Content marketing is about information.
In other words, it’s the marketing of a business or brand through the sharing of educational, entertaining, or insightful information that will ultimately help readers improve their lives.
This may be in the form of a change in personal behavior or, as most marketers hope, it could be in the form of a purchase decision.
It’s not about forcing a sales pitch at people, but helping them move towards the best course of action (that just may be buying from you).
Content marketing is also defined as a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
I’d say that accurately sums it up, but perhaps a more accurate description is provided by Content Marketing Institute:
“Content marketing’s purpose is to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating relevant and valuable content with the intention of changing or enhancing consumer behavior. It is an ongoing process that is best integrated into your overall marketing strategy, and it focuses on owning media, not renting it.”
In 2016, few businesses doubt the power of content marketing, but sadly, only a few companies are executing it with the skill and expertise truly needed to make an impact.
This guide will show you how to successfully promote your brand, attract more qualified leads, and nurture customer relationships through content marketing.
If you’ve read any of our content, you’ve probably heard us throw around the term “inbound marketing.” Content and inbound are often used interchangeably, but for the sake of minimizing confusion I will explain the difference.
This article is part of the “Content Marketing & Blogging” Hub in the IMPACT Anthology. This hub will help introduce you to the basics of blogging for business and best practices for producing amazing content.
Inbound Marketing vs Content Marketing
The difference between inbound marketing and content marketing depends on who you ask. In fact, a HubSpot survey found that most marketers agree that content marketing is a subset of inbound marketing.
More specifically, however, content marketing refers to the act of sharing knowledge, advice, or entertainment in a consumable format that may include:
- Blog articles
- Videos
- Podcasts
- Social media marketing
- Emails
- Webinars
- Infographics
- Cartoons
- Quizzes
- Generators/Calculators
- Assessments
- Apps
Inbound marketing, however, is more focused on using tactics like content marketing to generate and nurture leads towards a sale. Inbound includes all aspects of digital marketing and sales.
Another distinction between content marketing and inbound marketing is how they target their marketing. Content marketing focuses on a broad “target audience” and inbound focuses on specific “buyer personas.”
Blogging is the Foundation of Content Marketing
Blog articles pioneered content marketing. Blogs have become commonplace in the business world, as well as society in general. It allows for people to access high-quality information for free.
When informative content is shared through a business blog, you inevitably come across as an industry expert, which will not only keep visitors returning to your blog, but can also turn these readers into potential buyers.
When you freely share content, it allows for your business to build trust with its readers. After all, you’re providing them with industry tips and information — for free.
