Content Marketing
Content Marketing: open the door to who you are and what you do. (Photo: Matthew Smeal)
In Part 2 of the Communications series, we take a look at why ‘content is king’ (and queen, and…).
If you missed Part 1, you can jump back here.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing can be defined as providing relevant, informative and, if appropriate, entertaining content. Its informing nature provides value to interested audiences through deepening the understanding of the brand or organisation.
Content Marketing is designed to attract and engage, and ultimately, to persuade.
Think about why people watch television, on-demand (Netflix, Stan etc.), read a newspaper or a book, go to a news site, listen to podcasts, listen to the radio, read a blog, follow fan sites and social media, sign up to forums, go to the movies, or follow an organisation.
They do so to be entertained and informed. They go for the stories. They don’t go for the ads.
But there is something more: people like to engage. They like to become fans, to connect with something, to feel aligned with something or someone who shares similar values. It may be a sport team, a band, a TV show, an author, a YouTuber, a brand, a church, a movement.
Once again, that engagement and alignment come through stories.
The next level
Only when a person has reached a certain level of connectedness do they move to the next level. That’s when they buy the supporter jersey, they become a club member, they buy the DVD series, they watch the next episode, and the next one…, they take out a subscription, they join the forum, they become a donor.
…it’s not about us, it’s about them.
But it can take an awful lot of work to get there. First, people will explore. They will research, they will try before they buy. They will ponder. They will watch and act.
They will only buy, donate or join when the time is right – for them. And this can’t be stressed enough: it’s not about us, it’s about them.
We know from marketing and advertising industry legends like Drayton Bird that people rarely buy on impulse but buy when they’re ready to buy—which is usually after several visits and a lot of research.
People won’t engage with us just because we need them to. They’ll engage when we can fulfil their needs i.e. for meaning and purpose.
So, guess what? It’s not about us, it’s about them.
The role of Content Marketing and subsequently Inbound Marketing (more on this later) is to inspire people and encourage them to engage with us.
And we do this by consistently presenting them with good, informative and engaging content.
So, from a Communications perspective, content is the TV show, the documentary, the book, the podcast, the news site.
…the role of Communications is to make people care.
Communications is designed to inform and engage, to whet the appetite and to keep providing. Communications provides the information that people are searching for; and it presents information that people should know.
And this brings us back to our crucial point from Part 1: Communications is not designed to sell, nor is it designed for immediate conversion – the role of Communications is to make people care.
How it works
Content Marketing works by building ethos (trust and authority) and fostering loyalty; it generates interest, it informs.
Content Marketing is an engagement process. It is ‘evergreen’ content that is searchable and shareable. It is immediate (relevant) but also works in the background 24/7.
Content Marketing is providing content for what people are already searching for and what they find interesting.
Content Marketing includes:
Stories from the field
Informative articles about your program areas
Country-specific issues (what’s happening in the countries where you work)
International Development issues
Environmental issues
Explainer articles (What is…? How does XYZ work? Did you know…?)
Thought leadership (who are your spokespeople that can speak authoritatively about a given topic or context?)
Stories, stories, stories…
Content Marketing creates a connection!
There is a lot of good information out there about Content Marketing. That includes what not to do. Here are five to think about:
Don’t just talk about yourself. People aren’t as interested in us as much as we would like them to be. They want to know how we can solve their problem (commercial) or how we can fulfil their search for meaning and purpose (NGO/non-profit/charity). It’s not about us, it’s about them, remember? We need to show how our values align with theirs
Constantly selling. A donate call-to-action is fine when people are ready. But they are often on the periphery and simply want to know more. Giving them abundant options to part with their money right from the get-go will turn them away. Asking them to sign up to a monthly e-newsletter or follow social media channels is a much better call-to-action that brings them into a relationship. The important next step is ensuring that the content they receive is engaging and adds value to their journey.
Don’t focus on one channel like Facebook or EDMs. This is bound to fail as channels ebb and flow in popularity, algorithms change, and there are too many competing interests. Each channel needs channel-specific content with a dedicated strategy for each. Once again, we need to become comfortable not asking people to donate but understand the user behaviour of each channel and what platform-specific content we can produce that will engage with interested people.
Show don’t tell. We always need to put ourselves in the shoes of the person receiving content. How does it add value to their life? How does it engage them or inform them? Why should they care? As with #1, people want to know how we’re going to solve a problem and they want to see themselves as part of that solution. Like with good journalism, we need to show, not tell.
We shouldn’t expect, or only focus on, short-term results. Communications is the long game. It’s chess, not checkers; it’s the test match, not Twenty 20; it’s the symphony, not the pop song; it’s the marathon, not the sprint.
Why you need Content Marketing
If you’re in the non-profit game, ask yourself these questions. Are you:
Acquiring new donors?
Creating long-term supporters?
Seeing high levels of engagement from supporters?
Well-known within the NGO/charity sector?
Well-known by the general public?
Communicating well with your supporters?
Another great question is:
How well do your supporters understand what you do?
The answers you gave—good or bad—will be the result of how well you answer this next question:
How good is your storytelling?
…engagement comes through compelling and informative storytelling
As we found in Part 1, Communications is designed for long-term acquisition and retention; for creating attachment and about staying relevant.
And this is the related and underlying issue that can’t be emphasised enough: engagement comes through compelling and informative storytelling.
Having worked for several NGOs/non-profits/charities, I have seen an obvious trend: whenever we post an informative story, it goes gangbusters with engagement; whenever we’ve talked about ourselves or made it about an event or a donate ask, it doesn’t.
The simple truth is: informative storytelling outperforms any other type of content.
Informative content should be just that: information about the work you do. It should not include a donate ask but just be good content that answers the classic storytelling/journalism questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
People relate to people…
Additionally, documentary style photographs, do best. People relate to people, not advertisements. People want stories. Those stories and images need to show people the context and your role in it, not tell people what to do.
What’s important is that there should always be more content – which brings us to the next step in the Communications series: Inbound Marketing.
Until next time.
Matthew Smeal is a communications specialist working in the NGO sector. He uses words, photography and video to tell stories about the people behind the issues. Matthew has held Communications, Content and Media Management positions with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders), UNICEF, The Fred Hollows Foundation and Opportunity International Australia among others. Much of that work has taken Matthew throughout the world to document humanitarian and development issues.