I published a podcast that reviews 5 strategies of the late David Ogilvy who made his mark in advertising by being one of the first so many years ago to begin content marketing. His ads were the first that were of the advertorial type. He was intent on educating his customers and gaining their trust.
Over one hundred years later with him gone, we’re still using his techniques.
1. Your content should solve a problem.
Does your blog content pass the test? Does your last article? Are your videos, posts, and tweets about solving problems that the customer is seeking answers to?
2. Half your time should be spend on the title.
No good title. No open. No results. That goes for headlines in an article, blog post titles, and subject lines in your emails.
3. Use your customer’s language.
Not how much you know but how well you can speak to a customer about it is what counts. Excited about a conference and new knowledge, I’ve had trainers come back and deliver the opposite of the science they learned, accidentally, of course. The art of communicating what you know is the true value of your delivering content.
4. Constantly research.
If you’re not looking at insights daily, learning what other behaviors and pages your customer likes online, not reviewing your biggest profit margin and reporting those regularly, what are you doing?
You don’t know your customer as well as you think – particularly if you’ve been in business for 20 or 30 years. They’ve changed, they’re smarter, and you need to ask them.
5. Informative advertising sells.
Back to the top- it’s what Ogilvy was famous for. Businesses who blog and use ebooks or instructive video have 13x the amount of traffic as those who don’t. It must however, be useful, practical and applicable.
Customers aren’t after your philosophy except when they first get to know you and want to know your “why” you’re in business.
Rather listen? Here’s the podcast.