What the Eff is Content Marketing and Why Should You Care?
I was talking with my husband the other night, and he said, “People ask me a lot about your work, and if you write fiction or something else. I tell them you used to, but you make more money with technical writing—”
Cue the massive record-scratch in my brain.
“I don’t do technical writing. I mean, I can, yes, and I’ve written on technical subjects, but no. Content marketing isn’t technical writing.” To which I got a somewhat blank stare. And I realized, if my own husband doesn’t have any clue what I do, there are probably a lot of you out there who don’t have a clue what this content marketing thing is about too. And a lot of you probably need some help with your content. So. Let’s talk about it.
Content Marketing: Everything You Write for Your Brand
First, everything you write for your brand is content marketing. It may not be effective content marketing, but it’s still – content marketing. This includes:
- Social media posts
- Website content
- Blogs
- Emails to prospects and customers
- Newsletters
- Ad copy
- Direct mailers
- Billboards
- eBooks
- And the list goes on!
Basically, if it’s a piece of written material that helps you attract and retain customers, you guessed it, it’s content marketing! Now, let’s talk about the part where it might not be effective marketing content.
Good Content Sells – But it Might Not Sell Immediately
If all of your content is based solely on selling your products, I hate to tell you, but it’s not good content. Today’s consumers want to do business with people and brands that they trust and like. They have a plethora of choices available to them, and they need a reason to choose your brand and your product. You could tell them all day long that you’re the best, but why should they believe you? Where’s your credibility?
Good content marketing helps you build the cred you need to stand out from the competition. And it does by offering value and building trust.
Offering Value: What Can You Give Your Audience Right Now?
First, good content offers something of value to your audience. It solves a problem and shows them that you know what you’re talking about. A few good ways to create value for your audience might be:
- An instructional eBook
- A helpful blog post (like this one, maybe?)
- An easy-to-read infographic
- A how-to video
Can you offer your audience useful information that will help them improve their lives or solve a problem? Create a piece of content and put it out there! Giving something away for free like this can help you establish your brand, increase awareness, and – you guessed it – build trust. And it works at every stage of the buyer’s journey. You may be targeting new prospects who’ve only just started to think about the challenge you can solve for them. Or you might be looking at ways to nurture relationships with existing customers to keep them coming back. The more value you can give, and the more trust you can build, the more you’ll sell.
So, in a nutshell, that’s content marketing. It’s everything you write (or design) to help your audience get to know and trust you. And you should care because it’ll help you grow your customer base, build lasting relationships, and boost customer retention.
Stay tuned for upcoming blogs on a few of the other things I’ve mentioned here, like the buyer’s journey and nurturing customer relationships. And, as always, if you have questions or need help with your marketing efforts, I’m here for you. Let’s talk!
