The line between news media and branded content is getting blurrier, with many customers now reporting that they trust content created by brands as much as they do content from media outlets like The New York Times. Brands are in a more powerful seat than ever when it comes to content marketing. The question becomes: how can you take advantage of this? How can you create content that appeals to customers and leads to sales without sounding too pitch-y?
Insights in Marketing has some ideas. In a new infographic, they explain seven ways that brands can walk this fine line between great content and sales.
Key findings:
- 58 percent of consumers trust editorial content, but 74 trust editorial content that's outright educational.
- 30 percent of readership falls off when you use stock photos (take your own!)
- Include your sources. 49 percent of readers will look at sources to determine the validity of what they've just read.
- Mentioning a product or service in a post, even briefly, can lose 3 out 10 readers.