Fishing for eyeballs The secrets of VAS marketing

Acquiring users is costly and highly competitive, but what are some of the basic digital marketing tactics that can be deployed to increase eyeballs on your VAS and to retain those that you already have?

As the battle to acquire users intensifies, value added service (VAS) providers be they content, services or games, need to find new ways to attract eyeballs (see page 1). To stand out, VAS content providers must employ a robust marketing strategy that resonates with their target audience.

Customer acquisition and retention is a top priority for marketers. I don’t need to tell you that cost of acquisition is getting higher while increasing spending on retention can improve profits. In fact, a 5% increase in retention spend can yield as much as a 30% increase in profits.

We have seen in the previous article how costly and difficult that is becoming, so what are the marketing tips and tricks that can help get those eyeballs looking at your content, app, service, game or other VAS property?

CONTENT MARKETING

Creating high-quality, valuable content remains one of the most effective digital marketing strategies. But this doesn’t just mean making a brilliant game or video or show, it means creating exciting and engaging content around that. Think of it as turning that service or offering into a brand in its own right. To do this you can create:

Thought leadership content: Producing insightful content that showcases expertise and establishes authority in your niche Diverse content formats: Use various formats like blog posts, videos, infographics, and case studies to cater to different audience preferences

Create compelling content: Invest in creating valuable content that resonates with your target audience but don’t just limit yourself to the game, TV programme or video you are offering.

Informative articles and blog posts: Share industry insights, tips, and how-to guides to establish your brand as a trusted authority.

Engaging videos: Create visually appealing videos that showcase your content offerings and tell your brand story (see below).

Interactive content: Use interactive elements like quizzes, polls, and calculators to increase user engagement and capture valuable data.

Personalised content: Tailor your content recommendations to individual user preferences based on their browsing history and behaviour.

PERSONALISATION AND TARGETED CAMPAIGNS

Tailoring marketing efforts to specific audience segments is crucial. Again, you will have done this with the content you have made or acquired, but also apply that to thee marketing content around it. You can do this through:

Data-driven personalisation: Collecting and analysing user data to create personalized marketing messages

Account-based marketing (ABM): Focusing on high-value accounts with personalized strategies, especially effective for B2B services

Segmentation: Dividing the audience based on preferences, behaviour, or demographics for more targeted campaigns

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Leveraging social platforms for engagement and brand building is marketing 101 these days, but how can you apply it to content and VAS marketing? Why not try adopting these tactics across your business:

Platform selection: Choosing the most suitable social media platforms based on the target audience – for example, LinkedIn for B2B, Instagram for visual content

Consistent brand voice: Developing a consistent and engaging brand presence across platforms Community engagement:

Actively interacting with followers and building a community around the brand

VIDEO MARKETING

Incorporating video content into marketing strategies – shorts and long form, you will need both. When doing so, think about how to deliver your message through:

Diverse video types: Creating instructional videos, announcements, behind-the-scenes content, and event coverage

Platform optimisation: Tailoring video content for different platforms (such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels)

EMAIL MARKETING

Sounds old fashioned, but you still can’t beat email. Use it as a powerful tool for nurturing leads and customer relationships through:

Personalised campaigns: Crafting targeted email campaigns based on user segments and behaviours

Automation: Implementing automated email sequences for lead nurturing and customer onboarding

VOICE SEARCH OPTIMISATION

Adapting content for the growing trend of voice search is not yet perhaps a top priority, but rest assured that it will be in the coming months. Try: Featured snippet optimisation: Structuring content to appear in featured snippets, which are often used for voice search results

Conversational keywords: Optimising for natural language queries typical in voice searches

ANALYTICS AND DATADRIVEN DECISION MAKING

Leveraging data to refine and improve marketing strategies is already well established in the marketing world, but doing it right is a challenge that many don’t get right. Try:

Performance tracking: Monitoring key metrics across all marketing channels

A/B testing: Continuously testing and optimizing various elements of marketing campaigns

ROI analysis: Focusing on strategies that deliver the best return on investment.

BUILD STRONG PARTNERSHIPS

Collaborate with other businesses and content providers to expand your reach and cross promote your services. Partnering with complementary businesses can help you tap into new audiences and generate additional revenue streams.

The role of SEO in VAS marketing

Alongside all of these mainstream marketing tricks to get eyeballs, it is all for nothing unless you optimise for search. The list of benefits from SEO include:

• Higher rankings: Effective SEO strategies lead to better search engine rankings, making VAS content more discoverable to potential users

• Targeted traffic: By optimising for relevant keywords, SEO drives qualified traffic to VAS content, increasing the likelihood of conversions

• Website optimisation: SEO encourages the creation of userfriendly websites, improving engagement and retention rates

• Mobile optimisation: With Google’s mobile-first indexing, SEO ensures that VAS content is optimized for mobile devices, catering to the growing mobile user base

• Long-term results: While paid ads stop generating traffic once the budget runs out, SEO continues to drive organic traffic over time

• Higher ROI: As SEO targets users actively searching for specific content or services, it often leads to higher conversion rates and better return on investment

• Keyword-rich content: SEO informs content creation, ensuring that VAS content incorporates relevant keywords and topics that users are searching for

• Quality content: SEO encourages the creation of high-quality, valuable content that addresses user needs, which in turn improves search rankings and user engagement

• Market insights: SEO research provides valuable insights into competitor strategies and market trends

• Brand authority: Consistently ranking well for relevant searches helps establish VAS content services as authoritative sources in their niche

• Structured data: Implementing structured data helps search engines better understand VAS content, potentially leading to rich snippets in search results.