Content marketing is everywhere. No matter your background or industry, there’s no doubt you’ve been exposed to it, even if you don’t know exactly what it is. Content marketing is more than mere buzzwords, though. It’s an essential marketing strategy that, when used correctly, can leverage customer interest into a larger profit at the bottom line.
What is content marketing?
In short, content marketing means creating and distributing information that offers value. The goal is to attract prospects, convince them to become customers, and then convert those one-time sales into repeat business.
The substance of the content that a business shares depends on its industry. The chief purpose of content marketing is to educate potential customers so they grow more comfortable with your brand – people are more likely to do business with a company they know and trust, so a content marketing strategy should reflect that.
What makes for great content?
In content marketing, there needs to be a focus on quality over quantity. It is possible to post an article or video every day, but if that content doesn’t motivate a specific audience, it’s just noise.
Great content has three main components: audience interest, unique perspective and brand story. With these principles at the forefront, it’s much easier to create and share content that engages, educates and empowers.
Every piece of content you generate should have a laser focus on your audience. What are they looking for? What are they interested in? What do they consider valuable? Capture their attention with great design and strong headlines, then hold it with entertaining stories or solutions to problems they care about.
Consider your company’s unique perspective. What do you have to offer that your competitors don’t? How does your message stand apart? How has your product or service benefit other customers? Make sure your voice is heard in every piece of content you share.
Finally, ensure content is in keeping with your brand identity. Remember, potential customers should grow to like and trust you so they feel confident enough to become regular customers. Your content should be just one component of an overall brand story. Design, photos, tone of voice — it all needs to work together to help build that trusting customer relationship.
There’s much more to content marketing than simply reposting links. Authentic content that addresses your target audience, offers value to potential customers and speaks to your brand will deliver far greater returns in the long run.
