issue securities

This article has been written by Angshuman Pal pursuing a Diploma in Content Marketing and Strategy course from Skill Arbitrage.

This article has been edited and published by Shashwat Kaushik.

Introduction

With the revolution and evolution of the Internet and the rapid change in information distribution systems, consumers today are much more conscious of their needs compared to previous decades. The rise of internet savvy customers and the fall of traditional consumers are changing market dynamics. Studies by various research organisations at various levels show that customers today are more aware, well-informed, and confident in their purchase decisions compared to the past. Collection of vital information about any product and related studies, comparison between various similar products, analysis of data from various web sources and vivid price or feature comparison are more common activities among customers these days. 

With this healthy behavioural shift, the Internet gave consumers the freedom to make more choices at their fingertips. With this column, we try to highlight  the impacts of content marketing on consumer behaviour across various economies for the better understanding of business owners, marketing consultants, academics and researchers.

Download Now

Evolution

The unique transformation in today’s global business environment, happening due to rapid change in internetisations, gave birth to topics like ‘consumer engagement’ on every business house’s discussion table. The connection between consumers and product brands is technically tagged as ’consumer engagement’ and is thoroughly analysed as a vital point in today’s business context. A study shows that if a customer is constantly connected with any specific brand or product, she or he generally develops a passion for the brand and slowly builds a constant engagement through her/his phono or handheld device. Highly engaged customers generally demonstrate loyalty to the brand and return to buy more products again and again. Companies find a highly engaged customer easily approachable, and tag them as a first level target for promoting their brand(s) and products. Hence, constant customer engagement is found to be one of the most useful online marketing strategies.

Understanding content marketing

Primary objective(s) of content marketing

The primary objective(s) of content marketing is to build loyal customers for quick and constant revenue turnout. The process emphasises developing and maintaining constant engagement between brands and customers at a high level to develop trust and long relationships. This enablement prioritises customer education at various levels with useful information about brand products.

Content marketing involves generating and publishing useful and engaging contents in a consistent and timely sequence. It requires a good level of innovation from content experts, as the engaging content can be audio, video, informative column or article, informative white paper in pdf format, podcast interviews, a Q&A column or session, recorded or live webinars, etc. These contents must be available online, easily searchable and accessible on demand around the clock. This is achieved with the esteemed use of a wide variety of backend technologies. The objective of this range of  content(s) is to empower, enable and influence probable buyers with all relevant information they need so that they can feel confident and quickly decide on a purchase.

Further deep-down into content marketing

The word ‘content’ has a very old root and was originally used, especially in the publishing industry, back when publishing and media came into being. Columns, images, and graphics were used as ‘content’ for print media like newspapers, journals and magazines, whereas audio files, videos and motion graphics were ‘content’ for broadcasting domains like radio and television. In today’s digital era, anything and everything produced digitally and published on digital platforms is termed ‘digital content’. Hence, write ups, documents, words, images, audios and videos are tagged as ‘digital contents’.

Irrespective of platform (for old traditional content or modern digital content), the concept of producing popular, attractive and engaging content is constant and always in demand.

The concept of using content as a marketing tool for gaining the concentration of probable clients, or rather stimulating buyers to buy, has been part of active business strategy for generations.

Business organisations across the world are always in search of making quick money; and the continuous generation of engaging, appealing or stimulating content has given birth to ‘content marketing’ in this information age.

Change in market dynamics

Rapidly growing use of internet

A study shows that the number of internet users is growing rapidly across the globe, and  Asia is home to half of the internet users throughout the world. Therefore, there is a mad rush to focus on Asian consumers. Demand for high quality engaging content is ever increasing and companies are exponentially increasing their investment in understanding Asian consumers.

Lifestyle shift

With the rapid development of technology, the adoption of smartphones is ever increasing throughout the globe, especially on the Asian continent, as per the available research data. With the rapid adoption of mobile-first lifestyles in Asia, in line with phenomenally growing purchase power, the immediate need  for effective strategies to engage and tap super mobile-savvy Asians is skyrocketing among global consumer brands. That’s why, here, success is directly dependent on how robust the brand strategy is and how skilled the content creators are at engaging and converting millennial minds.

The unique situation

However, compared to other parts of the world, the Asian region is much more dense in population and super diverse in ethnicity, language and culture. This reality is prompting a huge demand for more and more creative experiments in content creation that can quickly and dynamically develop a strong understanding and precisely analyse consumer behaviour. This rapid change created a unique opportunity for the unpresidential expansion of fertility in content marketing. Other parts of the world are also not lagging behind.

Rapid expansion of e-commerce ecosystems

Where there is money, there’s a mad rush. We’re seeing it in the Asian region these days. Along with the economy, the e-commerce ecosystem in Asia  is ever expanding. Hence, there started a mad rush among global giants for penetration in the grassroots of Asia. Organically, a few determined local parties are also rapidly encashing opportunities in their homeland. Pioneer business entities across all continents are in massive engagements with innovative content marketers to tap and encash. This momentum is generating a huge flow of educational, entertaining and engaging content for all brands.

Organic growth across all platforms

Content creators are trying everything to engage consumers on YouTube and Instagram. Hence, we see organic growth in viewership across all global platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Netflix and FaceBook, as well as ever increasing viewership on local platforms like Bigo, Douyin and BiliBili. Even content marketing platforms are increasing every day. Slowly, other parts of the world, like Latin America and Africa, along with the Baltic Belt, are joining this race.

Current trends in content marketing

Since we passed the challenging pandemic era, it’s been observed that people are spending a good amount of time from their daily schedule on digital social platforms, and this trend, along with consumption time, is increasing exponentially.

Analysing this trend, dynamic corporate houses have a massive plan to encash it as soon as they can. New tools and techniques are being developed every day, facilitating better ways to engage client end users in the name of enablement.

The collection of data on purchase behaviour and deep analysis give lots of insight into customer’s mindsets. Silent observation of every change in actions and behaviour gives a huge advantage to content creators in deciding the next course of action.

The game of retaining customers across all digital platforms is going bigger and bigger, giving hype to the content marketing industry as the next big thing in the industrial revolution.

Impact of content marketing on consumer behaviour

Therefore, no organisation, irrespective of their size or nature of business, can think of business expansion without an established, fully functional content marketing department. Many industrial sharks have started thinking of content marketing as the only way to do successful business in today’s context.  

It’s giving further rise to capturing data on consumer behaviour and parallel analysis of it for better understanding so that it can be immediately effectively monetized without fail. Content marketing has a significant impact on consumer behaviour by influencing their purchasing decisions and brand perceptions. It provides valuable information, builds relationships, and creates a positive brand image, leading to increased brand awareness, engagement, and sales. Here’s a closer look at the impact of content marketing on consumer behaviour:

  1. Brand awareness: Content marketing effectively increases brand awareness by reaching a wider audience. Engaging and informative content on platforms like social media, blogs, and websites captures the attention of potential customers, creating a lasting impression and boosting brand recall.
  2. Engagement and loyalty: Content marketing fosters engagement with consumers by providing relevant and personalized content that resonates with their interests. Interactive content formats, such as quizzes, polls, and videos, encourage active participation, building stronger bonds and fostering customer loyalty.
  3. Thought leadership and credibility: Creating high-quality content establishes a brand as a thought leader in its industry. In-depth articles, whitepapers, and webinars demonstrate expertise, building credibility and trust with consumers. This positioning influences their perception of the brand as a reliable and knowledgeable source of information.
  4. Purchase decisions: Content marketing plays a vital role in influencing purchase decisions. Well-crafted content that addresses customer pain points, provides solutions, and compares products or services helps consumers make informed choices. Positive reviews, testimonials, and case studies further strengthen the brand’s credibility and increase the likelihood of a purchase.
  5. Customer advocacy: Satisfied customers who engage with compelling content become brand advocates. They share, like, and comment on content, spreading positive word-of-mouth and amplifying the brand’s reach. This advocacy helps attract new customers and reinforces the brand’s reputation.
  6. Brand differentiation: Content marketing allows brands to differentiate themselves from competitors. Unique and compelling content sets the brand apart, creating a distinct identity and positioning in the consumer’s mind. This differentiation can lead to increased brand preference and market share.
  7. Customer retention: Engaging and valuable content keeps customers connected with the brand, fostering long-term relationships. Regular newsletters, updates, and personalized recommendations nurture customer loyalty and reduce churn.
  8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Content marketing supports search engine optimization efforts by creating keyword-rich content that ranks well in search engine results pages (SERPs). This organic visibility drives traffic to the brand’s website, increasing brand exposure and generating leads.
  9. Social media engagement: Content marketing is integral to social media engagement. Shareable and visually appealing content attracts followers, encourages interactions, and builds a community around the brand. This engagement strengthens customer relationships and enhances brand visibility.
  10. Customer experience: Content marketing enhances the overall customer experience by providing support, answering questions, and addressing concerns. Responsive and informative content demonstrates the brand’s commitment to customer satisfaction, fostering positive emotions and building lasting relationships.

Content marketing strategies and associated impact(s) on consumer behaviour

Defining viral contents

If content is circulated by consumers spontaneously to other consumers of similar mindsets and creates power across different media platforms, resulting in generating demand spontaneously and rapidly, it is technically termed viral content by content marketers.  

Factors that lead to viral content

Content behaves contagiously when consumers or the target audience finds the information it contains, whether it is practically useful or humorous, and passes it on to others with the motive of helping to gain knowledge, enhancement or enablement. 

Impact of viral content on consumer behaviour

Viral content(s), if created with content drafting skills, will result in:

  • Free flow of content and brand information across various social media.
  • High brand visibility.
  • Spontaneous development of fan follower community for the brand.
  • Strengthening of brand image.
  • Saving vital costs and pains in brand building.
  • Rapid improvement in revenue turnout.

Why is content marketing impacting consumer behaviour

Most content marketing strategists are planning everything possible to take a hold on consumer behaviour.

In today’s context, consumers are so confident that authentic and relevant contents are only appreciated. Furthermore, brands are generating personalised content mapping with consumer behaviour with the help of technologies. The quality of content plays a vital role in building trust and credibility, empowering  customers and influencing their purchase decisions. Further extending this trust factor is fostering brand affinity, which results in loyalty as a bonus point.

With technological advancements, systematic customer segmentation with age, sex, demography, purchase power and other behavioural preferences is enabling precise targeting. These, in turn, result in better penetration and stronger connections with the target audience. The objective of better conversions is smoothly achieved as these enablements are leading to stronger customer engagements every day.

Social media and influencer marketing are also creating very strong impacts on consumer behaviour. It’s been found that consumers today  are more likely to demonstrate unpresidential trust in most of the recommendations of peers and influencers they follow while making their buying decisions.

Conclusion

As a result, we see a dramatic shift in focus from conventional stereotype advertising  to impacting content marketing that is bringing energising values and enablement to consumers.  The content marketing industry is rapidly transforming consumer behaviour and driving every band’s business success.

References

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here