What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing, according to the Content Marketing Institute, has been defined as “a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action”, with the keyword there being ‘valuable’.

Valuable content shifts the focus of content from being generalised in the marketing and advertising industry to being more bespoke and relevant. Deciding whether or not to include a certain piece of content in a campaign, for example, depends on the likelihood of people consuming, enjoying and using it. The more this happens, the more it’s shared around social media and, subsequently, the word is spread.

In a bid to understand content marketing, it’s important that you think like a content marketer. In order to do that, you should aim to try and see different opportunities around you. Once this starts happening, you’ll find a content marketing opportunity in almost anything.

5 examples of content marketing

Content marketing can include anything, from articles and website copy to videos and podcasts. Although, the way in which these content pieces are used dictates how good of a content marketing campaign you run and the results that come from it. So what other types of content marketing are out there and what do they have to offer?

Infographics

Infographics are ideal for visually and colourfully displaying charts, graphs, facts and statistics. They’re perfect for complementing a long, wordy article or to go alongside a social media post. It helps to get short, precise and important information across quickly without the need for skim-reading streams of text or watching a lengthy video.

If you’re wanting to benefit from an infographic, you could have them professionally made by a dedicated digital marketing agency, such as Kumo. But if you’re wanting to stick to a tight budget, then there are plenty of free platforms you can use that’ll enable you to make your own.

Website pages

There are two different types of website pages – informational and marketed. Informational website pages will simply convey everything you want your reader to know. If you run your own business, it’ll often include opening and closing times, what you sell and any contact information.

Marketed website pages will instead advertise what you have to offer your potential customers. Instead of being informative, the content will be persuasive, snappy and attention-grabbing. The aim of a marketed website page is to retain readers and improve leads in order to increase sales.

Podcasts

Podcasts are great for spreading the word about new books that have been written, programmes you’ve developed or even television shows that have come about. They can also be used to spark a discussion or a debate about something and that in itself can be beneficial to provide a talking point for others. Once word gets out, it’ll only be a matter of time before it goes somewhat viral, therefore gaining more publicity.

Videos

An often untapped form of content, some marketers have discounted videos as a reliable form of content marketing. Considered to be expensive and heavily involved, videos are probably the least popular method of getting the message out there. But in reality, filming and distributing videos for the purposes of content marketing is actually extremely affordable and incredibly easy to do. 

You don’t need expert equipment and specialist software, especially now that mobile devices come fitted with quality, high-definition cameras. There are also numerous apps that can be downloaded for free that’ll help you to edit video content effortlessly. With advancements in technology, it’s never been easier to get that content out there for all to see.

Books

Books are often used as an effective marketing tool and self-publishing has never been more straightforward. But there’s still a common misconception that only professional publishers can get a book out there. It’s a great marketing technique that’ll spread the word faster than you might think.

Why bother with content marketing?

Content marketing is important when it comes to promoting your business, more so than people might initially believe. There are often four steps to marketing content effectively, including:

Awareness – make your customers aware that there’s a solution available to them that you’re able to provide

Research – once your customers are hooked on a potential solution, make sure there’s information available to them to help clients educate themselves further

Consideration – be competitive, because customers will start comparing your products and/or services to similar ones on the market

Purchasing – if your marketing is done successfully, the customer will initiate and complete the transaction with you and not your competitors

Effective content marketing will ensure that your clients find your website and find value in it. Once this happens, they’ll be convinced that you’ll be able to help them and do an extremely good job in the process. This will also help to retain your customers without the need for high pressure tactics.