Since the publication of Jay Baer’s New York Times best-selling book, Youtility, the concept of utility marketing has generated tremendous buzz among modern marketers.
Although not a new approach to customer acquisition, it is becoming increasingly adopted by marketers who understand that today’s consumers are savvier than ever.
According to Social Media Today, utility marketing means “Putting content and information in your marketing material that your target audience can utilize.” Unlike interruption marketing, where the aim is to present a product or service offering to as many potential customers as possible with the hope of acquiring sales, utility marketing focuses more on providing a target audience with specific solutions. Examples include:
- A smartphone app that delivers a “recipe of the day,” built by an online kitchen supply shop.
- A digital newsletter that provides a list of “top 10 tax preparation tips,” delivered by an accounting firm.
- Online content, such as this blog, that offers actionable suggestions to help business owners improve their operations.
But let’s not forget about video, which has the ability to deliver a great deal of useful knowledge faster than written content. According to the article, “How to Deliver Useful Marketing With Video Resource Microsites,” courtesy of Search Engine Watch, “…people generally prefer to watch a video rather than read a lengthy document. So if modern marketers want to embrace their new hybrid role as a trainer and communicator, video is a must-have format.”
Video microsites are becoming more common and, as stated in the Search Engine Watch article, the best ones serve a diverse mix of content, such as customer testimonials, excerpts from live events, webinars, product tours and more.
A good example of the ways in which video content is used to inform and assist an audience is the Xerox video microsite on YouTube.
I encourage you to read the Search Engine Watch article for more examples of well-conceived microsites, and to learn the ways in which video content can greatly enhance your company’s search engine results.
As always, thanks for reading.
