There is a belief that “brands are media” and that “content is king”. However, do consumers really have the time to read all your content and what if your content leads to them purchasing your competitors’ products?
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”null”]Businesses are in business to sell products or services and make money.[/inlinetweet] So what happens when you spend a lot of money and become a source for content on your website and people share it throughout social media and the Web but then purchase your competitors’ products? It’s a great question as I myself have taken a lot of content and used it to purchase different products than the ones advertised or talked about on the Website.
One answer might be[inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”null”] to ensure your content strategy is aligned with your brand objectives[/inlinetweet]. For example a car company, instead of posting content on the best places for a weekend drive, might want to post the best places for an off-wheel weekend drive using a Jeep Wrangler. In short the content has to be relevant to your brand and products, but cannot be a hard sell which turns people off.
I did an informal survey among women shoppers online and did find that they will not necessarily purchase from brands that provide great content. “If they tell me how great their product is and how to use it of course I’ll look to see what other options are available at a better price” said one gal who shops online. Another said “I read a lot about the products that I am considering online and even subscribe to a newsletter on how to get out stains from furniture and clothes, but I don’t purchase the brand that sponsors the newsletter because I can find cheaper alternatives”.
It would be interesting to see a study done on this subject. I believe in magnetic content that draws people in but[inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”null”] unless that content is turning visitors into customers than it’s just a waste of money[/inlinetweet]. I don’t care how many people are talking about me on social media if my sales are not making plan than it’s not relevant. Oh-oh, looks like another social media myth, maybe getting scrutinized.
