Social Media Marketing moved to alphonseha.com

Social Media Marketing

All my Social Media Marketing discussions are now moved to my new website.

Thank you Blogger but it is time I spread my own wings!

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2009-05-20

The importance of content

Content Marketing
Content marketing is not an easy concept for businesses to get. I can understand why some companies can think that posting content can be a waste of time but content is exactly what you are pitching to prospective clients in your sales call. I know there still are many companies who feel that sales calls, cold calls, direct marketing or telemarketing is more efficient because it feels like you are doing something but who really believes that cold calling works?

I know that times are hard and everybody is stressed but please take a step back, take a deep breath and think about it. What are you doing in sales calls? You are trying to demonstrate value in order for your potential clients to buy your products or services. What is content? It is demonstrating why your product or service is valuable. It is showing your clients how it is of value to them.

The only difference is that rather than being unsolicited, good quality content is solicited. It is only the packaging that is different. What is the point of a really good product when nobody is listening? If they don't listen, it doesn't matter how valuable your products or services are.

This is the beauty of the Internet. Now that anybody can be publishers, you don't have to hope to get picked up by the media or pay the media in order to have people listen to you about your products. Not only that, Social Media is like word to mouth marketing on crack. Social Media makes it so easy for people to share and be instantly exposed to the message.

Before Social Media, before Internet, word of mouth was not as efficient. If you liked a product, you might only tell a small group of people about it and it was on a long period of time because you are not in touch with them as easily. Now with Facebook and Twitter, if you like something, content you like, you can share it with hundreds or thousands of people in an instant. "Sharing" is essentially talking about it. Not only that, rather than being exposed to the product after a couple of days, because it is not accessible, nowadays hundreds or thousands of people can be exposed to the product within seconds. That is the power of hyperlinks. Moreover, they can even learn more about the products with a quick search. Hence, the importance of your content being found easily and the importance of your branding, the experience, you transpire through your website.

Content Marketing is the content of your sales call. Just packaged in a form that will be solicited ie: white-papers, videos, webinars, blog articles, images, etc.