Content Marketing Decisions to Consider

Management of Organizations: Systematic Research dated March 1, 2018, mentioned content marketing, specifically in the chapter Content Marketing Decisions for Effective Internal Communication.

The chapter is about how content marketing decisions can be used by organizations to attain effective internal communication and to engage employees.

As a content writer or a content marketer, you will find that this valuable information on decision making from the research can help you in your line of work.

Decisions are dependent on your objectives as you try to write content for a particular individual or company or organization.

Are you trying to engage the audience?Do you want to add value to their lives?  Do you intend to convert your audience into buying customers?

Do you want your audience to be aware of the brand? Do you want a more competitive advantage? Or do you want to improve your relationship with an existing client?

All of the above affects decision-making.  The research derived four groups of decisions from these objectives.

The decision on what kind of content to create (content type)

According to studies in 2010 and 2014 mentioned in the paper, content needs to be (definitions are taken from Dictionary.com):

• relevant, or connected with the matter in hand
• informative, or conveying instruction, knowledge, or information
• reliable, or dependable in achievement, accuracy, honesty, etc.
• valuable, or of considerable use, service or importance
• unique, existing as the only one or as the sole example
• emotionally appealing, or appealing to any of the feelings of joy, sorrow, fear, hate, love, etc.
• and intelligent, or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment

But wait, can you write content integrating all these characteristics in one go? Maybe.

Another set of studies mentioned in the paper, however, claims that it will be hard to have all of them in a single content format. I would have to agree because, in a not so ideal situation, a content writer can only combine a few to form one format that is based on a defined objective.  You can, however, create any content format for any one of these characteristics.

The decision on where to publish content (distribution channel)

Consider the distribution channel to use to distribute and communicate the type of content you choose.

You can create a plan for a list of contents to be published.  You  decide if you are going to publish content:

• on the main blog
• on your own blog
• on YouTube
• via e-mails
• through podcasts
• on Instagram
• on other channels

The decision on which content format to use (content format)

Your decision for a distribution channel always goes hand-in-hand with the content type and format you choose.

Some of these formats include articles, posts, videos, photos, infographics, banners, gifs, e-mail newsletters, etc.

One situation that could need your decision, for example – Would a relevant, informative and intelligent content be perfect as a post on the main blog of the company?

The decision on which elements, related to the content, to use (content element)

Action buttons, site links, hashtags, emoji, etc. are some of the elements that need your decision. You may have to consult with an expert or a computer programmer with this decision if you do not have the right skills.

You have to remember though that these elements are dependent on the format of your content.

We end this post. Let your content affect your audience’s confidence, satisfaction, and loyalty!