Guest blog by Steve Brown, Owner of ROI Online and client of WT Enterprise Center.
Content Marketing: Why Is It Such A Big Deal?
Content marketing. You may have heard of it, but never quite understood what it meant. Or you know what it is, but really don’t care. Maybe you’ve completely underestimated it. We’re here to tell you why it is such a big deal.
Let’s start with the basics: What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a type of marketing where a business creates and shares high-quality content to attract visitors, convert them into leads, and to transform leads into paying customers.
The content relates directly to what a business does. The content educates and informs people with the focused intent of getting them to do business with your company.
Content can come in many forms, including articles, blog posts, white papers, eBooks, videos, podcasts, infographics, webinars, case studies, press releases, product reviews, and testimonials. Many websites contain a dozen or more forms of content, each playing a role in attracting new visitors to websites
Why is content marketing so important in today’s business world?
For centuries, marketing took on a familiar look and feel. A business would put out a pretty ad, a catchy jingle or bright commercial to attract new customers. However, those Mad Men tactics are no longer 100% successful.
Here’s a timeline of the evolution of marketing:
- It started out as a sign over the door: “George’s Fine Department Store.”
- Next, people started seeing ads in newspapers: “Buy your clothing at George’s Fine Department Store.”
- Radio came along and companies started advertising there: “Come to George’s Fine Department Store for your Sunday Best attire.”
- When TV came up, the same thing happened: “Drop by George’s Fine Department Store for all of your family’s needs.”
- When the Internet started coming of age in the 1990s, display ads became the new online billboards: “Visit George’s Department Store and Receive 10% Off In Honor of Our 50th Anniversary.”
Now, you might think that marketing and advertising would be much the same in the second decade of the 21st century. That is not the case. Consumer thinking is undergoing a fundamental shift and marketing is having to adjust to that new way of thinking. That is why content marketing has become so important.
What is this shift in thinking?
Consumers are realizing they have the power these days. Instead of only having a few local businesses to shop at, they have the choice of going online and finding other options. They can order from the store across town or halfway around the globe. Traditional marketing is having less and less effect.
Content marketing has come in to fill this gap. When consumers go searching, content marketing allows a company to position itself to answer the consumer’s need for information, and allows a company to build a level of trust with consumers.
Another term for content marketing is attraction marketing. That is the heart of this marketing style. Instead of interrupting people and trying to get their attention, like traditional marketing, content marketing works to attract their attention and keep it.
How can you use attraction marketing in your business? Keep an eye out for ROI Online’s next blog post to find out!
