What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is the one of the newest, and seemingly the most effective way of marketing in today’s world. It’s a process that both attracts and retains customers by creating content which can change or enhance a customer’s behaviour in some way.

How Does it Differ from Traditional Marketing Techniques?

Instead of advertising and trying to sell a product to a client, content marketing delivers information to them that allows you to integrate and communicate with them better, making them more interested in the company. The idea is that if you deliver consistent, interesting information to potential buyers, they will provide you with more purchases and loyalty to your business.

Do I Really Need to learn About Another Form of Marketing?

Modern day customers have simply stopped listening to traditional marketing advertisements. In today’s world the main market seems to be in the e-commerce sector rather than in magazines or on the television, and unlike when the Internet first began, we have become used to the annoying buttons and icons that businesses have used in the past to create pop up adverts, so they no longer get the attention they used to. Marketers working in today’s age began to understand that traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective, so they had to come up with a new way of marketing, and so content marketing was created.

So Where can I Apply Content Marketing?

You can use content marketing in any way you can think of to present information or interact with a customer in some way. These are just a few examples.

•  In the form of a news article, sharing information about news in your niche will show users you care about what is happening in your company’s market and are taking note of any changes or improvements that need to be made.
•  In the form of a video, videos are good visual aids, they help people who are hard of sight, which could widen your customer base, and they are also a lot more fun than reading out plain text on a screen.
• On your company website – writing good informative content that provides the reader with knowledge will let them know you know what you’re talking about, and make buying from you seem more appealing.
• When creating an info graphic. This may take the form of a Facebook timeline banner or a photo shared on Facebook. An infographic is an image that has been designed to give knowledge and information to whoever reads it.
• In a question and answer or FAQ article where you can write to help some of the customers with their questions – if they are satisfied with your response they may make a purchase from you.

So in Summary…

1.    Content marketing doesn’t aim to try and sell a specific product or service to the reader, it aims to improve the reader’s knowledge and understanding of what the company can do for them, in order to hopefully increase the amount of purchases and widen the customer base.
2.    It is vital for your company to change its marketing policy to incorporate content marketing to fit in with modern times. No-one wants to be stuck in the dark ages, and without using content marketing you would probably be stranded there.
3.    You can use content marketing on just about anything a company can use to give information out to its customers.
4.    In the modern climate the biggest and probably the best area to market on is the Internet, more and more people are shopping online each day so now would be a good time to start branding your product/service online by using content marketing.

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