3 Whales of Creating a Content Marketing Strategy for IT Companies

whales of creating content marketing

With over 1.7 billion websites on the internet, it is more important than ever to find clever ways for businesses to stand out online. One way that has proven to be most effective for businesses to boost their presence, is through a clever content marketing strategy. This strategy is a carefully thought-out marketing approach centered around creating relevant, valuable, and consistent content to attract a targeted audience. 

A good content marketing strategy is important for every business in every type of industry. However, the way the strategy is built differs largely from industry to industry. For businesses in the IT sector, it is especially important to work on a unique content marketing strategy. IT businesses have a very specific target market and are often B2B-focused. They require a unique strategy to promote their specialized services, which can include network setups, database management, and custom software development company.

Components that are important for IT businesses to consider with services promotions include setting up marketing objectives and following brand guidelines. However, even considering all the smaller components that are essential for an effective marketing strategy, there are three major elements all businesses should keep in mind when building a content marketing strategy. Our team likes to call these elements ‘whales’ because they are so big and important. 

In this article, we will explore the three big whales of any content marketing strategy for IT companies. 

Why a Marketing Strategy With Content as the Main Focus Is Important for IT Companies

Marketing strategies are at the core of every business’ success with gaining new customers and retaining old customers. However, today, a marketing strategy can only be taken to the next level of effectiveness by focusing on content.

For IT companies, content is especially vital as it not only attracts customers but also educates and builds trust. Here are a few points about why content is so important for IT companies when it comes to building a marketing strategy: 

It Helps With Brand Awareness

An IT business, such as a software development company, may struggle to get its brand message across to new customers because of the complexity of its products and services. Typically, IT companies are also B2B, which means the marketing strategy should be very carefully considered. By focusing on content when building a marketing strategy, these companies can raise awareness around what they offer and who their target market is.

It Educates

As mentioned, IT companies’ products and services are often complex. Creating clever content and distributing it onto the correct platforms can help to educate prospective customers about the details of IT offerings. 

It Increases Traffic

With effective content, IT companies can engage potential new customers quickly. Content can be tailored to a certain audience, keeping them interested. When this content is posted on the right platforms, including social media, it can drive traffic to the right places fast.

It Offers Credibility

With the world of technology booming, IT companies are rising rapidly. Therefore, businesses need to build online credibility as quickly as possible. Through high-quality and consistent content, companies can build a good reputation and stand out among competitors. 

It Increases Sales

Studies have shown that content provides conversion rates of around six times higher than most other digital marketing methods. Plus, around 74% of companies surveyed in a recent study found that content marketing has improved the quantity and quality of sales. 

How Content Marketing Strategies Work for Different Businesses

Every industry has a content marketing strategy ideal for its niche, and the same goes for the IT industry. It’s important to find what is working for a specific niche before putting together a plan and implementing it. Looking at what other companies are doing can be a great help to improve a content marketing strategy. So, let’s explore some cases: 

IT companies have implemented content marketing strategies in different ways. A popular example is a collaboration between Microsoft and the popular musician Common. The campaign was developed to promote the new artificial intelligence tools launched by Microsoft. The collaboration was successful because it was able to raise awareness by reaching millions of Common’s fans. It also boosted credibility and trust through the use of a well-known personality. 

Another way content marketing works for IT promotion is when a video is used as a content form. An example of this includes the multinational technology company Tencent’s regular video campaigns on YouTube. They use relevant themes such as games, music, and special occasions to promote their products and services. Video increases curiosity and keeps people engaged. 

A great way for businesses to reach a new and larger market is by distributing content on social media platforms. Oracle, a company that offers bespoke software solutions, utilizes social media to post content through text, images, and videos. These types of content are used to create awareness around their product and service offerings, as well as to educate their audience. 

Today, consumers shop with their eyes. And that is why content has become such an essential part of any marketing strategy. For IT companies, it can be difficult to create content that stands out and is interesting to consume. But by implementing the right elements, it is possible for an IT company to succeed with building a strong content marketing strategy.  

Three Important Aspects Businesses Should Consider in Content Marketing Strategy Building

aspects

When putting together a content marketing strategy, there are many elements to consider. However, as mentioned before, there are three big aspects to always keep in mind. These ‘whales’ can take your strategy from average to amazing. 

The three aspects work especially well for IT companies, because they are focused on engagement, education, and awareness, and are designed for B2B businesses. Companies that offer complex services, such as custom application development solutions, will benefit greatly from these aspects when implemented correctly. 

The three ‘whales’ of successful content marketing strategy building for IT companies include:  

Having a Clear and Specific Target Audience

The services offered by an IT company are most likely designed to solve specific problems. As a result, the content created to promote the services should be tailored to a certain audience. Offering bespoke software solutions can be designed for other businesses that want to improve their processes and structures. When building the content marketing strategy., it is essential to find out who these businesses are, as well as how they behave. 

Defining a target audience can be a complex process, but by following the correct steps a business can do it faster and more efficiently. Some steps include: 

Looking at Current Customers

By looking at what current customers are buying, a business can identify what type of person will be interested in new products. It can also be beneficial to ask current customers for feedback and what type of marketing strategies work for them. 

Collecting Data

There are many ways to collect data around audiences. Businesses can use data from their own websites or use tools such as Google Analytics to get better insights into their target audience.

Researching Competitors

It is always wise to look at what competitors are doing and what type of audience they are targeting. It can produce interesting insights that can prove to be useful in new content marketing strategies. 

Considering the Right Content Types

Next, it is important to look at the different types of content that will fit a business’ IT services or products. There are many types available, including text, images, video, infographics, and more. 

For IT companies, it can be tricky to decide what works best. Considering that education is often at the forefront of IT services promotion, content that is feature-rich and includes plenty of information often works best. 

For example, a company that offers custom software development may benefit from creating video content that describes more about the solutions, how it works, and who it is best for. Such a company can also use cleverly-created infographics or blog posts to provide insightful details around the product or service. 

It can be highly beneficial for an IT company to explore different types of content to see what works best. A trial-and-error method can produce insights that can assist in creating the most effective strategy. However, it is important to keep track of results and to analyze it carefully. 

Analyzing and Reporting

As with any strategy that a business implements, it is essential to keep track of how the different parts of the strategy are performing. This way, any weak points can be addressed immediately and strong elements can be improved to be even more effective. 

Content should be analyzed regularly. It is also important to get everyone involved in discussing the insights, from the marketing manager to the software developer. By doing this, new ideas can be implemented and solutions for weak points can be found faster. 

For example, a company that specializes in custom application development can experiment with different types of content on a variety of platforms, and then analyze which types and platforms work best. It can also show how the content should be improved or changed completely. 

Reporting is a key part of analyzing a content marketing strategy. Physically keeping track of data can help an IT company to see how their strategy weakens or strengthens over time. It will also show patterns that are important for future campaigns. 

Keeping these three major aspects in mind, an IT company can plan, develop and implement a carefully-considered content marketing strategy that is targeted to the right audience and features the right type of content. 

Building a Quality Content Marketing Strategy for Business Success

Having a good content marketing strategy can educate, enhance brand awareness, and boost credibility. In turn, these points can increase traffic, promote leads and improve sales. However, there are certain aspects to keep in mind when developing a new strategy. It is especially vital to keep the three ‘whales’ in mind. 

The three ‘whales’ allow IT companies to pay attention to target audiences, find the right content types and analyze the data produced by the content to improve strategies. Through this, companies can sell to the right people. 

For any IT company’s content marketing strategy, these three aspects must be fully considered throughout the content marketing strategy, from the planning stage to the final implementation. If not, a company can risk ending up with an ineffective strategy that will waste valuable time and money. 

 

Author’s Bio

Anastasia Stefanuk is a passionate writer and Information Technology enthusiast. She works as a Content Manager at Mobilunity, a provider of dedicated development teams around the globe. Anastasia keeps abreast of the latest news in all areas of technology, Agile project management, and software product growth hacking, at the same time sharing her experience online to help tech startups and companies to be up-to-date

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