Content Marketing Definition
As traditional marketing continues to decline in popularity, digital marketing is gaining more and more significance for small business owners, Fortune 500 executives and everyone in between. But if you ask a digital marketer to define content marketing, you’ll most likely get dozens of different answers. Well, search no more.
Content marketing is the process of creating unique content for a variety of channels, like blogs, infographics, videos and graphics, with the overall goal of attracting, educating and retaining new customers. Because content marketing tactics can change and transform constantly to meet business goals and challenges, it's best to understand content marketing as an overarching strategy used to attract, engage and retain an audience.
When executed correctly, content marketing works to establish authority and expertise, while promoting brand awareness and credibility within a certain niche.
What Is the Value of Content Marketing?
It can be hard to answer this question explicitly because content marketing brings value to multiple businesses in different ways, some of which can be measured, some of which cannot. However, it’s important to note that nearly 40 percent of marketers say that content marketing is a very important part of their overall marketing strategy.
This can mean a bunch of different things, from creating blogs with new and informational information to updating already existing content. According to HubSpot’s recent state of marketing report, blog content creation is a top priority for 53 percent of marketers. And on top of that, 61 percent of respondents said updating and repurposing content was an effective tactic they implemented in 2020.
In addition, there are many benefits to content marketing and copywriting, which include:
Increasing Conversions and Traffic
The more you build attention to your website content, the quicker you will see potential consumers becoming customers. By delivering valuable content, you can increase conversions and sales, helping your business reach its objective.
Generating Brand Awareness
Content is key to promoting your brand through any channel. When people recognize your name and your mission, they’ll be more likely to choose you over a competitor.
Establishing Credibility
By sharing valuable insights and information, content marketing can help your organization build trust with your audience and customers. When consumers hear your name amid a sea of competition, they’ll view you as a credible source and a great place to spend their money. In fact, 55 percent of decision-makers note that they use thought leadership to assess or vet organizations.
Educating Your Audience
Consumers look to your content to educate them about how they can fix or mend the problem they’re facing. Content is the best way to do this, simply because it is so versatile and can be presented in a variety of formats to meet specific needs. Consider curating news or showcasing content from thought leaders. An educational content strategy should not focus on sales, but rather a pain point, challenge or industry trend that is topical for clients and prospects.
Driving Better Leads
In the world of marketing, not all leads are considered equal. You want to appeal to your target audience. Specific, informational content is the best way to generate leads through content marketing. Forty-seven percent of the C-suite noted that they have given out their contact details after consuming thought leadership content.
Misconceptions About Content Marketing
Unfortunately, there are many wrong impressions swirling around about content marketing that can deter digital marketers from taking advantage of this powerful tool. Here we explain and debunk three common misconceptions:
Misconception 1: Branded materials are the most important part of my content plan.
While product brochures and additional branding materials and strategies do matter and are important for your entire marketing plan, these pieces are aimed at consumers lower in the content marketing funnel. To attract consumers in all stages of the marketing funnel, companies will need to create a holistic, fully rounded content marketing strategy. This means creating assets to target new leads and those in the middle of the funnel with content that provides value without a heavy sales pitch. In doing so, you’ll boost brand awareness and authority.
Misconception 2: I don't need a documented strategy.
A full 64 percent of Bb teams do not have a documented content strategy. However, 62 percent of markers who say they have a successful strategy, have it documented. When you have a marketing plan set in stone, you’ll be better able to track your progress and pivot or change your approach if necessary. Additionally, a documented strategy makes it easier for teams to collaborate across departments. Insights from sales or product teams can help inform white paper topics or blog articles. A documented strategy also makes it easier to determine deadlines and who is responsible for various articles or assets.
Misconception 3: Content marketing ROI is impossible to track.
This is untrue. While content marketing ROI can be difficult to establish, there are numerous ways to measure success. This includes measuring engagement, conversions or even conducting brand awareness surveys. Figure out what metric is most relevant to you, and go from there.
How Does Content Marketing Work in the Sales Funnel?
Content marketing is a valuable part of each step of the sales funnel and customer journey. Here’s how content marketing can help you target consumers at each stage:
Awareness
Those at the top of the funnel are just starting to understand and recognize that they have a problem that needs to be addressed. This is a good place for you to promote high-level content that introduces readers to your brand, product and service offerings, while sparking their interest to learn more.
Nurture
The middle of the funnel is where consumers are considering their options. This is a great place to introduce content that encourages further engagement with your brand. You’ll also want to address specific pain points of your target audience, and even consider thought leadership content to boost credibility.
Convert
To boost conversions, you’ll want to get very specific with your content material. This includes eBooks, case studies from your business, testimonials and infographics. The goal here is to distinguish yourself from your competitors with success stories.
Loyalty
This stage is easy to overlook, but it is one of the most important for businesses looking to increase revenue. It can be between five to 25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer. Additionally, if businesses were to improve their retention rates by just 5 percent, profits have been shown to increase anywhere from 25 percent to 95 percent.
As prospects become customers, you’ll want to create content that keeps them intrigued and coming back for more. Content that showcases your expertise in your industry can help you achieve this, such as articles from thought leaders or industry publications.
Why Storytelling Is Crucial in Content Marketing
Human brains are wired for storytelling. We have been communicating via stories for centuries, so why stop now? Storytelling in content marketing, while customizable to every business’s marketing goals and needs, helps brands deliver a cohesive story and message across multiple different channels. The idea is to have a consistent form of communication, from social media profiles to traditional news outlets, as you tell the story. At the end of the day, consumers want to hear your story and feel an emotional response to it.
An example of a brand’s great storytelling is Hyundai and the 2017 Super Bowl. Hyundai released a commercial that showed American troops based in Zagan, Poland, using 360-degree immersive pods that made them feel like they were watching the Super Bowl live in Houston, Texas. At the end of the immersive experience, the soldiers were surprised by their family members right in front of them.
Hyundai connected its storytelling to its support of the armed services through special discounts and incentive programs, pulling at America's heartstrings.
Examples of Content Marketing
Here are some examples of successful content marketing campaigns that helped bolster brand visibility:
AdvisorStream increases lead capture through content marketing.
AdvisorStream is an award-winning marketing platform that helps financial advisers grow their practices by building trust and credibility. Their goal was to create highly engaging and personalized communications with their clients, and they opted to use licensed editorial content from The New York Times Licensing Group to do so. By using the enhanced content licensing options, AdvisorStream was able to stand out and help financial advisers grow their book of business through lead capture. From January to June 2020, AdvisorStream saw a 200 percent increase in views and a 260 percent increase in lead capture from their platform.
Learn more here.
American City Business Journals (ACBJ) uses licensed content to extend its reporting capabilities.
American City Business Journals was looking to amplify its original reporting efforts by utilizing content from NYTLicensing. As one of the largest publishers of metropolitan newsweeklies in the nation, ACBJ recognized its need for more variety in its posts. Licensed content provided its audience with seamless international coverage, in-depth analysis and rigorous reporting on a wide array of topics. As a result, in the first full year of using licensed third-party content, ACBJ published more than 1,000 stories and received more than 2 million page views.
Learn more here.
ESPN leverages storytelling to create connections.
NYTLicensing was able to combine historical fiction with factual content resources from the Times archive to revisit the 1927 New York Yankees season. ESPN seamlessly told this story through Twitter, Medium and ESPN digital, with the events unfolding the same way they did nearly 90 years ago. As a result, there were more than 3,000 tweets created about this story.
Learn more here.
GK.city uses licensed content to scale its efforts.
GK.city is Ecuador's only digital publisher, and they focus on longform and investigative pieces. The editors of GK noticed increases in traffic when new content was published, but they were having trouble producing content to scale. So they partnered with NYTLicensing for the ability to share more content. As a result, GK experienced a 115 percent increase in traffic to its site and saw that readers were spending three times as long reading articles as they had before.
Learn more here.
New Philosopher promotes thought leadership to drive engagement.
New Philosopher is a quarterly magazine in Australia that is devoted to exploring philosophical ideas and topics. The company partnered with NYTLicensing to promote pieces written by the world’s leading thinkers with the prompt, “What does it mean to be human today?” Within the next week after posting, New Philosopher saw 166 new comments on five posts and 122 new members to NYT Australia’s Facebook group.
Learn more here.
The Difference Between Content Marketing and a Content Strategy
It can be easy to confuse content marketing and content strategy.
Look at content marketing as an overarching theme, one that makes up the building blocks to a more comprehensive strategy. This can include different blog posts, content campaigns, graphic content design and eBook creation.
On the other hand, a cross-platform content strategy evaluates how all these individual tactics can work together to lead prospects down the marketing funnel to a conversion. For example, if a business is seeing great success with creating blog posts over social media, then part of its strategy could be to create an editorial calendar to plan out what to create.
5 Steps to Get Started With Your Content Marketing Strategy
If you're just getting started with content marketing, it's important to ensure your team is aligned and that you're following a cohesive strrategy. Below are some content marketing best practices, your strategy should incorporate these steps:
1. Define your target audience.
Ask yourself who exactly you will be targeting your content toward. You’ll want to identify your primary audience as well as their values and pain points, and you can do this by creating a buyer persona.
2. Establish KPIs for your content.
Before you can get started on creating your content, you’ll need to determine how you’ll measure its success. To do this, identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals that are most important to you. These can include sales revenue, brand awareness or conversions.
3. Create an editorial calendar.
For this step, think about what exactly you will need to write about and when. An editorial calendar will lay out all the details of content development, as well as deadlines, so you can adhere to a strict content production schedule.
4. Determine what languages are needed.
For organizations looking to develop a global content marketing strategy, it’s important to determine what languages are needed for the pieces your team is creating. Global companies will also need to determine if content will be translated and if original assets are needed for each market.
For translated pieces, it is also important for team members to be educated on how this content may need to differ from the original piece based on cultural norms and customs.
5. Leverage content from thought leaders.
Licensing content is a great way to promote valuable information to your readers. You can republish content without straining your resources and budget. For many, it is a win-win.
For more ways on how to build out your content strategy, consult the following graphic or visit our comprehensive post on how to build your own strategy:
Choosing the Right Channels for Promoting Content
No two consumers are the same. In order to get as many eyes on your content, you’ll want to promote it through a variety of different channels. Consider the benefits of posting your content on the following channels:
- Your company’s blog
- Your social channels
- Paid search advertising
- Your external company newsletter
- Email campaigns
- Third-party publications
Choosing the Right KPIs for Content Marketing
Choosing the right goals and KPIs can be quite difficult since a blog post’s impact can be difficult to measure directly against sales revenue. Instead, digital marketers can focus on the following metrics to track:
- Engagement
- Clicks
- Website visits
- Feedback from customers and prospects
- Email open rates
- Leads generated from campaigns with specific assets
Types of Content Used in Marketing
As mentioned before, content is exceptionally versatile and can meet your needs via multiple different formats. Some popular examples of types of content used for both traditional and digital content marketing include:
- Blog posts
- Thought leadership pieces
- White papers
- Webinars
- Videos
- Curated content
- High-quality graphics
Using Licensed Content in Your Content Marketing Strategy
Licensed content has many different benefits that can help you meet your overarching content goals. As with other formats, there are a variety of types of content you can outsource, including:
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Articles From Industry Experts:
These articles can give informational context to a story, provide in-depth analysis of industry trends or showcase how breaking news may impact business. A copyright license for an article from industry experts can also save companies time and resources better allocated toward other content development initiatives.
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Thought Leadership Pieces:
These pieces are fantastic for providing additional perspective and enhancing your story. They can add a level of credibility and authenticity to your current marketing program.
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Graphics:
Graphics appeal visually to readers and catch their attention. They can also be a great way to communicate complex topics and make concepts digestible for consumers.
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Industry News:
Curated news can bolster the relevance of a story. Additionally, specific industries are susceptible to big changes or disruptions that can impact day-to-day business or overarching strategies. Financial news, health care insights or business news are examples of content to include in your current strategy.
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Photography:
Photojournalism is a form of visual storytelling and reporting. It is a way to tell a story from behind a lens while providing more context to industry news stories. You can leverage news photography to showcase industry news or give updates on pertinent topics such as COVID-19.
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Graphics:
Videos can engage and help consumers to better visualize current trends or digest information.
Commonly Asked Questions About Content Marketing
Why does content marketing matter?
As reiterated within this blog, content marketing is an important way to promote your business’s services and products through a variety of different formats. Content helps to tell a story, and without content, a brand can get lost in all the noise online.
Why does content marketing work?
Content marketing works by delivering value to consumers. It creates awareness around the brand and can generate leads for the sales team. Additionally, providing authenticity in marketing, as well as utilizing empathetic marketing to your advantage, can help you retain potential readers.
What are some obstacles faced by content marketers?
Typically, content marketers have some challenges defining their overall marketing goals. They also have trouble determining what channels to post their content on, what type of content to produce and what KPIs they can use to measure success. Content marketers may also face challenges in the content ideation process. It can be difficult to decipher which assets should be prioritized and how to fill up an editorial calendar with relevant topics.
It can also be difficult to create high-quality content on a consistent basis. For those looking to outsource some of their content development, it can be difficult to find the right organization to partner with.
What industries should be taking advantage of content marketing?
Every industry, from health care to finance, can benefit from investing in content marketing. No matter the niche you are in, content marketing can be a powerful tool in promoting your company and brand awareness.
Can content marketing support digital marketing efforts?
Yes, absolutely! Content marketing can support your digital marketing initiatives and help you develop a more cohesive strategy. Content is the means through which you tell a story and communicate with your consumers. Without content marketing, a brand’s message would be very hard to promote.
What is the difference between content marketing and social media?
While often used interchangeably, content marketing and social media are different. Content marketing is a strategy or tactic, while social media is a marketing channel.
Content Marketing Resouces
Here are additional content marketing resources to help further your education around the subject.
B2B Content Marketing
- Why Is Content Marketing Important in B2B?
- 8 Steps to Building a B2B Content Marketing Strategy
- 7 B2B Content Marketing Best Practices to Know
- The Ultimate Guide to Creating Strong B2B Blog Content
Building a Content Strategy
- 6 Steps to Building a Content Marketing Strategy
- How to Develop a Global Content Marketing Strategy
- Content Marketing — The Heart of Your Digital Strategy
- Choosing the Right Content Marketing Goals and KPIs
- How to Create a Successful Blog Content Strategy
Creating a Content Calendar
- Designing Your Editorial Content Calendar for Success
- What Is a Content Audit? Your Step-by-Step Guide
Creating Quality Content
- How to Achieve Quality Content Marketing
- Content Marketing vs. Copywriting: What’s the Difference?
- What Are Content Creation Tools? 20 Resources for Marketers
- Editorial Content and How to Use It in Content Marketing
- Storytelling in Content Marketing
- What Is Content Development?
- What Is Authentic Content Marketing?
- Thought Leadership Content Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
- Thought Leadership vs. Content Marketing
- Authority Content: How to Build Credibility Through Content
How to Effectively Use Content Marketing
- How to Use Content Marketing to Grow Your Business and Brand
- How Content Marketing Supports Digital Marketing
- Content Marketing Best Practices
- How to Improve Your Content Marketing ROI
- Digital Content Marketing: Tips on Getting Started
- The Best Content Marketing Tips
Industry Specific Content Marketing
- Financial Content Marketing
- Fintech Content Marketing
- Health Care Content Marketing
- Top Biotech Content Marketing Strategies
- Tips to Boost Your Hospital’s Healthcare Content Marketing
- EdTech Content Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
- The Ultimate Content Marketing Guide for Tech Companies
Content Curation
Content Marketing Examples
- 6 Successful Content Marketing Examples in B2B
- The Best Content Marketing Examples to Inspire Your Strategy
