Content marketing is one of the most underrated and underutilised marketing tools. When it comes to implementing marketing strategies, many businesses, and even marketers, fail to realise the importance of quality content. However, the more value you can provide to your audience, the more they will want to engage with you and become your loyal customers.
What is content marketing?
The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as “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”.
Content marketing also considers the value of all content you share with your audience, which is usually centred around online platforms. Instead of directly trying to promote yourself, content marketing material is primarily designed to engage with your target audience and further their understanding of your brand’s personality and its values. This content can be anything from a tweet or social post to videos, blogs or re-sharing others’ images on Instagram. All of these activities create interest and familiarity in your brand, products or services.
Content marketing must be executed genuinely – don’t leave your audience with the impression that you are excessively self-promoting. Instead of thinking about what you want to tell your audience, think about what would be helpful for your audience to know.
Some examples of content marketing:
- blog posts that answer questions relating to your product offering;
- organic social posts with hints and tips relating to your products;
- articles, e-books, videos, entertainment, and webinars that answer specific questions people have and provide them with new knowledge;
- and so many more.
Why content marketing is important
- Regular, high-quality content on your website improves SEO, giving your website more visibility on Google.
- It answers questions your audience are asking, which builds brand loyalty and breaks down barriers to purchase.
- It helps you stay relevant to your audience base, even when they are not a current customer.
- You can establish brand credibility and thought leadership by positioning yourself as an industry expert.
- It generates new leads for your business and can open up your market to a broader audience.
- It builds both brand awareness and trust.
What’s involved in content marketing
Regardless of what type of marketing tactics you use, content marketing should be part of your process, not something separate. Quality content is essential in all forms of marketing:
- Content strategy
Before you start content marketing, you need to develop a plan to create it, and work out how it will appeal to your target market. Instead of blindly generating content, you should consider your business goals, your audience, and find the best channels to execute your strategy. - Copywriting
Copywriting is involved in every part of content marketing: creating blog posts and organic social posts, writing video scripts, etc. Good copywriting should communicate your brand clearly and concisely, while also giving value to the reader. By writing content such as blog articles, your audience receives information that is of interest and easy for them to consume, and your business gets the opportunity to raise brand awareness and engage with potential customers. Make sure your content is clear, concise and above all interesting to your readers. - Videos
Whether it’s a showreel, a promo video or a tutorial, videos hold the attention of viewers and are likely to increase traffic to your business, while helping you communicate effectively with your audience. - Social media posts
Content marketing is an indispensable part of any social media strategy. Ensuring that your social media pages are populated with the most suitable and relevant content will help keep your audience engaged. - Website
Never underestimate the importance of your website – it’s the singular most crucial marketing tool for most businesses. Customers, potential customers, suppliers, donors, partners – anyone who interacts with your business will visit your website at some stage. It’s vital to include high-quality content throughout your website. For example, quality website content will improve your rankings on Google, and build your brand’s credibility and trust with your visitors.
That’s the basics of content marketing – we hope you’ve learned something valuable after reading this article. If you need more help with your content marketing strategies, get in touch with us at AS Digital today, or learn more about our Content Marketing services.
