If you want to reach the masses while strengthening your brand, content marketing is the answer. After all, as Jonah Berger, a professor and expert on viral marketing and social influence said, “Going viral isn't random, magic or luck — it's a science.”

Have you recently seen a video that truly captured your attention? You may have even discussed it with your peers. If so, that's what you're after, and with a little guidance and perseverance, you too can succeed within the content marketing world.

In relation to video content, the pharmaceutical industry has an upper hand. Everyone is interested in how they can improve their health. If this is unchartered territory for you, these tips will get you started.

10 Tips You Need to Know About Content Marketing

Keep this concept in mind — the key to good content is that it's not overly promotional but is useful, interesting or valuable. Instead of selling, provide consumers with the information they need to make an informed decision.

Let's get started!

1. Invest in your brand — you need to inject money into your content marketing budget in order to get a return. If implemented properly, that investment will be well worth the initial funding. Standard commercials on social media are great for this purpose.
2. Create a video content strategy — start with a solid plan of action. Although you'll need to make modifications along the way, it's critical that you're able to measure your level of success. Ask yourself, what do you want your video content to accomplish? Who is your target audience? What action do you want them to take?
3. Share to educate — offer practical information in order to build a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. This is great to capture the attention of potential customers, while also keeping your current customers engaged.
4. Strike human emotion — we've all seen those commercials or videos that really seem to touch the human spirit, ending with a message from a phone or soda company. These types of videos are meaningful and spark another level of intellect.
5. Use multiple videos — as stated in the 2013 Online Video Marketing Survey and Trends Report, 25 percent of the respondents planned on incorporating 50 or more videos into their marketing strategy. This is because based on the cost of production, the return can be substantial.
6. Create how-to videos for existing customers — did you know that, on average, it costs five times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one? Offer how-to videos that will appeal to this customer base.
7. Keep it short — as stated by Time magazine, our approximately eight-second attention spans are now shorter than the nine-second attention span of goldfish. Although there are exceptions, aim for a video that's 90 seconds or fewer.
8. Be patient — you'll want to see some sort of initial progress, but if you're not seeing the results you'd like right off the bat, do not be so quick to give up. Content marketing is a long-term investment, and in order to truly influence your audience, you need to be persistent.
9. SEO isn't always king — pay attention to SEO within your daily routines, always incorporating the basics. With that being said, when making video content, if you're too robotic about SEO requirements you could reduce the quality of your content by taking away from the narrative.
10. Ask for help — if you don't know where to begin, invest in individuals that do. Although you may need to fund content marketing in the beginning, it will be done right, boosting productivity.

Get started today in order to experience beneficial results in the near and distant future. After all, Andrew Davis, the highest-rated content marketing speaker and author, said, “Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.”