What is content marketing?

Content marketing (content marketing) is a marketing strategy used to attract attention, engage and retain audiences through creating and publishing relevant articles, video materials, podcasts and other media. This approach builds an expert image and promotes brand awareness, making your business top of mind when people are ready to buy what you sell.

A content marketing strategy creates your brand image as a leader, increasing trust among audiences through creating and distributing content in various ways. Content marketing is a type of marketing that attracts customers, builds loyalty and helps keep customers with your company for as long as possible.

Definition of content marketing

By content marketing we mean developing and distributing relevant, useful content (blogs, newsletters, reports, social media posts, emails, video materials, etc.) among current and potential customers. If done properly, such content educates and shows that the company values its customers.

Consistently using content marketing establishes and strengthens relationships with potential and current customers. If audiences think of your company as a partner interested in their success and as a valuable source of advice and guidance, there is a greater likelihood of choosing that company when it is time to buy.

1. 01Development and distribution of contentUseful, valuable materials.
2. 02Transferring knowledgeValuing the customer, sharing knowledge.
3. 03Strengthening bondsPartner in success, first choice.

Effective content marketing builds trust, translating into loyalty and future purchasing decisions.

Why is content marketing important?

Content marketing is a proven tactic. It provides an advantage over the competition. Let’s look at what data from Mailchimp and Demandmetric says about content marketing:

• companies running their own blogs gain 67% more leads compared with other companies,
• for 67% of B2B sellers, content marketing increases engagement and the number of leads generated,
• 88% of people appreciate company videos for convincing them to buy a product or service.

Content marketing delivers business benefits in many ways. When this strategy is implemented properly, effective content marketing can provide the following benefits:

• increased online visibility – a content strategy can help attract more customers and website users, especially if people are constantly searching for solutions to their important problems. Offering educational and informational content on a topic they are interested in can help increase online visibility through your website or social media profiles,
• generating more leads – you can increase the number of leads when content marketing is used to drive traffic. Educating customers builds trust and gives them greater comfort when buying. You can therefore generate more leads and build relationships with potential buyers,
• increasing loyalty – loyalty is key in marketing and business because the more loyal customers are, the more often they make repeat purchases. Offering informational content to customers can help build their trust in your brand and see you as a leader,
• increasing authority – developing content is ideal when it comes to increasing authority and gaining leader status in the industry. Content not only helps build trust, but also enables your brand to be recognised as the leading authority in a given field.

How does content marketing work?

In your company, you can use content marketing to generate leads, convince people to choose your product or service when they are considering a purchase, and to make sales.

To use this strategy effectively, you need to deliver the right content at every stage of the sales cycle – from attracting attention, through consideration, to purchase. It sounds complicated, but this approach to content significantly simplifies the whole process.

1. 01Lead generation & salesConversion and sales
2. 02Sales cycleFrom attention to purchase
3. 03Educational contentProblems and advice

The key is to deliver the right content that educates and solves problems at every stage of the customer journey, building trust and leading to purchase.

Attention stage

In the first stage of the sales process, your content should focus on the audience’s most important problems. Writing about their difficulties, challenges and answering questions gives you the best chance of getting their interest. Content at the awareness stage should be educational and advisory in nature. Save your sales techniques for the consideration and purchase stages.

The best content at this stage includes articles, blog posts, e-books, video materials and newsletters.

Examples:

• a restaurant creates a blog post about how to plan a wedding menu for spring,
• a company offering touring bikes records a short video on the topic “3 ways to choose the right cycling trip”,
• a company operating in the architecture industry creates an e-book titled “Questions to ask before hiring an architect.”

Consideration stage

In the consideration stage, content should be a combination of useful information and marketing. It should educate the reader about the features or functions to look for and explain how different features can fulfil specific needs. Of course, your content should be geared towards what your company offers.

The best content at this stage includes case studies, how-to guides (text or video materials), lists and worksheets.

Examples:

• a company offering cloud phone systems creates a list titled “8 ways to improve your phone customer service”, which highlights the features and functions that make better customer service possible,
• a company working in landscape architecture creates a case study titled “The biggest mistakes people make when hiring landscape architects”,
• a catering company publishes case studies of successful events and parties, focusing on the benefits linked to its offer, e.g. “How to solve the problem of food allergies at your next event” or “How to make sure a catering company follows sustainable practices.”

1. 01KeywordsThe foundation of SEO activities. Relevant phrases.
2. 02Relevance and usefulnessAssessing the usefulness of content. Delivering on promises.
3. 03Crawling by botsChecking consistency with the heading.
4. 04More trafficThe effect of effective optimisation. Success.

The synergy of content marketing and SEO builds visibility and trust, attracting the right audience.

Sales closing stage

Content marketing plays an important role when a potential customer is close to making a purchase. At this stage, you can focus on selling if you prove why your offer is the best choice instead of praising your products or services.

You should share your expertise and inform people about the benefits associated with what you sell. At this stage, case studies, user-generated content, buyer’s guides, product videos and research reports work best.

Examples:

• a consulting company creates a research report proving that a company engaged in strategic planning, external audits and other services related to its offer sees higher growth,
• a design agency creates short videos showing a variety of work across many industries, aimed at presenting the agency as an expert,
• an orthodontist encourages patients to leave reviews about modern equipment and high-quality services.

How to get started with content marketing?

Content marketing may seem overwhelming, but it does not have to be. An effective content marketing campaign should be balanced and manageable. You should take the following steps:

Audience identification

To create content for a specific reader, you need to have an understanding of their priorities, challenges and preferences. If you have detailed descriptions of different groups, choose one or two for whom you will write. Otherwise, before you begin, create profiles of your audience and potential customers.

Define the right formats

The right format is linked to the stage of the sales cycle in which you will create content. Another important matter is determining which formats will best present your values. In some cases, these will be videos, while others may prefer lists.

Recipients should, and will likely, assess your content on the basis of its quality. So identify the appropriate internal or external resource needed to complete this job. Regardless of who creates the content, hire a professional proofreader to check everything before publication.

Define the publishing format

Are you planning to publish a comment on your website, send an email to people, or print content that will be published during an event? First of all, establish “where” your audience may be and choose the formats that make sense. For example, an article makes sense if it is sent via email. A list or a worksheet can be published on social media, etc.

Plan a sensible, sustainable schedule

Once you know your target audience and the best formats for each stage of the sales cycle, create a short-term plan (3-6 months). It is easy to develop a content marketing plan that is too ambitious. The plan you create should include content elements that are realistically based on your budget and resources. Check how long it takes you to create a given piece of content and factor that into your schedule.

Follow best practices

When developing content, avoid jargon that is understandable only to you and your colleagues. Materials should include clear advice on how to do something. Short, relevant content that provides a basis for action is best.

Content marketing and SEO

Content marketing makes it easier for potential customers to find your company. However, you can support your efforts with search engine optimisation (SEO). Here are some best practices:

Keywords are the foundation of SEO efforts. These are the important words and phrases entered by potential customers into a search engine when looking for a company, product or service. By placing the right keywords in your content, you will generate more traffic. The best keywords have the following characteristics:

• simple language – the language your audience uses to describe their problems or needs,
• relevance – keywords must match the knowledge, products and services you offer,
• specificity – a combination of your approach, industry experience, the problems of potential customers and other relevant details.

SEO optimisation has evolved, and search effectiveness partly depends on how much your content does what it says. Search engine bots analyse content, assess its usefulness and determine whether it offers what is stated in the heading.

Given the importance of search engines crawling content, using keywords is very important. It is worth following the guidelines below:

• focus on 1-2 keywords. Avoid “keyword stuffing” (keyword stuffing) when writing about what matters to potential customers,
• use keywords in titles. Clearly and explicitly state what the article is about,
• use keywords throughout the content. Find a way to naturally incorporate keywords into your content,
• write on topic. High-quality content that provides advice related to the heading will achieve the best results.

Once the content has been created, it should be published. Social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Medium, Instagram, etc.) are a proven and easy way to promote content. All you need to do is create a post with a link to the content and people will engage with it.

You can do this in three steps:

1. Focus on high-potential channels. The best social media sites are those frequently visited by your audience. Consider large, popular channels as well as smaller industry-specific channels that can help you find potential customers. Ask your audience which channels they prefer and create a list based on their preferences.
2. Create your content so that it fits the channel. Each social media channel has a level of professionalism that goes hand in hand with fun, etc. Before creating a post for a channel, take some time to look through other posts to get to grips with the details. Then bring your company’s own style into your posts.
3. Test and adapt your efforts. Effective promotion on social media is about trial and error. Check the responses from different channels, both in terms of quantity and quality. Strong engagement with good potential may mean that the channel is right for you, as opposed to a few clicks that will not deliver many recipients.

Make content benefit your business

Showcase your expert knowledge and unique value by creating content that is attractive, engaging and drives sales. With planning and systematic content marketing, you can reach the right people and build their loyalty to the brand.