Content Marketing 101
If you’re like most business owners, you’re always looking for ways to reach more customers and grow your business. You may have heard of content marketing and wondered what it is, and whether or not it’s a good fit for your company. Wonder no more!
In this blog post, we will discuss what content marketing is, and why it’s so important for businesses today. We’ll also provide some tips on how you can get started with content marketing for your own business. So, what are you waiting for? Read on to learn more about content marketing!
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing has become a major player in the world of advertising. It is important for businesses to use this form if they want their name out there and make an impression on potential customers or clients!
Content marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. With content marketing, the goal is not to sell a specific product or service; the goal is to share information that educates, entertains and inspires customers and prospects.
How Does Content Marketing Differ from Traditional Marketing?
Content marketing can be difficult to define, but it’s clear when you see the difference. Marketing is about reaching your target market and promoting products or services while content often helps with this goal by providing valuable information that promotes an organization’s brand identity
You’ll want both aspects in every successful campaign because they work together like puzzle pieces making up one whole picture!
If you’re still not sure what content marketing is, here are a few examples:
- A company blog that provides valuable information to readers on topics related to the company’s products or services
- An e-book that educates prospects about your industry
- A series of how-to videos that show customers how to use your products
You’re not selling a particular item or service, you’re really selling yourself, your company culture, and your mission.
When Did Content Marketing Come Into the Scene?
The term “content marketing” was first used in the early 1900s by John Deere, an American agricultural equipment company. The company realized that farmers were only interested in buying their products when they needed them and not when they were trying to sell them.
So instead of using traditional marketing techniques like print advertisements, they decided to produce a magazine called The Furrow, which provided valuable information to farmers on topics like irrigation, animal husbandry, and crop rotation. This way the company could stay top-of-mind with its target market, and ultimately sell more products.
The concept of content marketing didn’t gain much traction until the late 1990s when the internet started to become more widely used. With the advent of social media, businesses realized that they could use online platforms to reach a larger audience and provide them with valuable content.
Why Is Content Marketing Important For Businesses?
In today’s digital world, consumers are bombarded with marketing messages from all sides. They’re scrolling through their social media feeds, watching TV, listening to the radio, and seeing ads everywhere they turn. As a result, they’ve become very good at tuning out marketing messages. In fact, research has shown that most people only remember about 20% of the traditional marketing messages they see, hear, or read.
Content marketing is important for businesses because it allows you to break through the noise and reach your target audience with valuable information that they will actually remember. And not only will they remember it, but they’ll also be more likely to act on it
Another reason content marketing is important for businesses is that it can help you build trust with your target audience. In today’s digital age, there is a lot of mistrust when it comes to companies and brands. But if you can provide your audience with helpful, relevant, and trustworthy information they’ll know you’re legit and that you actually know what you’re talking about. When customers or potential customers have questions about an industry-specific topic they’ll seek you out because they know you’re a trusted source.
Click here to order content for your content marketing strategy.
How To Get Started With Content Marketing
If you’re interested in starting a content marketing program for your business, there are a few things you need to do:
- Identify your target audience: who are you trying to reach with your content?
- Determine what type of content will be most valuable to them: what information do they need?
- Create a content calendar: what topics will you cover and when will you publish your content?
- Promote your content: once you’ve created it, make sure your target audience knows about it!
Content Marketing Ideas
If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for your content marketing strategy, don’t worry – you’re not alone. With so many options and possibilities, it can be tough to know where to start. However, there are a few tried and true methods that can help to jumpstart your creativity.
Interviews with Industry Experts
This could be done through video, podcasts, social media, or blog posts. This is also a great way to collaborate with other companies within your industry.
How-To Guides
Education is such an important part of marketing these days. That’s because customers want to know that you’re not just trying to sell them something, but that you actually care about helping them solve their problems. Step-by-step guides are a great way to do this.
Product Reviews
Customers love reading product reviews before they make a purchase. If you’re an e-commerce company, consider creating a video or written reviews for the products you sell. You could also do this for services if you’re a B-to-B company.
Industry News Roundups
Keeping your customers informed about what’s going on in your industry is a great way to build trust and authority. You could create a weekly or monthly newsletter that includes links to articles, blog posts, or even podcasts that you think they would find interesting.
Video Tutorials
Video continues to reign supreme when it comes to content consumption. If you have the resources, consider creating video tutorials that show your customers how to do something related to your product or service.
Infographics
Infographics are a creative way to take a complex topic and make it easy to understand. They’re also great for social media since they’re highly shareable and a fun way to include your brand personality and style.
Case Studies
Case studies are an excellent way to show potential customers how you’ve helped others achieve their desired results. If you have some happy customers, ask if you can use their stories in your marketing efforts.
Blog Posts
Blogs (like this one!) are still one of the most popular types of content out there and for good reason. They’re easy to consume, can be about any topic, and are a great way to show your audience that you’re an expert on a particular subject. Be careful to not make your blog posts too sales-y, though. You want to provide value first and foremost.
What Captivating Content will You Create?
So, what is content marketing? Simply put, it’s a way to market your business by creating and sharing valuable content with your target audience. Content can take many different forms, such as blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, etc. The key is to create content that is relevant and useful to your target audience. And when done correctly, content marketing can be an extremely effective way to reach more customers and grow your business. Are you ready to get started?
Would you like to learn about how we can help create content that converts to more sales for your business? Click here to schedule a free consultation with NLC today!