Why content marketing is relevant for SMEs-Onwumere

The Managing Partner of Brandmarks Communications Limited, Chidi Onwumere, in an interview with Nneka Nwogwugwu, emphasized on the relevance of content marketing for brands especially Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

How do you define Content Marketing?

Content Marketing apply to all firms. It is a strategic marketing or branding approach that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent contents to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and ultimately drive profitable customer action.

In traditional marketing, it is a one directional approach where you just offer your products and services to your possible consumers. But today, times have changed because when people see an advert, there is every tendency to lose interest and flip to the next page. But content marketing helps the audience to learn while patronizing the product.

Are there areas one can apply content marketing?

Content marketing cuts across all fields. We are living in the digital age where social media handles, websites, blogs hold sway including the search engine optimization (SEO). We can also use content marketing in the traditional media.

Which is the best channel for content marketing?

The truth of the matter is that you still have to use the media channel available.

In this generation, for you to access multiple audiences, social media can give you beyond what some of the traditional media outlets can give you in terms of audience response.

For small medium scale businesses, the advice is to consider using online platforms which in some cases, are cost effective.

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Why do you think content marketing is important for brands?

Content is key, if you have good content, the audience will follow your page and patronize your product or service. It is one of the cost effective form of marketing.

Content marketing is important for brands because it benefits the consumers, marketer and the impact bottom line. Because of the valuable contents and messages passed to the consumers, it solves problems. It is a win-win situation where both the audience and marketer benefit. It helps you drive more revenue, it is more profitable for your business because once you attract a loyal audience with the quality of your content, there’s no way you will not make a profitable venture.

Can you please elaborate more on the strategies you mentioned earlier?

A content strategy is the fine specific ways or right approach to engage your audience. For instance, you can develop content via combination of online and social media campaigns or integrate with traditional platforms, maybe a magazine. It is the deliberate tactics the business owner plans to deploy in his business.

The marketing strategy you have in marketing your business, can also be described as content marketing.

The strategy we are teaching people when it comes to content marketing, is for them to stop putting their products and services forward in the face of people. You should always have good content while selling your products. That’s how you get patronage and by that way, you impact the business bottom line.

Any disadvantage of content marketing?

I can’t really spot out any disadvantage here because I know it is a win-win situation. Content marketing is cheaper than traditional media and it has a wider reach. But the only thing is that it requires you to be creative and skilled in deploying effective content.

As a brand executive, how have you been able to initiate the concept of content marketing in Brandmarks Communication Ltd.?

So far, our clients and customers have benefitted from our skills in this regard because as a brand builder, your consumers are placed first.

In the older ways of practicing advertising or Public Relations, the marketer puts his products or services ahead but we have tried to balance the two angles. In setting a loyal or target interest of your choice, you need to put their interest ahead of your own and once you are able to do that, you’ve gained the customers loyalty.