What Is Content Marketing?

Content Marketing

Marketing has certainly evolved over the years and we are seeing a big swing into content marketing these days.  You may ask, what is content marketing?  -  Glad you asked!  Content marketing is a form of marketing that shares useful information to prospects, current clients/customers and to the members of the public.  While unlike call to action marketing, content marketing persuades potential customers towards your product or service by bringing them value instead of selling to them.

If you are utilizing social media for marketing your business, content marketing is a must.  Whether you are using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or blogging to reach your potential customers/clients, you cannot use traditional call to action marketing.  Over 800 million people worldwide are utilizing social media and over half of them use it everyday.  They are not going to these sites to intentionally purchase, they are visiting these sites for entertainment and information.  So, you can see how a business would need to switch towards a different approach to engage these potential customers/clients.

When you use content marketing as your approach with social media marketing, you must keep a few things in mind:

• ·       You must strategically create information that is of value to the reader.

• ·       Your content does not have to be directly related to the products you sell, as a matter of fact, if you keep your posts to the 80/20 rule, you will see better results.  80% fun, entertainment and value – 20% product/service related.
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• ·       Educating your prospects, customers/clients and the public should be your focus.

• ·       You can incorporate many formats for your marketing that include

o   Videos (best ranked by search engines and most engaging for viewers)

o   Photos

o   Text

o   Webinars

·       Some view this new approach as attraction marketing.  Through these avenues listed above, you will be engaging with like minded prospects.  People who like the same things you like and enjoy hearing more about those things.  

·       Content marketing is NOT about price tags and tangible items.  Focus more about the customer experience. 

·       Use call to action in your content marketing towards signing up for a newsletter on trade tips or a monthly webinar that you offer.  This enables you to gather a data base of people who are interested in your product or service.

These are just a few suggestions on how to utilize content marketing into your social media platform.  Although this type of marketing is new, it’s power has exponentially increased in today’s social media environment.  Don’t find yourself under the social media wave – ride it right to the top of your industry.

“If you are not using social media to market your business – You’re leaving money on the table”

Christine Stalsonburg