In the eyes of the customers, mail service providers all look pretty much the same. To stand out from the crowd, these companies must find ways to differentiate themselves. One affordable way to do that is with content marketing.
Publishing interesting and informative content lets current and prospective customers know your company has something more to offer than just getting the mail out the door.
Effective content marketing involves more than just throwing random posts up on your blog or social media channels. You must craft a strategy focused on your target audience's needs and interests. When you offer valuable information, you establish your brand as an industry leader, attract attention, and differentiate from the competition.
Consider the following types of content to enhance your print/mail service brand:
·Blog Posts: Regular, insightful blogs on topics relevant to how your customers use mailed communications can help drive traffic to your site and position your company as a thought leader.
·Case Studies: Highlight successful projects to show your expertise and build trust with potential clients.
·Video: Use video to explain processes, tour your facility, or encourage viewers to visit your website and access other content.
·How-to Guides: Provide step-by-step guides on using your services effectively, designing mail pieces, or preparing their data files to help customers get the most out of what you offer.
·Whitepapers: Show your audience that your organization has deep knowledge and experience with designing, producing, and distributing mailed items.
By integrating these content types into your marketing strategy, you’ll attract attention and also position your brand as knowledgeable and helpful. This approach can set you apart from competitors who rely solely on traditional marketing methods. Publishing relevant informational content also makes your company's website attractive to the search engines, helping the organization be more visible to prospective customers searching for services you offer.
The Basics of Content Marketing for Mail Service Providers
Kickstart your content marketing journey by recognizing the unique aspects of your mail service and leveraging them to create interesting content. This may involve sharing insights into the value of multi-channel marketing, offering tips on efficient mail handling, or discussing the latest trends in postal services.
By creating high-quality content interesting to your audience, you will engage them and position your brand as a trusted authority.
When we work with customers, we stress the importance of structuring a comprehensive content plan, not just a series of one-off projects. From working with clients in the customer communications industry, we've found that publishing without a plan usually results in a few predictable, but undesirable, outcomes.
·A focus on too much top-funnel brand awareness content, while neglecting the needs of prospects further along in the sales process.
·Expectations of immediate spikes in activity after publishing a single item (and being disappointed or discouraged when it doesn't happen).
·Unbalanced coverage of the industries you serve or services you offer.
·A gradual decline in content publishing cadence and dwindling response.
A content marketing plan should encompass your organization's goals and an understanding of your customer's needs, interests, and pain points. You should also understand your own sales process, with knowledge of what steps prospects usually take as they progress from mild interest to signing on as a customer.
Your content should aim to solve a problem, impart knowledge, or inspire action to encourage prospects to proceed down a path that leads to a sale. By consistently providing value, you attract prospective customers and build lasting relationships with your existing clients. The goal is not just to sell but to educate and inform, establishing your brand as a go-to resource in the mail service industry.
Maintaining Consistent Content Output
Consistent content supports trust and reinforces your brand's presence. Customers and prospects expect regular updates, so it's important to deliver without fail. Search engines also value regular publishing as a sign that your website offers up-to-date information that searchers want. Begin by planning your content calendar. Identify key dates, events, or industry milestones to ensure your content stays relevant.
Every one of our clients has a custom content calendar - a roadmap for what content comes next and when it will be delivered. We don't start creating content for a client until we have a plan.
In the creation phase, develop a mix of content types, like blog posts, videos, and infographics. Vary the formats to keep your audience engaged and allow you to cater to different preferences. Short-form content works well for quick updates and staying top-of-mind, while long-form content encourages in-depth exploration. Each piece should serve a purpose and provide value to your audience.
After creating the content, ensure it aligns with your brand's messaging and visual style. Customize these assets for different platforms — for example, reformat a blog article into a series of social media posts or turn a white paper into a video summary.
Don't forget about repurposing. Breathe new life into old content by updating statistics, incorporating feedback, or changing the medium. This strategy saves time and money while expanding your reach. Consider turning a well-received blog post into a LinkedIn article or an informative video.
Consistency doesn't mean bombarding your audience. High-quality, regular content builds trust and keeps your brand top-of-mind. Follow a schedule that suits your team's capacity and stick to it. Over time, this consistent approach will foster loyalty and engagement from your audience, helping your brand stand out in a crowded market.
After creating high-quality content, promoting it is essential. Start by leveraging your email list, if you have one. Send out newsletters featuring your latest blog posts, for example. Include links that lead to more content on your company website.
Use social media platforms likely to be frequented by your target audience. Share snippets or teasers of your content with direct links back to your website. We increase web traffic for our clients by executing long-term social drip campaigns that send prospects to the website content long after our clients originally posted it.
Another effective strategy involves collaborating with influencers or industry experts. They can help you reach a wider audience by sharing your content on their platforms. Partnering with influencers positions your brand under a trusted light. Get featured as a guest on some podcasts or volunteer to be interviewed by a publication aimed at one of your target industries.
Promoting content should be a consistent, strategic effort to ensure your audience notices what you have published and values what you offer. The greatest article ever written has no value to you unless the right people read it.
How to Measure Content Marketing Success
As I mentioned earlier, it is important to define goals before you embark on a content marketing strategy. Without the goals, how will you know how well you are doing or when to make an adjustment? Whether you seek to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or improve customer retention, your objectives shape the metrics to capture.
Content marketing does not directly generate sales. It's a big contributor, but rarely will you publish an article that immediately brings in new customers. The effects of content marketing are more subtle. Everything you publish and promote connects with other elements of your marketing strategy. Direct attribution is usually impossible. No one can say for sure that sales increased X% because they published a certain article but that doesn't mean content marketing is unmeasurable.
Key Metrics to Watch
Page Views and Unique Visitors: Measure how many people visit your content. Peaks and trends in visitor numbers can show you which topics and formats attract the most attention.
Engagement Rates: Track likes, comments, shares, and mentions on social media. These indicate how your audience interacts with your content and can point to areas needing improvement or highlight new opportunities.
Click-Through Rates (CTR): See how often users followed your call-to-action links. High CTRs suggest compelling content that motivates action, while low CTRs might point to weakly worded or misplaced calls-to-action.
Conversion Rates: Monitor how many website visitors turn into leads or customers. This reflects your content's ability to guide potential clients through your sales funnel.
SEO Performance: Improved rankings drive organic traffic, showcasing your content's reach and influence. Look for tools that can help measure how well your web page content performs over time.
Affordable for Everyone
Organizations of any size can put the power of content marketing to work for them, even with a small budget. Content marketing does not require a large investment to create, publish, and promote. You just need knowledge, time, some writing talent, and a commitment to execute your content plan consistently.
Differentiation in the marketplace is important in the mailing business. Without it, customers view your services as a commodity, forcing you to compete mostly on price. Such a condition results in low profits, inability to invest in new technology, and tenuous customer loyalty. Content marketing levels the playing field, allowing any size organization to compete with larger, well-funded enterprises.
Mike Porter at Print/Mail Consultants creates content that helps attract and retain customers for companies in the mailing and document industry and he assists companies as they integrate new technology. Learn more about his services at www.pmccontentservices.com. Follow @PMCmike on X, or send him a connection request on LinkedIn where you can find information on downloading a free content marketing playbook.
This article originally appeared in the September/October, 2024 issue of Mailing Systems Technology.
