Content Marketing

One of the hottest topics of modern marketing is Content Marketing. CEO’s and CMO’s instruct their teams to create more content and on average companies spend 25% of the marketing budget on content. But what is content marketing really all about?

Content marketing is about creating, curating and distributing valuable (of value to the customer!) content, combined with measuring its impact on awareness, lead generation and customer acquisition. Simply put, it is business relevant communications …

In this sense it is the antidote to “interruption marketing.” Instead of pitching products or services, a content marketer equips buyers with the knowledge to make better-informed decisions. So, it starts with sharing your relevant knowledge with your prospective future customers. Central to content marketing is the belief that if businesses deliver consistent, helpful information to buyers at the right time, then prospects will ultimately reward the company with their purchase and loyalty. And they do!

Content marketing is used by some of the greatest marketing organizations in the world, but also by small businesses around the globe. Why? Because it works. A famous study by research firm Yankelovich found the average person is exposed to about 5,000 ads or offers per day. Buyers have tuned out interruptive marketing, and businesses must respond by reaching prospects in new ways.

Content marketing is one of these new ways.

Businesses that succeed in developing timely, relevant, non-promotional content reach potential buyers both directly and through the most persuasive channel of all: word of mouth. Exceptional content, like remarkable solutions or great customer experiences, induces conversations and incites sharing. Both through word of mouth and through online channels such as blogs and social media.

Effective content marketing requires you to shift thinking from marketer to publisher. This shift consists of four new emphases:

1. Define a critical group of buyers (buying personas).
2. Determine what these buyers really need and how they want to receive it.
3. Deliver that information in a way that maximizes the impact on the company’s goals.
4. Measure the result and recalibrate.

Content marketing doesn’t end at creation. A thoughtful content distribution strategy is also a prerequisite for success. Some popular ways for distributing content are:

• Blog
• eNewsletter
• White Paper
• Referent cases and case studies
• eBook
• Video
• Infographics

Finally, like great content, also poor content will be noticed by potential buyers and can have a huge impact on your business. Of course this will not be the impact you are looking for.

So, go the content marketing way, but shoot for a professional level!