What is Content Marketing?

/

If you got into business to pursue a passion, the idea of content marketing may be incredibly foreign to you. If your brain is on the verge of a meltdown just from reading the word, you're not alone. It's not uncommon for a client to say, "I have no idea what this means," when I mention it to them. Let's remove some of the mystery, shall we?

Let's start with the word content. Content is substance. In marketing, content could be text, image, video, audio or music. Often it's a combination of these.

Content marketing is one of many marketing disciplines that drive customer action. There are five crucial elements of a successful content marketing campaign.

  • Valuable
  • Relevant
  • Consistent
  • Created for a defined target
  • Include a call to action

Let's talk about each of these in greater detail.

Valuable

No matter the type of content you create for your business, it needs to hold some kind of value for your customer. You can't just try to sell them something all the time. It will create fatigue and distrust with your audience. Give away the good stuff to build a relationship with them so when you do promote a product or service, they'll be ready to buy.

Relevant

While you may be able to come up with content ideas until you're blue in the face, it means nothing if it's not relevant. It can be evergreen, meaning it pertains to an issue your customer could have at any point. It could also put a spin on recent trends or research that matter to your customer in the moment.

Consistent

Content marketing guides your ideal customer through the sales funnel so steady content creation is a must. Nurture them at all stages and do it often to maintain visibility and build stronger connections.

Created for a Defined Target

Target, ideal customer, customer avatar - there are a lot of ways to skin a cat. Whatever you call that person who best suits your product or service, you need to define who you are talking to. You can't say "anyone who buys coffee" and then call it a day. Think of someone you know that fits your ideal target description and create content in a way that resonates with them. 

Include a Call to Action

While providing value to your customer is first and foremost, it shouldn't end at that. What is the point of your content other than educating your potential customer? Do you want them to fill out a form? Give you their email address? Purchase a product? Give them guidance as to the next step once they consume your content.

Keep this short list of must-haves handy when you start creating content to grow your business.

Does it feel a little less scary? A little more attainable? Good! Need some help taking next steps? Let me know if the comments.