What is content marketing?
An article by SND, based on content from The Content Marketing Institute.
Well, according to the Content Marketing Institute “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
So why do we need to look at this? Useful content should be at the core of your marketing. Consumers have shut off the traditional world of marketing. Many use a DVR to skip television advertising, often ignore magazine advertising, and now have become so adept at online “surfing” that they can take in online information without a care for banners or buttons.
Smart marketers understand that traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective and that there has to be a better way. Enter content marketing.
Content marketing’s purpose is to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating relevant and valuable content with the intention of changing or enhancing consumer behavior. It is an ongoing process that is best integrated into your overall marketing strategy.
Basically, content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent.
The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty. And they do; why? Because it works.
Content is the present and future of marketing and goes beyond companies trying to sell you “stuff.”
Companies send information all the time, good content marketing makes a person stop…read… think… behave… differently. It is also critical that the content is delivered in the way customers want to engage with. Some people love words and read, others love to watch and look for visual content and many listen and want updates to be narrated to them. Marketing in the modern digital era is impossible without great content.
Regardless of what type of marketing tactics you use, content marketing should be part of your process, not something separate. Quality content is part of all forms of marketing.
According to the Roper Public Affairs, 80 percent of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. 70 percent say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company, while 60 percent say that company content helps them make better product decisions. Your aim should be to ensure your customers looked forward to receiving your marketing in the format they want.
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