Increase the Effectiveness of Content Marketing
Get into the hearts and minds of your customers
A recent study by Forrester revealed that though 75% of marketers are increasing their content marketing budgets this year, over half feel that their efforts are largely ineffective, and 26% more feel that their efforts are “neutral”.
The increase in spending clearly indicates that marketers believe content can have a big impact on sales. So why are so many failing to achieve their goals?
At Zenzi, we know that it’s not just about publishing content, but publishing the RIGHT content.
We know that pushing out messages doesn’t work. To make an impact, you’ve got to go deeper. A good place to start is to think of the brands you love. Why do you love them?
Most likely, they’ve tapped into your inner values, and forged a relationship that goes beyond a great product or service.
Demographics are not Enough
Now think about your own customers. You may know a lot about them, their age, income level, gender, level of education, general interests and behaviors.
But do you really know what inspires them? Or what will turn them into lifelong customers? The secret is to uncover what motivates them based on their inner values.
Throughout our lives, our demographics shift and change; we go to school, get married, become parents, make more (or less) money. These shifting qualifiers make it very difficult for many marketers to pinpoint what truly defines their customer.
One example to illustrate the point is how marketers typically approach connecting with moms. We’ve had dozens of clients tell us that they’d like to target moms, assuming that is enough information for us. But we always ask…which moms? Is becoming a mother a universal unifier? Of course not! As soon as we understand how values play in to people’s decisions, our mission becomes much more effective.
Bringing Values into the Equation
To more effectively market to moms (or any other demographic group), consider what truly motivates people. Some are motivated by prestige, others by serving a greater purpose. Some will seek pleasure first, while others will focus on security. Many people are comforted by tradition and a sense of history, while others have a desire for freedom and paving their own way.
By bringing these values-based insights into your existing marketing campaigns, we can create content that speaks more directly to these inner motivators, gaining more powerful results across a variety of platforms.
For example, when someone clicks on a PPC ad, what is their experience like on the landing page? Does the content deliver information about your product or service? Most likely, yes. But you need to go deeper. Ask yourself, does it provide what they innately desire to inspire them to take the next step? The most inspiring content is selfless, so take your company’s outbound sales message out of the equation, and instead focus on the inner needs of your customer.
How Zenzi Can Help
Zenzi’s team uniquely combines years of marketing experience, academic research, and data science. Through our work with companies across diverse industries, we have empirical evidence of exactly what works with your audience’s unique value type. Zenzi developed ValueBase™ to get the results you need. It is a research tool and marketing strategist rolled into one. It allows us to measure and pinpoint your customer’s core values, better understand how those values will motivate behavior, and create a communications strategy that speaks to values in a powerful and impactful way.
We offer more than just a customer profile, we do the legwork and offer you a custom and effective communications strategy that you can easily apply to your company.
By uncovering your customer’s inner values, we identify your most profitable (and loyal!) targets, and unlock a more effective content marketing strategy. These more effective connections generate interest, trial, word of mouth, and increased sales.
For a free evaluation of how values can increase the effectiveness of your marketing communications strategy, contact Julie Lyons at Julie@zenzi.com, or 949-233-3407.
