I’ve been talking about how Content Marketing is going to redefine internet marketing especially here in the Philippines. Placing online ads just don’t cut it anymore and any digital marketer needs to understand that effective web marketing is not just measuring click-through and impressions. It’s actually making that connection and establishing a relationship with existing and potential customers. Joey Alarilla, Yahoo South East Asia Social Media Editor, said it pretty well during the recent blog marketing panel discussion for the Ateneo CCE – IMMAP Digital Marketing Diploma Program: Turn your brands into media.
Chris Brogan talked about “Social Capital” in his book Trust Agents. Social capital is basically your goodwill with anyone. The higher your social capital, the more you can have them do stuff for you. Ideally brands should be building social capital through social media (Facebook & Twitter) so that eventually when you have enough you can actually turn your “fans” into customers and eventually brand ambassadors. You can’t raise social capital by just placing banner ads or posting links to press releases on your social media accounts. You need to offer value so that you earn their trust. This is where content marketing comes in.
The eBook Project
When I made the Social Media Guide for Filipino Entrepreneurs eBook free, people were asking me if I was crazy. Why give away trade secrets and all the knowledge for free? Well, to be perfectly blunt you can’t really make good money in the Philippines selling niche books. The market just isn’t that big and the royalty rates from publishers are crap. I would be lucky to make P20,000 from book sales annually. However that eBook has generated more than P500,000 already in revenues. How? It established my brand as a Filipino digital marketer and it has given my team a lot of leads and clients for consultancy. In short, I turned my brand into media. I wasn’t just pitching, I was sharing valuable information that could help companies use the internet to bring their business to the next level. If along the way they decide that they need my help, then that’s great for me.
I was talking to a fellow digital marketer who currently works for a multinational company a few days ago and we were exchanging notes and ideas on how some well-known brands could do the same. It’s good to know that more and more marketers are wising up when it comes to the internet and social media.
I think that is called “sampling” as your product is consultancy. In my opinion it would not apply to “physical products” as the trouble might be greater than the benefit it brings. It might be easier and more cost effective to partner with existing media (where content creation is their main product), and that is still called “sponsorship/advertising”
Hi noggy,
The company that I mentioned in the same article offers physical home products.
Let me edit the post with physical product examples. I’m just on the road right now so expect the edited article tonight or tomorrow morning. Cheers!