Having positive press spread via word of mouth is a great way to build publicity. In the Internet age, this is manifested through an online following that shares content. For businesses, this can also lead to an unprecedented form of customer rapport that would present a positive, personal image for the company’s brand.
It has been acknowledged that high-quality content leads to engagement in online marketing. And online followings don’t just serve online marketers. People engaging in online reputation management (ORM) for themselves or their businesses could also reap the benefits that an online following gives.
Developing this following requires a particular attention to content, which not only needs to be timely but also interesting and highly informative to captivate its audience. Content already has a role to play in ORM, keeping the name of the person or business visible in all sorts of platforms. Creating and promoting high-quality content, however, increases the effectiveness of this presence by encouraging more people to share it through social media.
Knowing what makes content of high quality is the key to harnessing it in a marketing or ORM standpoint. While there are many subjective elements to what makes content “good” in the eyes of a viewer, there are a few objective markers to consider given their medium of broadcast. Good content should be just long enough to keep the users’ attention yet substantial enough for them to find it worthwhile. Though good content doesn’t always have to be at the caliber of award-winning videos, images, and articles, it helps to set the bar high and make things look professional. Moreover, content shouldn’t just attract users, but also inspire them to follow; meaningful traffic is just as important as the number of impressions in the long run.
Creative, high quality-content spreads on its own with a little promotion and creates organic traffic and engagement to a person or company’s social media sites—a continuous stream of interesting content could help craft a loyal base of followers and brand advocates. The resulting following also bolsters up the search results through the organic spread of the content links, which aids in the ORM process by creating a ready infrastructure of high-ranking links to build on.
Additional information:
http://socialmediatoday.com/tiffaniallen/1894606/power-brand-advocacy
http://www.semrush.com/blog/publications/content-marketers-can-learn-orm/