How Research Reports Add Credibility To Your Marketing Message

Powerful Marketing Solutions for the Language Services Industry

Every brand has a message they are trying to get to you. Any company with something to sell is constantly trying to find new ways to speak to you and convince you to purchase whatever they are selling. Digital marketing and branding have never been easier, thanks to the plethora of “do it yourself” tools on the market. Therefore, crafting a “marketing message” is not that difficult either.

However, what has become increasingly more challenging is getting your message to convert. While many language services companies (LSCs) are actively publishing marketing content, over 50% of marketers believe their content is ineffective. This is often because the content is being created in-house by employees who don’t necessarily have a background in content marketing and don’t have the bandwidth to conduct the necessary research. As a result, they are oftentimes, missing the mark in their messaging.

Today’s consumer is constantly overwhelmed with advertisements trying to “sell” some type of product and service. These marketing messages sound great but what they lack is proof to back them up. Without facts and data, your marketing strategy might come across as nothing more than a bunch of fancy words with empty promises.

The idea of using content marketing to attract new customers is nothing new. According to the Content Marketing Institute, over 90% of B2C brands regularly leverage this type of tactic. However, when over half of B2B content marketers believe their content marketing pieces are ineffective, this is typically a sign that your content strategy needs to include more research-based reports. Research reports add credibility to your marketing message by presenting unbiased, independent data collected by someone other than yourself. While an ad will focus on promotion, research reports (like white papers and case studies) focus more on education. In other words, your claim that your product and/or service is the solution your target market requires is backed up by relevant data on industry needs as well as proof that it has worked for current and previous satisfied customers.

White Papers

The goal of a white paper is to present an in-depth report that focuses on a specific problem and the best way to solve it. This is a highly effective piece of content because it emphasizes education, not promotion. You are essentially providing free information to your customers without requiring them to purchase anything. And, equally as important, you are positioning your brand as a thought leader.

For example, let’s say you are an LCS that focuses on healthcare interpreting. After conducting your buyer research, you have learned that your target client struggles to understand how investing in your services will benefit them and their limited-English proficient (LEP) patients. Your white paper would focus, therefore, on published industry research, showing how healthcare interpreting decreases 30-day readmissions, improves patient satisfaction, and lowers overall hospital costs (among a myriad of other benefits). In other words, your white paper should present relevant, reliable data to prove that your services will lead to positive results for your target market.

Case Studies

You may see dozens of ads promoting a product you are interested in. However, what seals the deal is hearing from someone you trust that they had a positive experience with that particular product. A case study presents a real-life example of how your product took the audience’s problem and solved it for someone else just like them. In addition, it allows your prospect the opportunity to visualize your brand solving their issue. According to eMarketer, an impressive 62% of companies stated that case studies effectively generate leads.

Consider an LSC that provides translation and localization for the global retail industry. If that LSC just happens to have a current customer who has experienced a 35% increase in leads during the first three months of using your services, it’s time to capitalize on this exciting news with a case study. By creating a case study that shows the lead generation issue your clients were having and how your services are solving that issue, you will turn a lot of heads.

Industry Trends

Marketing your products and services is a bit easier if you can compare it to something already out there. For example, Honda does not need to sell you on the idea that you need a car, just that you should buy all of your cars from them. However, what happens when you bring a product to market that is brand new or has not yet been widely adopted by your target audience? You first need to increase your brand’s awareness through effective content marketing. You then need to convince your target market that the direction in which their industry is heading will present a problem that requires your solution. Consider how invaluable virtual remote interpreting (VRI) became, for instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, language services across the board have become increasingly more important in recent years as industries move toward remote settings and engage both employees and customers worldwide.

Industry trend reports are valuable for several reasons. First, they contain a ton of data and information that was collected by someone else. You get to benefit from this information without having to spend hours compiling it internally or spending a fortune on a research company that conducts primary research. Primary research is much more expensive and you’ll likely be waiting months before you see the results. On the flipside, industry trend reports are timely, cost-effective, and equally as unbiased. For a fraction of the price and time it takes to obtain a primary research report, secondary industry research provides fact-based information that strengthens your content’s credibility and positions you as an industry leader.

Whether you are providing translation, interpreting, or website localization services, your target audience wants the “facts.” Consider cash-strapped business owners who may need your services but are hesitant to assign both budget dollars and working hours to your services based solely on what your sales pitch has to say. However, if you can point to a data-driven report that backs up the claims you are making, you are much more likely to close the sale.

Create Content That Converts

It’s never been easier to create a marketing message and strategy, and marketers across industries are jumping on the bandwagon.

Data Source: Content Marketing Institute 

However, the ease of creating content also means it’s never been harder to craft a powerful message that converts and rises above your competitors. Your first steps are to increase brand awareness and identify what makes your products and services more valuable than the competition. Your second step is to create content that backs up your assertions with independent data. Brands that leverage these types of research reports will soon find themselves way ahead of their competition.

About GIM Content Management

We help language services providers around the globe by creating engaging and conversion-driving content. We seamlessly weave in relevant and engaging data by conducting secondary research from reliable, respected sources. Our goal is to add credibility and power to your marketing message by backing it up with facts, figures, and powerful stats. We will position your brand as a thought leader in the eyes of your audience and produce data-backed content that converts leads into customers. We continue to work with language services providers around the world, and we cannot wait to work with you.

Give us a call today.

REFERENCES

“2019 B2B Content Marketing Research: It Pays to Put Audience First.” Content Marketing Institute, 11 Oct. 2018, contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/10/research-b2b-audience/. 

Medina, Mario. “Council Post: How You Can Use White Papers to Increase Leads and Engagement.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 24 Aug. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/08/17/how-you-can-use-white-papers-to-increase-leads-and-engagement/?sh=75ac7086645d.

Bernhard, Heather. “Home.” Go to AutoGrow., www.autogrow.co/how-to-create-your-first-case-study/.