A few short years ago, online marketing was limited to banner advertising and email. Social media revolutionized that, creating the opportunity for brands to develop “personalities” in order to connect more strongly with current and future customers.
But with social media and the rapid advancement of platforms like mobile phones and tablets, the digital world has become an increasingly noisy and crowded place. With blogs, podcasts, email blasts, banner advertising, social posts and more all competing for center stage, how do you break through the clutter to be heard?
A while back, we at BizTimes became very interested in content marketing. Indirectly, it’s what we do every day – create stories that have value for our audience and distribute them across multiple channels – in print, online and in person.
So we asked ourselves how we could help our customers do the same. After all, who wouldn’t benefit from the opportunity to tell their own story in their own voice? It’s the best possible way to exhibit your expertise while providing information of real value that elevates your profile and creates opportunities to meaningfully connect before a sales call is even on the horizon.
We know there are different camps around how content marketing should work. Some experts are adamant that companies should become publishers themselves, posting content to their own websites and sharing it socially to reinvent that website as a destination for expert advice. That works sometimes, especially for consumer brands (think of a garden center that publishes lots of growing tips), but it’s not one size fits all, especially when you think about the required investment of time, talent and treasure required to see results.
We feel we have a terrific solution for our business-to-business readers and customers. It’s right here – BizInsights – and it’s a cost-effective way for your business to tell your story, your way to BizTimes.com’s 75,000+ monthly visitors. They trust what they read here, and we expect BizInsights to be a welcome addition to the rich resources we already provide.
With BizInsights, your business owns the page where you contribute helpful information for business people. Every BizInsights article includes your company’s website, phone number and social profiles. We encourage you to include a call to action, like offering a white paper or e-book available for download. It will not only provide more value, it will connect you directly with your most interested prospects.
There’s no single magic tactic for building a successful brand. Traditional print and web advertising creates recognition and familiarizes customers with your offer. Sponsoring events is an opportunity for real face time with your market, and BizInsights provides an unparalleled opportunity for you to demonstrate your expertise and thought leadership in your own voice to our audience of the region’s decision-makers. In print, online and in person – BizTimes offers a powerful combination to help you build your business.
We’re committed to BizInsights’ success. We’ll be promoting the feature and its content prominently on our website, in our daily and weekly e-newsletters, in our print magazine, through social media and at selected events.
We hope you enjoy this feature of the newly relaunched BizTimes.com. Please feel free to email me directly with your feedback, and let me know if you’d like to join BizInsights as a sponsor-contributor. We’d love to have you join us.
