{ Content Marketing }

content marketing bookBlog Development, Email Marketing,  Article Writing  oh my!

Content marketing has many forms, but in short what it  means is, creating and sharing informative content as a means of converting prospects into customers and customers into repeat buyers.

We know that people like to buy, but don’t like to be sold. We know that most purchasing decisions happen after some thought and research since  most purchasing decisions aren’t usually impulsive.

In both business-to-business and business-to-consumer, gone are the days of the hard sell. No one’s falling for the high pressure close and we don’t like it.

In today’s business world, almost more than ever before, people are choosing to do business with those whom they feel they know, like, and trust.

As consumers we’re wanting to make informed decisions.

This is why there’s an ever-growing popularity in content marketing strategies such as:

  • Email Marketing
  •  Blogs
  •  Article Marketing
  •  White Papers

Content marketing is about creating relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage your target audience. It’s communicating with your customers and prospects without selling.

This marketing strategy is based on the belief that if we deliver consistent ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.

Content marketing is being used by many successful business, including P&G, Microsoft and Cisco Systems. And, it’s also proven to be a successful marketing method for small businesses, mid-size business and soloprenuers (the one-person shop).

The key is providing real value to your prospects and customers. Help educate them and keep them informed. This is very different from handing out information-garbage which is designed to sell, convince and persuade.

We as consumers don’t want SPAM; we don’t want loud marketing messages. We want to be informed consumers. We don’t want a “one-shot,” all-or-nothing sales approach disguised as information.

The company, Mint, gained a tremendous success, brand awareness, and loyalty due to its strong intelligent content strategy. They took it seriously and Mint’s blog “MintLife” was a core part of the company’s operation.

Not everyone will utilize content marketing like Mint did. They had a full-time editorial staff and a slew of freelance contributors for their blog. They invested time in social news sites and social bookmarking sites and really built a community with whom they shared tips, posts, news, helpful links from around the web. They shared slide-shows, videos, infographics etc… and in doing so they became an incredible resource for countless people, most of whom became loyal customers and raving fans.

Content marketing isn’t a fast fix. That’s where many people fail with trying to use it in their marketing mix. It’s a long-term commitment and if you try to do it alone, you’ll discover how time-consuming it can be.

Like social media marketing, content marketing isn’t for every business. The businesses that prefer the way of the one-call-close and the businesses that don’t want to give too much information, those businesses won’t benefit from content marketing.

So, no, it’s not for every business. But, it is GREAT for many, many businesses. You might be surprised to find out.It’s definitely something we can help you develop, cultivate and maintain. As always, please contact us for additional information or to set up a consultation.

 

[stextbox id="alert"] P.S. If you haven’t yet grabbed your copy of “The 13 Biggest Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” be sure to do so, it’s FREE and will help you kick-start your marketing plan! You’ll also get our  monthly Newsletter filled with great marketing tips, current marketing trends and valuable information you can use for your business[/stextbox]