With more companies entering the technology sector, the need for competitive differentiation is at an all-time high—especially for players in emerging markets, such as the Internet of Things, wearable technology, big data and cloud computing.
New research from IDG shows that companies within these technology sectors are turning to content marketing as a way to bolster brand awareness and establish thought leadership.
In fact, the majority of technology marketers surveyed by the firm said they participate in content marketing or “owned media”—the creation of original content for which the company has complete ownership. IDG’s 2014 research study also found that:
- Sixty-three percent of technology marketers expect their budgets to increase by over 20 percent.
- Digital marketing—the use of digital marketing vehicles like eBooks, blogging and videos—accounts for one-third of all marketing expenses for technology companies.
With so much money being poured into owned media, technology companies that want to keep up with the market and drive revenue would be wise to consider leveraging content marketing. Let’s explore a few of these owned media tactics that marketers can use to grow their brands ...
Blogging: Blogging enables companies to share their unique brand stories, bolster thought leadership and brand awareness, and illustrate the impact of their products/services in a quick, yet powerful way. For instance, a unified communications (UC) solutions provider can create a solution-oriented blog series illustrating use cases for its embedded UC solution. Or, imagine a company posting an interview of a subject matter expert addressing a popular topic within its industry to display thought leadership. A blog can also be used to share exclusive insights from C-level executives in the form of Q&A or ghostwritten content.
Case study: Technology vendors are tasked with demonstrating how their products can improve their customers’ bottom lines, accelerate business processes and significantly save on costs, which is no small feat. However, there’s no better way of doing this than through case studies. Conduct a brief interview with a satisfied client and have him or her recount the problem that needed solving and how your product or service enabled a satisfactory resolution. Not only will this help educate buyers but, by gating the case study—requiring readers to fill out a form to access the content—you can also capture prospects and follow up with them accordingly.
Video: Every tech company seems to promise the best benefits with its solution and define itself as an “industry leader” in its respective space. This widely used tactic, however, often falls on deaf ears. Video enables companies to visually break out a product’s complex features so consumers can better see the benefits. Businesses can also use video to promote one-on-one or roundtable interviews where company executives and industry leaders divulge where they think their space is headed, how their company is contributing, and top industry trends and predictions.
Are you one of the many technology companies investing in owned media and digital marketing? If so, tell us: What does your content creation strategy look like?
Edited by
Brooke Neuman
