As Advertising Fatigue Grows, It’s Time To Let Creative Content Marketing Shine!
As predictions from the Advertising Association forecast a growing bout of ‘advertising fatigue’ following increased economic pressures, will there be any ramifications for PR and Marketing teams? For Judith Ingleton-Beer, CEO, IBA International, it’s time for PR and Marketing professionals to adapt their textbook strategies to demonstrate return on investment (ROI) and make the case for further investment amid ad spend cuts and budget reallocation.
The slowing growth rate of digital advertising spend in the U.S. is coming at a convenient time as the C-suite is starting to trust PR and Marketing departments more than ever. So, with the potential of advertising budget redistribution – how can PR and Marketing teams make their case and demonstrate ROI?
Quality Content Lays The Foundation For Powerful Marketing Strategies
Almost two-thirds of B2B buyers believe that corporate brand messaging is too vague to actively represent their brand and attract buyers. That means that placing quality, on-message content will be under the spotlight.
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B2B PR and Marketing professionals will need to extract new value for money and maximize the content lifecycle by telling creative stories, conducting research, and utilizing SEO.
Creating quality content can open up an entire new avenue for media coverage, putting subject matter experts and company developments in as many targeted publications as possible, without breaking the bank!
Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Earned Media
Earning quality media placements is key to saving on sponsored content and advertising spend.
Regardless of where spending is split between B2B PR and Marketing strategies, one thing is clear – making the most of earned media opportunities is essential.
Earned media, when combined with a trusted thought leader and quality content, can build significant trust and credibility – two components that are vital to the B2B sales funnel. It’s all about influencer marketing – not pay-for-play! As one door closes in editorial and advertising spend, another opens in earned media opportunities. Now more than ever, cost-effective PR and Marketing strategies are top of the agenda, so B2B professionals can gain maximum brand exposure with minimum spend.
Remember, a strong brand reputation can’t be bought, so use earned channels to your advantage! In today’s diverse media landscape, B2B PR and Marketing professionals are no longer limited to printed media – it’s all about digital publications, social media channels, and blogs providing the optimal platform to raise brand awareness and connect directly with target audiences. Not an advertising penny in sight!
It’s Not All About Print!
As 32% of tech marketers designate the highest portion of their budgets to social media marketing, B2B marketers need to take an in-depth audit of their social content performance and adjust strategies. But social media isn’t the be-all and end-all, digital platforms can include blogs, online publications, and video posting sites.
With HubSpot estimating that the number of digital video viewers will hit 3.5 billion in 2023 and people are watching, on average, 17 hours of online videos per week, it’s clear that audiences are more receptive to digital content. In fact, according to the same report, people are 52% more likely to share video content than any other type of content – which is why video content must play an integral role in the content lifecycle.
Video content marketing on earned channels is a good avenue for B2B organizations to grow brand awareness and trust without breaking the bank.
As the popularity of short-form video content rises (thanks to the likes of TikTok and Instagram Reels), so has the quality of longer-form content, and an increase in platforms where it can be hosted.
YouTube channels and LinkedIn are just two examples where users can freely post interactive and visually engaging content such as webinars, and recorded Q&A, which can cater to exactly what a B2B organization needs – at a fraction of the price of advertising!
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Yes, video content marketing comes with an incredible amount of potential, but B2B PR and Marketing professionals shouldn’t ignore other tried-and-tested media formats such as podcasts, blog posts, infographics, and SEO that together can complete the perfect digital content stack!
Tick SEO Off The Content Checklist
Buyers still want to meet brands in spaces that are comfortable for them, but as expected, they increasingly want this to occur digitally, and organically – enter SEO. With a LinkedIn study reporting that search engines, social media platforms, and vendor websites make up the top three sources that B2B buyers look to for information – it’s safe to say that SEO is a necessity.
Investment in SEO provides vital building blocks to build brand awareness, credibility, and trust within key target audiences. As media outlets transition to most online platforms, take this opportunity to make use of SEO and backlinks to increase digital lead generation and brand awareness. B2B organizations should focus on creating high-quality content, incorporating SEO-driven keywords, and backlinks to drive traffic back to their own sites.
Content atomization – the key to brand awareness success
Making use of a powerful content stack strategy can illicit strong brand recall by incorporating a series of PR and Marketing assets around one campaign topic – from a thought leadership article, to a corresponding blog and white paper on the company website, to subsequent social media posting.
Campaigns must be planned strategically, incorporating multiple content stacks to create a blend of carefully curated messaging.
B2B PR and Marketing professionals need to ensure that they can extract as many articles placed in as many target media outlets as possible, to consistently communicate the value of their solutions and service. This strategy ensures that prospects see key messages multiple times per week in the media. Then, bring in those other elements of the content stack to hit prospects in keyword searches, website visits, and social media browsing.
It’s all about bringing together quality, SEO-optimized content on multiple platforms to ensure optimal ROI.
It’s time to let content marketing prove it’s worth
Following a wave of advertising spend cuts, PR and Marketing teams can make their mark by stretching the content lifeline, continuing to gain earned media wins on a variety of platforms – all while incorporating SEO strategies. Combining each of these tactics is a surefire way to demonstrate how to get more marketing bang from your advertising buck!
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