Scribd
Upload
13 views

CONTENT MARKETING notes

Content marketing is a strategic approach that involves creating and distributing valuable content to attract and retain a defined audience, ultimately driving profitable customer actions. It enhances brand authority, increases online visibility, generates leads, and builds customer loyalty by engaging audiences at different stages of the sales cycle. To implement a successful content marketing strategy, businesses should identify their audience, determine appropriate content formats, establish distribution methods, and create a sustainable content schedule.

Uploaded by

sebialjanice0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
13 views

CONTENT MARKETING notes

Content marketing is a strategic approach that involves creating and distributing valuable content to attract and retain a defined audience, ultimately driving profitable customer actions. It enhances brand authority, increases online visibility, generates leads, and builds customer loyalty by engaging audiences at different stages of the sales cycle. To implement a successful content marketing strategy, businesses should identify their audience, determine appropriate content formats, establish distribution methods, and create a sustainable content schedule.

Uploaded by

sebialjanice0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

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.”

A content marketing strategy establishes your brand as a thought leader, boosting trust among
your audience by creating and distributing content in various ways. Content marketing is a type
of inbound marketing that attracts customers and builds loyalty, making it effective for customer
retention.

What is content marketing?


Content marketing is the development and distribution of relevant, useful content—blogs,
newsletters, white papers, social media posts, emails, videos, and the like—to current and
potential customers. When it’s done right, this content conveys expertise and makes it clear that
a company values the people to whom it sells.
The consistent use of content marketing establishes and nurtures relationships with your
prospective and existing customers. When your audience thinks of your company as a partner
interested in their success and a valuable source of advice and guidance, they’re more likely to
choose you when it’s time to buy

Content marketing benefits businesses in many ways. When done right, an effective content
marketing strategy can:
 Increase online visibility. A content strategy can help you attract more customers and
website visitors, especially when people are constantly looking for solutions to their pain
points. Offering educational and informative content about a topic they’re interested in
can help you increase visibility online through your website or social media accounts.
 Generate more leads. You can increase leads when content marketing is used to drive
traffic. Since educating customers builds trust and helps them feel more comfortable
purchasing from your business, you can generate more leads and start to develop
relationships with potential shoppers.
 Boost loyalty. Loyalty is essential in marketing and business because the more loyal your
customers are, the more repeat purchases they’ll make. Offering content that informs
consumers can help them begin to build trust with your brand and see you as a thought
leader.
 Improve authority. Developing content is ideal for improving authority and becoming a
thought leader in your industry. Not only does content help you build trust, but it can
position your brand as the most authoritative on a particular topic.

How content marketing works

Your business can use content marketing to attract leads, make a case for your product or
service when someone is researching what to buy, and close sales.

To use it effectively, you’ll need to deliver the right content at each stage of the sales cycle—
from awareness through consideration to purchase. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry:
Approaching content this way actually simplifies the process.

Here’s how companies use content marketing in each stage of the sales cycle to engage and sell.

Awareness stage

At the first stage of the sales process, your content should focus on the top concerns of your
audience. Writing about their pain points, challenges, and questions gives you the best chance of
engaging with them. Content at the awareness stage should be educational, how-to advice. Save
your selling for the consideration and closing phases.
The best content for this stage includes articles, blog posts, e-books, videos, and newsletters.

Examples:

 A restaurant writes a blog post about how to plan a menu for a graduation party in the
spring.
 A bike touring company creates a short video on the topic “3 Ways to Choose the Right
Bike Trip.”
 An architecture firm creates an e-book called “Questions to Ask Before Hiring an
Architect.”

Consideration stage

In the consideration stage, content should offer a hybrid of helpful information and marketing. It
should educate the reader about what features or functions to look for and how various features
address their needs. Of course, your content should lean toward what your business offers.

The best content for this stage includes case studies, how-to articles, how-to videos, and
checklists or worksheets.

Examples:__

 A cloud-based phone system company creates a checklist entitled “8 Ways to Improve


Your Phone Customer Service” that details the features and functions that make great
customer service possible.
 A landscaping company creates case studies about “The Biggest Mistakes Most People
Make When They Hire a Landscaper.”
 A catering company features case studies of successful events with a focus on the
benefits they offer, such as “How to Accommodate Food Allergies at Your Next Event,”
or “How to Ensure Your Caterer Uses Sustainable Practices.”

Closing stage
Content marketing plays an important role when a prospect is close to buying. At this stage, you
can focus on sales, as long as you continue to drive home why you’re the best choice rather than
just how great your services or products are.

Your central message here should be your expertise, knowledge, and the differentiating benefits
of what you sell.

Best content for this stage: case studies, user-generated content, buyer’s guide, product video,
research report

Examples:

 A consulting firm creates a research report proving that businesses that engage in
strategic planning, assessments by outsiders, and other services—shaped by what services
it offers—experience higher growth.
 A design agency creates short videos showcasing the variety in its work across different
industries to demonstrate its diverse expertise.
 An orthodontist practice encourages patients to contribute testimonials about its state-of-
the-art equipment and top-notch service.

How to get started with content marketing

Content marketing can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. A successful content
marketing campaign should be manageable and sustainable. Take these steps to get started:
Identify your audience

To create content for a particular reader, you need to have a clear idea of their priorities,
challenges, and preferences. If you have detailed descriptions of your various segments, choose 1
or 2 to write for. Otherwise, craft profiles of your audience members and prospects before
starting.

Determine the right formats

The right format corresponds with what stage of the sales cycle you’re creating content for.
Another important consideration includes what formats will best help you showcase value. For
some, this will be a video; for others, a checklist.

An audience will judge your content on its quality, and they should. Identify the right resource,
internal or external, to create this work. Regardless of who creates it, hire a professional
proofreader to review anything before it goes out the door.

Determine how you’ll distribute

Will you post content on your site, email it to people, or print it for an event? Start with
“where” you know your audience is likely to be, and choose formats that make sense. For
example, an article makes sense to send via an email, a checklist or worksheet can be posted on
social media, and a buyer’s guide is a good follow-up to a pitch.

Choose a sustainable schedule

Once you know who your target readers are and the best formats for every stage in the sales
cycle, create a short-term (3-6 months) plan. It’s easy to develop a content marketing plan that’s
overly ambitious. However, the plan you design should have content elements you can
realistically make based on your budget and resources. Keep track of how long it takes you to
create each piece of content so that you can build that time into your schedule.

Follow best practices


Compelling content is clearly written and doesn’t contain jargon that only you and your peers
will know. It should also include detailed how-to advice. A short, relevant, actionable piece of
content is best.

You might also like