“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” (1)
Definition of Content Marketing
If you remove the words “valuable” and “relevant” from the definition above, you have the traditional definition of marketing, which has been around for decades. These traditional practices are losing effectiveness, in the growing age of the internet and Generation Z.
Companies send you information all the time. Emails, text messages, more emails, flyers in the mail, advertisements, and even more emails. But what percentage of that content do you believe is actually useful or interesting to you?
That is where content marketing comes in! By creating valuable and relevant content that your customers can use, content marketing is the building blocks for establishing your brand value and building lasting relationships with your customers.
Types of Content Marketing
There are numerous forms of content marketing that a business can utilize, but which one is the best? The best is based on the product or service your business provides, and how your customers interact with or use your products and services. Some examples of content marketing are listed below.
1. Blogging
2. Podcasting
3. Case Studies
4. Videos
5. Infographics and checklists
6. Social media posts
7. Webinars
8. eBooks
9. User-generated content
10. Testimonials
11. How-to Guides
12. Influencer content
This content can be useful, interesting, helpful, funny, engaging, or persuasive. As long as it is quality content that your target audience is looking for, prospects will respond. We will go into further depth on the different types listed above, and how to use them in your business, in separate blog posts.
What do you get out of content marketing?
Traditional marketing efforts directly ask a prospect for something, with no clear exchange of value. This is essentially just attracting them to your site and hoping they will convert to a sale. Would you respond to that?
With content marketing, you are giving something to your prospects that they can use or is entertaining. This draws them in and provides tangible evidence that your business has what your customers are looking for. When you complete a sale driven from your content marketing, the customer will be more fulfilled because they feel that their needs are valued and understood. The goal of content marketing for most businesses, include:
1. Drive traffic to landing pages
2. Spread brand awareness
3. Build customer relationships
4. Drive more revenue
5. Generate social media engagement
With traditional marketing and advertising efforts, you may see quicker returns; however, this is a short term approach to your marketing plan. Content marketing is a longer term approach; although, definitely worth the wait! By elevating your brand’s presence online and building strong customer relationships overtime, you will create more value for your customers by sending the clear message that you are here for them and are attuned to their needs.
References
1. Content Marketing Institute - https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/
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