Content marketing has been around for hundreds of years, but only recently has it been getting a lot of attention.
Essentially, content marketing is the process of advertising without advertising. This is to say that content marketing provides valuable content to consumers without overtly advertising, all while slyly incorporating a brand’s products or services.
A good example of this may be where a pest control service provides 10 essential pest control tips on Facebook with the hook that, if these tips fail, contact XYZ Pest Control.
The objective, getting the brand out there, is achieved by providing real-world tips that are valuable to the potential customer.
What Qualifies as “Valuable Content”?
Before you begin a content marketing campaign, stop and think … what would be valuable to me if I were a consumer?
While it’s easy to get lost in the world of industry jargon and technicalities, the consumer will, by and large, not understand what you mean. Therefore, try to think in simplistic terms.
What does the potential customer hope to get out of your company? What are the fears holding them back from doing business? What makes your company unique from the competition while ensuring that you can provide all that the consumer needs?
Consider all of these questions when crafting your business’ content.
Content Marketing is Great at Generating Leads
One of the biggest advantages to using content marketing is that it generates not only web traffic, which can boost search engine ranking, but it also boosts leads. The more valuable the content, the more likely people are to share this content.
In the article, “How to Generate More Leads Than Ever in 2015 With Content Marketing“, it’s pointed out that leads need to be nurtured through content.
Basically, you need an overarching theme to your brand message that transcends the content at hand.
You’ll want to form a full-force brand message about your new or existing product or service that implements value through your company’s website, social media channels, and traditional advertising in order to gain traction.
Don’t Just Throw It All at the Wall
Finally, one of the worst mistakes you can make is to generate content, throw it at the wall and see what sticks.
While it’s true that you need to monitor metrics in order to see what works and what doesn’t, taking a shotgun approach can prove to be disastrous.
Many business owners try to offer up valuable content from across a very wide spectrum of their offerings, only to find out that they lose business as a result.
Instead, plan out a strategy, determine which content marketing channels are the best bets, and then focus on target audiences in order to achieve success.
Valuable content isn’t valuable if you aren’t reaching the right people.
About the Author: Andrew Rusnak is an author who writes on topics that include content marketing and social media.
