments. If you run an ecommerce site, now might be the time to launch a Pinterest campaign. If you’re working in the B2B realm, you might want to put more time and resources into becoming a LinkedIn Influencer. Unless you’ve been dominating your industry in the past year, there are probably social media tools you haven’t tried yet.
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Email. Social is what’s hot right now, but email marketing is the reliable workhorse that really gives businesses a great bang for their buck. If you’ve put it off, now may be the time to give it a shot.
There’s something to be said for reinvesting whenever you can. Brafton has reported on the usefulness of online marketing, like social media, to encourage hyper-growth. Don’t be left behind because you didn’t want to allocate a bit more to newer services.
