In order to be effective in writing a post about content marketing, we first have to establish a basic foundation. We will get to why content marketing is important and what it means for you, but first:
What is content marketing?
The What of Content Marketing
Content marketing is, in short, a type of marketing that is focused on producing tailor-made content for a targeted audience that has to do with the field related to your business but goes beyond your product.
This content could be in a hundred different formats––blog posts, videos, podcasts, social media posts, you-name-it––but the point remains that it is all about producing quality content specifically for that targeted audience.
Back in the day, when television was first becoming available in the average American home, interruptive marketing was a novelty. Over time, however, people started to get tired of the intrusive, pesky marketing tactics; and who can blame them?
Then the internet was developed, and with it, a new kind of marketing––digital marketing. And with that, a new and effective twist on the age-old idea of content marketing, establishing what we understand it to be now.
In the past, marketing was in the form of an interruption to the content (ex. A tv ad interrupting the show), but now the intention is for the content to be a form of marketing in and of itself (as this article put out by digitalmarketinginstitute.com explains so well).
The Why of Content Marketing
The “why” of content marketing is multi-layered. There is both short term and long term reasoning for investing time, money, and brain-power into quality content for all your business’s channels.
According to engeniousweb.com, 70% of consumers want to learn about products through content as opposed to traditional advertising methods. That is your first “why”: people want content.
In content marketing, you have the privilege of creating what people are looking for.
Think about it: Imagine you think you may need to replace the alternator on your car. What is the first thing you do? Google it… Maybe pull up an article on the function of the alternator and why it is important.
Someone wrote that article for people like you, knowing that someday you would need it, and even if they encourage you to buy parts from them at the end, you still gained something from the interaction––and if you do buy parts from them, so did they. You win, they win.
That’s the power of content marketing.
The “trick,” if you will, is in creating content that is worthwhile and will establish the credibility of your company, whether it’s your Facebook page or an article you posted.
If your content is sloppy or inaccurate, people will notice, and their trust in your business and your services will diminish.
If your content is high-quality and helpful, viewers of that content will take note. You are providing them with the information/content they needed based on their search, and you are opening the door for that viewer (lead) to become a buyer (conversion) in the future.
The How of Content Marketing
Content should be useful, informative, and entertaining. Why?
Remember: the content is the marketing, because, again, you are providing content that the potential buyer is deliberately searching for.
In doing so, you are encouraging and nurturing a long-term relationship with a potential customer rather than settling for a short-term relationship that might or might not lead to one sale.
Tips on the “how”:
So the “how” is simply CREATE. Create useful, informative, and entertaining blog posts, social media posts, videos, podcasts, ads, etc.
Don’t skimp out on your social media. Social media is a great space to show genuineness and really nurture a feeling of personal connection. Also, 42% of the population uses social media, so I would say the stats are in your favor there.
Don’t hold back on the blogging efforts. Having an active blog on your website is a seriously underrated way to show your expertise in a field. Also, marketers who utilize blogging as a part of their marketing strategy are 13x more likely to see positive ROI (Return on Investment).
Do your research. There’s a reason why there is such a vast output of articles, videos, etc. related to content marketing and why information like this step-by-step guide to content marketing is not only abundant, but wildly popular.
There’s more to the “how” than we can cover in one post (read more from us on digital marketing here), but it comes down to create create create and invest invest invest.
Finally, develop a digital marketing strategy that focuses on content creation, and don’t shy away from bringing on professional help for this. Just like the content creation itself, the return is worth the investment.
If you want to begin developing a digital marketing strategy but don’t know where to start or you’re interested in an evaluation of your business’s online presence, schedule a free consultation with Brown Creative Group today.
