Here’s How Whirlpool Uses Content Marketing to Educate Customers on Maintenance
Content marketing has been a hot topic in digital marketing for years now and brands in almost every industry have been leveraging the power of written articles, eBooks, white papers, as well as social media posts and more to educate their customers, establish themselves as industry leaders/experts, and drive website visitors into their sales funnel.
It’s not a subject which comes up much when we’re talking about innovation in the world of field service provision, focused as we usually are on predictive maintenance technology, or other innovative concepts such as virtual and augmented reality.
However, content marketing can have a significant impact in the field service industry, not just for the marketing reasons described above, but also as an educational tool which can help customers solve many of their own problems, freeing engineers to focus of more significant issues.
Content Marketing
We are all aware of the basic forms of content marketing such as blogs or social media posts, but the concept has expanded in recent years to encompass many other types of material besides those. It seems hardly a year goes by where some new technique or trend doesn’t emerge to transform the world of content marketing.
A new and transformative social media platform such as TikTok is a notable example of one of these emerging trends, demonstrated by the fact the amount of online video watched per person per week has almost doubled since 2018.
According to HubSpot research carried out at the end of 2021, 90% of marketers using content marketing planned to continue investing the same amount in the channel in 2022 and 66% of marketers expect their 2022 content marketing budget to increase more than their 2021 budget.
Content marketing is also great for pushing your website up the Google rankings. The search engine giant prioritizes websites which are regularly updated with updated content and has recently revealed that its search algorithms are in the process of transcending straightforward text to include images, voice/podcasts, and videos when ranking results.
This means it won’t be too long before having a range of content types on your website will be essential for SEO – something which will become even more relevant when Google removes support for third party cookies from its popular Chrome browser in 2023.
Now we know how critical content marketing continues to be for all industries, let’s narrow our focus a little and bring it back to the subject of field service and the way content marketing can be of particular use in this business. And for that, we’ll use a specific example.
Whirlpool
As one of the most recognizable brands in the home, kitchen, and laundry appliance space, Whirlpool has decades of experience with the machines and devices which keep our homes running smoothly.
While Whirlpool has a suite of maintenance and support offerings listed on its website, from scheduled service and service plans, to warranty registration and spare parts and accessories, it understands the best way to keep its products in top condition is to educate its customers on how best to take care of them themselves.
That is why Whirlpool’s Home Heartbeat content portal is packed with detailed and informative articles which lay out how to perform basic maintenance on its products and how to take care of them in a manner which reduces the chances of faults developing. The blog has articles covering everything from understanding the various parts of appliances, how to properly clean and maintain them, and troubleshooting guides for when things go wrong.
The articles are incredibly detailed, with step-by-step guides on any procedures given and video content to show the process in action – ticking many of Google’s SEO boxes, while also providing customer with relevant and actionable information. The blog also has easy to use filters to help customers narrow down the number of articles displayed.
The Home Heartbeat is complimented by the support section where, in addition to the features discussed above, customers can download manuals and other literature for their appliances and access how to guides and FAQs.
"Never miss a beat with a resource that gives you a go-to place for appliance information, home hacks and how-tos," says Whirlpool on the content portal.
Final Thoughts
Content marketing is continuing to be a powerful force in the digital era.
However, brands like Whirlpool are demonstrating that content can be so much more than a tool for marketing and can instead be used to boost customer experience, reduce field service engineer’s workloads, and increase asset lifespans significantly through customer education.
You can hear Whirlpool’s Sr Director, Head of Consumer Services, Simone Silva speak at Field Service Connect 2022, taking place in November at the Hyatt Regency Austin, TX.
Download the agenda today for more information and insights.