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Content Marketing: What It Is, and How to Nail It


The modern marketplace has changed. With the power of the smartphone and an endless amount of information on the internet, the consumer has now become the professional. Gone are the days of in-store sales professionals and product experts. According to Marketo.com, "The average buyer guides themselves through 60% to 90% of the traditional sales funnel before ever contacting a brand or salesperson."

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a brand storytelling technique where valuable, high-quality information is created and distributed to attract, engage and prompt an audience - with the objective of driving profits. Content marketing lives all around its audience at all times, including (but not limited to) search engine optimization, media, copywriting, advertising, customer relationship management and social media.

How to Nail It :

The most powerful content marketing brands have the ability to ingrain themselves into our lives through compelling content and powerful storytelling. Historically, this content was once limited to print ads and television commercials. Today, however, brands are creating content through a variety of channels, showing different facets of their personality, and finding unique ways (channels) to reach their audiences through articles, videos, music and microsites.

Conquering content marketing begins with a strategic plan. A proper content marketing strategy will help a brand target its audience, and identify the best channels to reach them. In this new buyer-driven marketplace, consumers are searching the web for answers, and proper content marketing will help field these searchers with three goals in mind: 1) increase brand awareness, 2) increase brand preference, and 3) reach a greater audience at a lower cost.

Your effective strategy should be built on two pillars: 1) an understanding of your brand's persona, that is its personality, or what's behind the visual features of your brand (logo, web design, photo elements) and 2) an understanding of your audiences' interaction with your brand. Every creative asset your audience interacts with should help them along your brand's journey. These assets should have a clear end-goal; make a purchase, attend an event, "like" a page, etc. And remember that in order to fully engage your brand's audience, your content marketing plan must be a strategic mix of time, place, channels and media.