Content marketing uses videos, podcasts, infographics, blogs, and more to inform a target audience of valuable and consistent content. This content is positioned to convince consumers that a company is a leader in their industry. The aim is to gain the interest of the consumer, convincing them to buy the product or service before they even reach the salesperson.The main difference between traditional marketing or advertising, and content marketing, is that content marketing consistently provides the consumer with content that is valuable and informative to them. Advertisements only provide consumers with the features and benefits of a product.
Content Marketing Strategy
The purpose of a content marketing strategy is to ensure that the right type of content is being created and distributed and that it is being distributed at the correct time. There are multiple elements that must be defined and considered for a marketing strategy to be successful.- Target Audience: to create marketing content that is effective, your relevant target audience must be defined. This will allow you to create content that is truly valuable to your ideal potential clients and will allow you to sell your product or service more easily.
- Brand Identity: defining who and what your brand is will guide you in creating content. It will also help you define the tone, as well as the look and feel that will be used.
- Distribution Channels: the channels that you choose to distribute your content on will, to an extent, be determined by the type of content you decide to create. Examples of these include blogs, videos, podcasts, and more.
- Distribution Consistency: it is important to include content distribution consistency in your content marketing strategy. This will help you determine the workload to be expected and will improve planning. For example, will you be releasing your content weekly, biweekly, or monthly?
What Are Examples of Content Marketing
There are multiple forms of content marketing. Below are three that can provide good examples of what content marketing is, and what it entails.- Video: there are various types of content marketing videos. These can include educational videos, documentaries, brand films, product videos, videos that demonstrate company culture, and more. An example of someone who posts educational content marketing videos is Alex Cattoni. She is a copywriter/YouTuber that shares educational tips and converts her viewers to paying customers and students.
- Podcast: podcasts are a great way to share content that delivers information and value. An example of this is Dr Chatterjee that has a podcast focussing on health. This podcast provides value while convincing its listeners to buy his book and attend his events.
- Blogs: a great example of curated and popular blogs, are those created and distributed by HubSpot. They give such a wealth of knowledge that readers trust them and are more inclined to pay for their services.