CONTENT MARKETING
What Is Content Marketing?
Useful content should be at the core of your marketing
Traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective by the minute. As a forward-thinking marketer, you should know there has to be a better way.
Enter content marketing.
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Instead of pitching your products or services, you are providing truly relevant and useful content to your prospects and customers to help them solve their issues.
CONTENT MARKETING & CONTENT STRATEGY
People often use these terms interchangeably (which is understandable, as the lines are somewhat blurry), but each is a bit different:
Content marketing strategy
At its core, your content marketing strategy is your “why.” Why you are creating content, who you are helping, and how you will help them in a way no one else can. Organizations typically use content marketing to build an audience and to achieve at least one of these profitable results: increased revenue, lower costs, or better customers.
Content strategy
On the other hand, content strategy delves deeper into the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content. Note that content strategy often goes beyond the scope of a content marketing strategy, as it helps businesses manage all of the content they have.
Content plan
In contrast to the other two, a content plan is very tactical. It documents how you will execute your strategy, and who on your team will handle each task. It’s important to understand that you need a content marketing strategy BEFORE you build your content plan. Think of it as a marketing plan that specifically relates to the content. Thus, it should include details such as the key topic areas you will cover, what content you will create, when and how to share your content, and specific calls to action you will include.
Do I really need to create a content marketing strategy?
Yes! As we’ve learned through our research, not only do you need a strategy, but you also need to document it. Those with a documented content marketing strategy:
Are far more likely to consider themselves effective at content marketing
Feel significantly less challenged with every aspect of content marketing
Generally consider themselves more effective in their use of all content marketing tactics and social media channels
Were able to justify spending a higher percentage of their marketing budget on content marketing