It’s no secret, content marketing is here to stay. You’ve probably seen the webinars, read the articles or witnessed the changes that Google has made over the last few years. To help you understand a little more about content marketing, and why it’s so important, we’ve put together a few things you probably don’t already know.
1. Content marketing is older than you think.
Believe it or not, content marketing has been around for hundreds of years. Brands have been telling stories to attract customers, and retain them, for a long time. Many sources claim the first form of content marketing to be John Deere’s ‘The Furrow’ magazine. The magazine’s goal was not to sell tractors to the readers, but to educate farmers on becoming better at their work and their business. ‘The Furrow’ launched in 1895, and content marketing has continued to evolve since.
2. Great content always starts with a strategy or goal.
One important thing to know about content marketing is that it’s an art, not just a marketing strategy. Creating a structured content strategy isn’t easy, either. It takes time, and a lot of tweaking, to build a great content marketing strategy. One way to start setting goals for your content is to aim each individual piece of content to a specific goal. You have to decide, how do you want your content to be used?
Do you want people to share your content?
Do you want to start a discussion with comments?
Would you like it to generate leads?
Are you looking to make sales?
Expecting each piece of content to meet all four goals will land you in a failed strategy. If your content strategy isn’t working, go back to where you started, make a few changes and try again. The world of content marketing is forever changing, so you have to make sure your strategy changes to meet the needs of readers.
3. Readers want well-written, quality content.
If people are reading your content, then why are you writing it? Content marketing isn’t about selling a product or showcasing a business. It’s about connecting with the audience. How can you connect with the audience? Here’s a few ways:
Readers like content that is written well, so write in a way that’s readable for everyone.
Show your personality in your writing.
Be passionate about what you’re writing. If you don’t care, neither will the reader.
Show consistency in your content.
Become an authority and build the trust of the audience.
Even if you have good content, you can’t build a returning audience without these things.
Do you need help with your content marketing strategy? To find out how IMEG’s Content Marketing Department can help, you can give us a call at (800) 736-1122 or visit our contact us page on our website.
