Content Marketing has become an increasingly important part of a successful and strategic marketing mix. Today, marketers can become their own content publishers and develop audiences to attract attention. This benefits them in three key ways: it builds brand awareness, creates brand preference, and expands the brand’s reach to more buyers and potential customers at a much lower cost.
WHAT IS CONTENT MARKETING, AND WHY DO I NEED IT?
The Benefits of Content Marketing
Traditionally, marketers have had to rent (or beg) attention from other people’s media – through display ads on websites, booths at tradeshows, or emails sent to third-party lists. In short, companies have essentially “rented” attention that someone else built. For example, when a brand pays out millions of dollars for a Super Bowl ad., they are “renting” attention that the TV networks have built. Content marketing, on the other hand, allows marketers to become publishers – build their own audiences, and attract their own attention. While rented attention can be effective, when you own
your own attention by creating content, you benefit in three major ways:
1. You build awareness for your brand.
Your audience can’t buy from you if they can’t find you – and up to 93% of buying cycles start with a search online. Traditional advertising and outbound marketing can be an effective way of building awareness, but content marketing allows you to build organic awareness. When your valuable content ranks highly on search engines, or is shared widely on social networks, that’s “free” brand awareness. And because your content will only rank highly or be shared when it’s relevant, your audience will be less inclined to tune it out.
2. You create preference for your brand.
Once you’ve established awareness, you need to establish preference. Engaging content marketing creates preference through thought leadership – it makes you a trusted source of information and education. You can also create preference through relationships, which are strengthened whenever your content entertains or helps your buyers. All other things being equal, people are more likely to buy from companies with whom they have
relationships. Of course, this requires you to create content that people like – or even love.
3. You reach more buyers and customers, at lower costs
According to Forrester research, today’s customers distrust and resent marketing that interrupts or intercepts them. Engaging content marketing is part of a natural conversation with current and potential customers, is relevant to their interests and behaviors, and builds a continuous story over time. Unlike traditional marketing, content pays dividends for a very long time, and this effect multiplies as you create more and more content. Note that this means that content marketing is not a short-term strategy – results will be small at first, but will grow
over time.
Content Marketing has become an increasingly important part of a successful and strategic marketing mix. Today, marketers can become their own content publishers and develop audiences to attract attention. This benefits them in three key ways: it builds brand awareness, creates brand preference, and expands the brand’s reach to more buyers and potential customers at a much lower cost.
Guide
In a comprehensive, 110+ page guide from Marketo, it covers topics from getting your content marketing program started to writing, publishing and promoting. Loaded with checklists, charts, and thought leadership from content marketing experts, The Definitive Guide to Engaging Content Marketing will teach you how to execute an amazing content marketing program.
You'll learn how to:
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Identify and map your buyer personas and journeys
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Develop your brand voice and style guide
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Optimize your content mix and create an editorial calendar
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Resource your team and extend the shelf life of your content
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Measure and optimize your content
We recommend it highly! To view or download the Guide, click here
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