What Is Content Marketing?
You might have heard the phrase “content marketing” recently. It’s a new way of marketing to customers that takes a step back from the traditional hard sell approach and offers your advice, expertise, and products as the solution to your market’s problems. When customers, both current and prospective, view you as the expert who can solve their problems, they’re more likely to choose your business.
What is “Content” and How Does it Work?
Content marketing is the process of creating, editing, and sharing the kind of written or visual material that will appeal to a specific audience through a variety of media. “Content” includes blog or Facebook posts, emails, website articles, podcasts, infographics, videos and more. Essentially, any materials that can be shared through media can be used for content marketing. When you consider that the majority of consumers use some form of media to help inform their decision making process, it’s clear that content marketing has an important role in the way businesses are interacting with consumers.
Content Marketing Makes Your Business Connect
- Quality content marketing is what convinces potential customers to become current customers, but without the traditional hard sell of products and services of traditional advertising.
- Good content should help people make decisions about purchases. People want to be informed about their options; they are looking for businesses and services that offer them something personally, from businesses who understand their needs and problems.
- Great content marketing makes your business authentic and gives your market a reason to trust your voice as an experts in your field. People want to hear marketing messages that are educational, informative, stir their emotions with feelings of trust, without a hard sell.
- The best content marketing creates connections that eventually leads to more business and happier customers.
Where Do You Publish Content Marketing Materials?
Blogs, websites, and other forms of social media are the most common channels for sending out your content marketing materials. When used correctly, cooperatively, and strategically these platforms can also help build your online presence and make your business more visible. Content marketing is a also a great way to provide search engines with the keywords and information they need to push referrals in your direction, an important asset in the media driven consumer marketplace of today. One of the best things about content marketing is that it lives on, with potential customers discovering the materials you’ve created in different media channels and generating new business.
Start Your Content Marketing Today
The content that you create should answer customer questions and give them visibility into solutions that help make their lives easier. You can’t go wrong with sharing answers to frequently asked questions, providing general maintenance ideas, or educating customers on the different products and services you offer. Start by giving your customers the help they need so they can choose you over your competition.
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!