What Is Content Marketing?
So you're asking what is content marketing? Well, it's when brands create engaging and thoughtful posts to reach their target audience. Content marketing is the practice of creating high quality, engaging content to establish your brand as a thought leader in your niche.
It's often thought of as a way to market products or services online; however the main goal isn't necessarily about selling anything at all--in fact many marketers find themselves focusing less on monetization in favor of creating great writing.
The goal of a marketing strategy is to drive traffic and convert visitors into customers. Your content strategy should align with your company's goals and vision. At its core, content marketing is the creation and sharing of information that is both relevant to your business and seen as valuable by your businesses' target audience. There are many different content marketing tactics available. The critical difference between this form of marketing and traditional marketing is that content marketing indirectly stimulates interest in your company, brand or products as opposed to explicitly promoting a particular product or service. People have been bombarded by ads for so many years that they instinctively mute them, fast forward through them or skip them depending on which medium they are watching the ad.Â
Content marketing is a targeted, strategic marketing approach focused on attracting and retaining customers by creating and distributing valuable, informative, insightful, consistent and relevant content. The goal of a successful campaign isn't just about getting people's attention but rather providing them information they can use in their everyday lives that will drive profitable customer action.Your content marketing strategy is your roadmap for success. Without one, it's not easy to stay on track or know when and where you should focus efforts in order get the best results from your posts. Take YouTube as just one example to clearly see the difference between content marketing and traditional marketing. You've just finished typing in a search for a video on a topic that you really want to learn about. The first thing that happens, typically, is that an ad comes on and starts playing right before your video. If you're like most people, you click that “skip ad” button as soon as you're able to.
That ad that comes on is a perfect example of traditional advertising, while the video that you are trying to watch is a perfect example of content marketing. The video you searched for has information that you perceive as valuable and want to watch. It was made by a smart content marketer who will get you as a subscriber to their channel and eventually get you to buy products or services that are related to their channel's subject matter from them. This is in contrast to going for the “hard sell” from the outset, which is that ad that you couldn't skip fast enough.
A content marketing strategy should be measurable and actionable. You probably ask yourself: How should I start with content marketing and especially how content marketing can grow your business? Don't worry, I'm going to give you some answers below.
It's often thought of as a way to market products or services online; however the main goal isn't necessarily about selling anything at all--in fact many marketers find themselves focusing less on monetization in favor of creating great writing.
The goal of a marketing strategy is to drive traffic and convert visitors into customers. Your content strategy should align with your company's goals and vision. At its core, content marketing is the creation and sharing of information that is both relevant to your business and seen as valuable by your businesses' target audience. There are many different content marketing tactics available. The critical difference between this form of marketing and traditional marketing is that content marketing indirectly stimulates interest in your company, brand or products as opposed to explicitly promoting a particular product or service. People have been bombarded by ads for so many years that they instinctively mute them, fast forward through them or skip them depending on which medium they are watching the ad.Â
Content marketing is a targeted, strategic marketing approach focused on attracting and retaining customers by creating and distributing valuable, informative, insightful, consistent and relevant content. The goal of a successful campaign isn't just about getting people's attention but rather providing them information they can use in their everyday lives that will drive profitable customer action.Your content marketing strategy is your roadmap for success. Without one, it's not easy to stay on track or know when and where you should focus efforts in order get the best results from your posts. Take YouTube as just one example to clearly see the difference between content marketing and traditional marketing. You've just finished typing in a search for a video on a topic that you really want to learn about. The first thing that happens, typically, is that an ad comes on and starts playing right before your video. If you're like most people, you click that “skip ad” button as soon as you're able to.
That ad that comes on is a perfect example of traditional advertising, while the video that you are trying to watch is a perfect example of content marketing. The video you searched for has information that you perceive as valuable and want to watch. It was made by a smart content marketer who will get you as a subscriber to their channel and eventually get you to buy products or services that are related to their channel's subject matter from them. This is in contrast to going for the “hard sell” from the outset, which is that ad that you couldn't skip fast enough.
A content marketing strategy should be measurable and actionable. You probably ask yourself: How should I start with content marketing and especially how content marketing can grow your business? Don't worry, I'm going to give you some answers below.
Frequently Used Content Marketing Strategies
In order to be effective at content marketing, it's important that you have a documented content marketing strategy. Having an in-house content team can help you create a content calendar. In order to create engaging content, it is important that we understand our audience and their needs. Content creation should be at the center of your company's marketing strategy. The tone of voice should be informative with authoritative insights about the topic at hand.
Before promoting your content, you need to create it. This sounds obvious but many people struggle to create new content. You should always have a plan and come up with new content ideas for your niche.
There are various ways that businesses or organizations can distribute content to get the attention of people they believe will be interested in what they have to offer. Businesses should utilize multiple methods in order to have greater potential to reach more prospects. The following are just a few of the more common methods.
Before promoting your content, you need to create it. This sounds obvious but many people struggle to create new content. You should always have a plan and come up with new content ideas for your niche.
There are various ways that businesses or organizations can distribute content to get the attention of people they believe will be interested in what they have to offer. Businesses should utilize multiple methods in order to have greater potential to reach more prospects. The following are just a few of the more common methods.
Before you even start creating content, you need to know who it is for. Do you have a clearly defined audience? If yes, you may start. If not, I suggest you create buyer personas and ideal clients. This way, you will know what kind of content they're looking for, what kind of questions they're asking, etc. and you can start working on your messaging and your brand voice.
In the content marketing world, it is highly recommended that any serious business have a blog on their website. A blog gives you a place to regularly post articles of interest that are related to what you sell, that may attract the attention of people and drive profitable customer action. Content marketing by creating interesting, compelling articles (Those can be educational articles, insightful ones, salesy, controversial... the key is to stay authentic) and posting them on a blog is also a great way to utilize social media to grow your business. Having a blog will help you brand grow.
This is not it. There are a lot of other benefits of blogging for businesses: branding, trust, traffic, SEO, etc. You can even get a positive ROI thanks to blogging by turning blog readers into customers.
In addition to posts specifically for social media sites, you can also link to blog posts on your website through your social media channels. A percentage of the people who see these posts will inevitably end up checking out the rest of your website beyond the blog page. Some of them will see what you have to offer and become a lead or customer by asking you about your goods or services or by making a purchase immediately. For social media, you have many strategies you can use: traditional ones but also neglected methods. Don't obviously use what everyone else uses.
An infographic in this same blog post relates that the four most common types of videos are explainers, product demos, how-tos and testimonials. On a related note, infographics are another eye-catching way of sharing content that grips people's attention assuming, as always, that the content in it is seen as valuable and interesting in the target audience.Â
Blog Posts
When you create content, you need to have search engines on the back of your mind. Don't get me wrong, you don't write content for search engines but for people. Focus on high quality content that are meant for your buyer personas. But, optimizing your blog posts for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes is crucial to leverage the power of search engines and get organic traffic from each blog piece you create. You can create the best piece of content but if nobody sees it, it's completely useless. How to find the right keywords for your blog posts. Start with a simple keyword research and find long-tail keywords with high search volume and low keyword difficulty in your industry. Then, add those keywords naturally in your blog posts and your organic search traffic will start increasing in no time.In the content marketing world, it is highly recommended that any serious business have a blog on their website. A blog gives you a place to regularly post articles of interest that are related to what you sell, that may attract the attention of people and drive profitable customer action. Content marketing by creating interesting, compelling articles (Those can be educational articles, insightful ones, salesy, controversial... the key is to stay authentic) and posting them on a blog is also a great way to utilize social media to grow your business. Having a blog will help you brand grow.
This is not it. There are a lot of other benefits of blogging for businesses: branding, trust, traffic, SEO, etc. You can even get a positive ROI thanks to blogging by turning blog readers into customers.
Social Media Uploads
Sharing is the name of the game in social media. Whether it's Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, people are always sending friends and family links to articles, blog posts, videos and other media that they find of interest. The higher the quality of your content marketing campaigns and the greater the interest it sparks in people, the greater the chances that it will “go viral,” which means massive numbers of people will end up seeing it. Having a social media strategy is key to sharing your content to your target audience.ÂIn addition to posts specifically for social media sites, you can also link to blog posts on your website through your social media channels. A percentage of the people who see these posts will inevitably end up checking out the rest of your website beyond the blog page. Some of them will see what you have to offer and become a lead or customer by asking you about your goods or services or by making a purchase immediately. For social media, you have many strategies you can use: traditional ones but also neglected methods. Don't obviously use what everyone else uses.
Creating and Posting Video Content
Content marketing keeps evolving and blogging isn't the only solution out there. As mentioned in the YouTube example, creating videos is another way of doing content marketing. Video is extremely powerful because it engages more of the viewer's senses than words and still images on a page. A blog post on Hubspot has stated that 51.9 percent of marketing professionals name video as the type of content with the best return on investment.An infographic in this same blog post relates that the four most common types of videos are explainers, product demos, how-tos and testimonials. On a related note, infographics are another eye-catching way of sharing content that grips people's attention assuming, as always, that the content in it is seen as valuable and interesting in the target audience.Â
Offering Your Expertise in the Form of an E-book
If you are knowledgeable enough in a given subject area related to what your company offers, you may even think about creating an e-book on the subject. Today you can hire a ghostwriter to write it for you. With a ghostwriter, it's still your expertise, processed into a more polished form. It should contain material of intense interest to the target audience since it will have to hold their interest longer than a few minute long video or a short blog post. It can be used as a “freebie” when people sign up for your newsletter, which enables you to link the more traditional method of email advertising to your content marketing efforts.Email Marketing
Email marketing can be a high-impact way to build your customer base, generate leads and make sales. It's also one of the most cost-effective ways for entrepreneurs and marketers to grow their respective businesses. Email marketing (Such as sending newsletters) is known as one of the online marketing channels with the highest ROI when done correctly. So, start leveraging this today!The Benefits of Using Content Marketing to Grow Your Business
Content marketing is the best way to create useful, engaging and relevant content that your audience will love. The benefits of content marketing are many and varied, it is a great way to improve brand awareness, build trust and credibility, build an engaged community, generate leads and increase your revenue. Content marketing is the best way to convert your customers into loyal fans and get them talking about you. A content marketing strategy is a must for any company looking to be successful. Without one, your efforts and marketing campaigns are doomed from the start.
People engaging with valuable content on your website through blog posts and videos stay on your webpages longer, which helps with your website's search engine rankings. The main emphasis of Google's algorithm updates over the past year has been to make content king, and this trend is only expected to grow stronger.
It also does not necessarily have to require any effort. There are websites where people who desire to make money by writing content get together with business owners who need the content. Despite taking more money than doing it yourself, it still comes out to being way more economical than purchasing display ads, which have only had dwindling response rates over the years.Â
To make sure you get a positive ROI with your content, it's important to define the right metrics and analyze your data. Don't make these data-driven marketing mistakes though: being impatient, not experimenting or replacing your strategy with analytics.
Increase Trust and Authority in Your Brand
Consumers buy from brands they trust. Content marketing helps establish this trust by showing you are committed to helping potential customers solve their problems. By implementing a successful content marketing strategy for your brand, you can create a striving local and international brand. This is what valuable content does, and it is appreciated by potential customers and goes a long way toward turning them into actual customers. It also presents you as an authority in your field. People will feel that you know what you're doing and can, therefore, handle any problems that may come up if they buy your goods or services and that you can offer expert guidance. Thanks to experienced copywriters, you can prevent your business from being boring!Increase Your Visibility
Your content strategy needs to be aligned with your overall marketing strategy. Content marketing gets your company name and brand out there in front of many more people. Better still, it does so in a far more positive light than if your brand is in that ad they're skipping when they're trying to read or watch content that they actually want to see. This increase in visibility will invariably create more followers on social media, which can have a snowballing effect when you get so many followers that many others want to see what all the excitement is about.ÂPeople engaging with valuable content on your website through blog posts and videos stay on your webpages longer, which helps with your website's search engine rankings. The main emphasis of Google's algorithm updates over the past year has been to make content king, and this trend is only expected to grow stronger.
Better Return on Investment Than Traditional Advertising
Even if content marketing ROI can be difficult to calculate, it is well known that it's one of the most profitable long-term marketing strategies. Both traditional marketing and content marketing will bring increased sales, which is the lifeblood of any business. Content marketing, however, will do so far more cheaply than traditional advertising. Creating interesting, informative content that people find to be valuable takes effort, but it's much cheaper than paying for online display ads or banner ads or paid search ads while also being much more effective.It also does not necessarily have to require any effort. There are websites where people who desire to make money by writing content get together with business owners who need the content. Despite taking more money than doing it yourself, it still comes out to being way more economical than purchasing display ads, which have only had dwindling response rates over the years.Â
To make sure you get a positive ROI with your content, it's important to define the right metrics and analyze your data. Don't make these data-driven marketing mistakes though: being impatient, not experimenting or replacing your strategy with analytics.
Content Marketing's Importance Today and in the Future
The content marketing industry has been on a steady rise, and it's not too surprising why. Content can appeal to customers in many different ways: through humor or sentimentality; by providing information that aids decision making (such as an FAQ section); creating just the right amount of intrigue so readers want more without being pushy about promoting their product - all while building trust between brand owner/creator and clientele.
One of the most crucial aspects to developing a successful content marketing strategy is defining your goals. Without clearly defined objectives, it's likely that you'll experience challenges when implementing content marketing tactics such as creating or sharing content online with customers, prospects and leads in mind and measuring success. If your current content is failing, follow the trends, don't always try to re-invent the wheel.
Search engine optimization is a powerful tool used by nearly any remotely successful company for generating leads and traffic, and this is only expected to continue through the coming years. As mentioned in the “increase your visibility” benefit above for content marketing, Google's algorithm updates of late have only served to make valuable content more integral to a website's pages ranking well under targeted keywords for generating qualified traffic. Google is placing a higher premium on visitors spending more time on a website, and people will click off of keyword-stuffed webpages and blog posts that offer nothing of value faster than you can say “going out of business sale.”Â
All of the above reasons are exactly why content marketing is already one of the most utilized digital marketing techniques today. Most of the other methods of online outreach, such as paid search marketing, display ads and online PR, are far behind content marketing. Even if they may be successful on some level, businesses that are not fully leveraging content marketing are essentially operating their marketing effort with one arm tied behind their back, and they won't be living up to their full marketing potential until this changes.
So, if you want to grow your brand and don't have a content marketing strategy yet, I recommend you to start from today. A great benefit of content marketing is that you'll be able to market your business even if you're on a budget. Indeed, content marketing can grow your business! Content marketing is the future of your brand!
When you create content, don't forget to focus on quality vs quantity. On another note, don't forget to create your own strategy to promote your content. I see too many content marketers spending most of their time creating content without thinking about distribution or promotion. At Growth Hackers, we often tell our customers to use the Pareto Principle 80/20 by spending 20% of the time/money creating content and 80% on distributing it.
One of the most crucial aspects to developing a successful content marketing strategy is defining your goals. Without clearly defined objectives, it's likely that you'll experience challenges when implementing content marketing tactics such as creating or sharing content online with customers, prospects and leads in mind and measuring success. If your current content is failing, follow the trends, don't always try to re-invent the wheel.
Search engine optimization is a powerful tool used by nearly any remotely successful company for generating leads and traffic, and this is only expected to continue through the coming years. As mentioned in the “increase your visibility” benefit above for content marketing, Google's algorithm updates of late have only served to make valuable content more integral to a website's pages ranking well under targeted keywords for generating qualified traffic. Google is placing a higher premium on visitors spending more time on a website, and people will click off of keyword-stuffed webpages and blog posts that offer nothing of value faster than you can say “going out of business sale.”Â
All of the above reasons are exactly why content marketing is already one of the most utilized digital marketing techniques today. Most of the other methods of online outreach, such as paid search marketing, display ads and online PR, are far behind content marketing. Even if they may be successful on some level, businesses that are not fully leveraging content marketing are essentially operating their marketing effort with one arm tied behind their back, and they won't be living up to their full marketing potential until this changes.
So, if you want to grow your brand and don't have a content marketing strategy yet, I recommend you to start from today. A great benefit of content marketing is that you'll be able to market your business even if you're on a budget. Indeed, content marketing can grow your business! Content marketing is the future of your brand!
When you create content, don't forget to focus on quality vs quantity. On another note, don't forget to create your own strategy to promote your content. I see too many content marketers spending most of their time creating content without thinking about distribution or promotion. At Growth Hackers, we often tell our customers to use the Pareto Principle 80/20 by spending 20% of the time/money creating content and 80% on distributing it.
The key to success in content marketing is creating valuable and actionable pieces of information that speaks directly to your audience. Create content that resonates with your audience! This will set you apart from your competition, but only if done correctly!
Sharing of content, whether it be blog posts, infographics, videos, or another form, will only be growing in importance as a tool of marketing. After years of having advertising messages shoved down their throats, many people aren't taking it anymore. It's gotten so bad that click-through rates on display ads of all formats on the internet are below one-tenth of one percent.
When it comes to search engine optimization, boosting name recognition and increasing trust and authority in your field in order to reach the goal of higher sales, content marketing is no longer optional. If you wish to increase your company's sales and value in 2017 and beyond, then you first need to offer value to the modern consumer. SEO coupled with content marketing can grow your business... a lot!
Sharing of content, whether it be blog posts, infographics, videos, or another form, will only be growing in importance as a tool of marketing. After years of having advertising messages shoved down their throats, many people aren't taking it anymore. It's gotten so bad that click-through rates on display ads of all formats on the internet are below one-tenth of one percent.
When it comes to search engine optimization, boosting name recognition and increasing trust and authority in your field in order to reach the goal of higher sales, content marketing is no longer optional. If you wish to increase your company's sales and value in 2017 and beyond, then you first need to offer value to the modern consumer. SEO coupled with content marketing can grow your business... a lot!
So, how to use content marketing to grow your business?
Whether you have a new business, a startup or an established business, I strongly recommend you have a content strategy in place. A lot of business owners, entrepreneurs, startup founders and marketers think that content marketing equals blogging. They cannot be more wrong. Content marketing is a combination of multiple channels: blog posts, social media posts, email marketing, video creation, copywriting, advertising and more.You need to be thinking about how your content strategy can support the marketing and business goals. Building a content marketing SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) not only will help you keep things organized, it will also help you build a foolproof content strategy. The team behind all of this should work together as a cohesive unit, without any gaps in communication or overlapping efforts between different departments.
Content marketing is King but context and quality of your content are key. You need to have a content marketing strategy where you have the right message, which resonates with your target audience. Using different content formats is also important. Content marketing should be part of your overall marketing strategy.
It's not enough to have a marketing strategy; you need clear measurements too. Google Analytics is an awesome tool to track your traffic, set the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that you want to measure and what's awesome is that Google Analytics is free and powerful. Without performance indicators and benchmarks, there can be no success for your efforts in this world of ours!
At Growth Hackers, we can help you use content marketing to grow your business whether you want to hire a ghost writer or need training to become a world-class copywriter. We are recognized as one of the top content marketing and copywriting companies worldwide. Indeed, we help startups, small to medium businesses and founders grow through content marketing, growth hacking and more. If you want your business to reach new heights, get in touch with Growth Hackers today, ask us some info and we'll tell you how.
Hayden Stewart
I am a contributing author and media specialist for Financial Business Solutions. I regularly produce content-based financial, credit and business solutions that business’ and individuals face on a regular basis.
2 Comments
Thanks for the helpful article Hayden.
The times have certainly changed. It seems like only yesterday that companies relied solely on traditional marketing channels to spread the word about their goods and services.
The beauty of content marketing is that it offers a wide range of methods that can be used by companies of various sizes. Companies with a global reach as well as small firms might benefit from content marketing.
Thanks for sharing such great content.