What Is Content Marketing? An Introduction to Crafting Great Content

Creating a successful content marketing plan requires comprehending the fundamentals of what content marketing is all about. If you’re just a beginner, you might need help understanding how to get started with content marketing. Don’t stress any longer – this blog will shed light on the matter.  

According to a case study, digital content marketing perfectly connects with your customers and establishes a trustworthy relationship. By consistently creating compelling content, it allows you to stay top of mind for potential.  

In this guide, we will break down the basics of what content marketing is, what are content marketing examples, what digital content marketing and everything you need to start crafting content marketing strategies that will help you succeed.   

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a powerful and deliberate way to construct valuable, pertinent, dependable content to attract an identified audience. This strategy ultimately leads to profitable customer actions.   

Content marketing strategy examples include media like emails, whitepapers, social media posts, newsletters, podcasts, and videos. These types of content deliver helpful and relevant information to users, delighting them and attracting them to your company.   

While content marketing is also considered to be digital marketing, many digital strategies don’t use informational content at all. Digital strategies may focus on any promotion or advertising that uses online channels.     

Marketing Is Impossible Without Great Content    

Whatever content marketing tactics you use, content marketing should be a vital part of your overall strategies. All forms of marketing include quality content:    

• Social Media Marketing: Leverage a platform that enables users to construct social networks. 
• SEO: Content marketing SEO services optimizing the content of your website to rank higher on SERPs.   
• PR: A well-planned PR strategy can open up a world of possibilities for any brand. 
• PPC: It can be a secret weapon for your content marketing and an edge over your competition.  
• Inbound marketing: Valuable content drives inbound traffic aligned with your target audience.  
• Content strategy: It is part of content marketing strategies and a great tactic to bring leads.     

Why Is Content Marketing Important?    

Why is content marketing important? Because it is a great way to promote your brands, grow your audience, improve conversions, and generate leads. Although it tends to be crowded, consistent, high-quality content is an excellent advantage. Let’s explore content marketing in more detail, including its top benefits:     

 1. You’ll Build Authority on Your Platform   

Content marketing’s primary goal is to build relationships with potential customers while increasing your brand’s authority. Focusing on those channels means promoting your brand.     

Unlike social media marketing, your audience and your means of communicating with them will disappear if your content vanishes or is hacked. That is why content marketing is a safer investment – and more sustainable.    

 2. Your Audience Will Trust You   

Content creation enables your firm to connect with its target audience. If you can connect with customers and answer their inquiries, your audience will trust your recommendations and suggestions if you provide value without expecting anything in return.    

 3. You’ll Generate More and Better Leads

Leads can also be generated through the powerful combination of SEO and content marketing. When your audience views your material, they are more likely to purchase from you. Furthermore, embedded in your content, calls-to-action (CTAs) might generate fresh leads.    

 4. Increase Visibility By Ranking Higher In Search Engines

A site filled with consistent, high-quality content is also more comprehensive, relevant, and engaging for its target audience. Ranking at the top of search results is vital for increased online visibility and attracting more traffic to your website via search.    

 5. It Costs Lesser Than Any Traditional Marketing But Generates ROI

You don’t need to keep paying for a piece’s existence or visibility once it’s generated, published, and distributed – significantly if you invest in SEO. 89% of the most successful B2B marketers documented have a content marketing strategy.    

 6. Original Content Can Improve Conversions

Conversions are influenced by the material you publish. It allows your audience to interact with you and gives them the knowledge they need to purchase. Ultimately, your content should always have a CTA that directs your reader to convert.    

  7. Quality Content Can Build Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is a vital part of your overall business strategy. It refers to how well your potential and target audience are associated with your brand. Naturally, content writing is one of the most effective techniques for achieving a massive audience for your brand.    

 8. You’ll Cultivate Loyal Brand Fans   

Brand trust is earned, not bought. With that being said, personal experience and media were discovered to be the most essential elements in the audience’s gains or losses of trust.    

Successful content marketing can influence people who rave about your content, associate feelings with your brand, and are likely to become brand advocates.    

9. You’ll Save Money on Your Marketing Strategy    

Compared to sponsored commercials, video marketing, and traditional marketing, content always wins the war. Thus, content marketing remained the most cost-effective marketing strategy.     

 10. Your Competitors Are Using Content Marketing 

Remember that even if you aren’t doing content marketing, your competitors most likely are, and you’ll miss a lot of opportunities if you aren’t doing one.    

The Five Pillars of Content Marketing    

Now, let us dive into the details of each pillar and discuss how they can help you successfully launch a magnificent marketing campaign.  

Audience     

Before you take any action in the marketing field, it is essential that you understand who your audience members are; this holds for content marketing too. For the best content creation results, you must have an in-depth comprehension of your target audience – their identity, needs, and preferences and how you can effectively engage with them. 

Creation

In this process, creativity and productivity are vital. To generate strong content, you must be able to create ideas successfully. Draft, revise, and optimize them to guarantee it achieve precisely what you want them to do and perform effectively.

Experience

Your top priority should be to ensure that anybody who reads your material has a great experience. Positive experience increases the chances that readers will return to your website, trust your company, and perform the actions you want them to take.    

Promotion

There are lots of channels to distribute your content. You have to pick the best one. And one thing to reconsider is what channel your content is most effective. 

Insight

For a successful content marketing strategy framework, the last pillar should mean knowing why you do such things and what things work will make your marketing efforts more accessible and successful.     

The Content Marketing Funnel    

Let’s take a closer look at the stages and determine which content suits each step.  

1. Awareness Phase: Top of the Funnel (TOFU)    

The goal of top-of-funnel (TOFU) content is to educate your audience. Because users are unfamiliar with your brand, SEO is essential for this content. You can maximize your visibility and get discovered through keyword research and self-promotion like shareable blog posts.     

2. Evaluation Phase: Middle of the Funnel (MOFU)    

At this point, your target audience is aware of your company and the solution you offer, and they are interested. This is the part where you attempt to build your relationship with them.  

3. Conversion Phase: Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU)    

Give them a reason to purchase by comparing similar products with your superior product or service. The content you create should have the goal of convincing them to buy your product.    

4. Delight: Beyond the Funnel     

Finally, your overall content strategy should establish an audience and keep them engaged. Customers should be able to engage with your content quickly and share feedback with your company. This effort goes beyond the purchase step.    

Types of Content Marketing     

Here are some of the most effective types of content marketing that your company can utilize to generate more leads, convert them, and establish stronger relationships with your customers. Let us take a closer look.    

1. Awareness (TOFU)   

You can use content types such as:    

Shareable blog posts

most popular and effective content types for top-of-funnel awareness.   

Social media posts

are an effective way to promote your content and generate awareness.  

Infographics

visual representations of data and information used for conveying complex topics in a visually appealing way.    

Videos

a great way to deliver complex messages quickly.    

E-books

Ideal for providing more in-depth information and building relationships with prospects.    

Podcasts

an audio file downloaded to a device via an RSS feed.    

2. Evaluation (MOFU)   

• Case studies – are the testimonials of the target audience.    
• White papers – are content pieces that offer solutions to a problem.    
• Emails – Electronic communication from one computer user to multiple recipients through a network, enabling efficient dissemination of information. 
• Useful resources/downloads    
• Events/webinars – are conducted via video or audio and can be great for providing educational information.    

3. Conversion (BOFU)   

Answering questions like:    

• Is a clear call to action in my content?   
• Am I ensuring that the purchase process is as straightforward and effortless as possible? 

4. Delight (BOFU)   

Ask yourself:    

• Does this content encourage customers to leave feedback?    
• Does the content give readers reasons to refer their friends?    
• Does this content showcase real customer success?   

How to Get Started with Content Marketing?    

Creating content to reach your goals takes some time, but there are several steps you can take to get started:    

• Who is your audience  
• Know your competitor  
• What do you offer  
• What is your goal?  
• What existing content do you have  
• What is your content’s purpose  
• How frequently should you post new content?    
• How are you going to disseminate your content?    
• How will you make your content sustainable?    

Want to learn more about these questions and the process behind simple content marketing tips? Then check out this blog about content strategy:
Effective Content Strategy to Make Sure Your Content Drives Action

Content Marketing Tools    

Content marketing tools are a valuable asset that can help you save time and money by enhancing the quality of your content production and optimizing your overall strategy. Here are some of the best content marketing tools to get you started:  

1. HubSpot   

HubSpot offers many features which are free to try. With its comprehensive marketing, sales, and CRM suite, Hubspot enables you to produce effective content and reach the correct audience.  With Hubspot at your disposal, you no longer need individual tools – this all-encompassing platform has everything required for success.

   

2. WordPress   

WordPress is the market leader in content management systems. It provides marketers with the tools they need to start a blog or website and a simple publishing platform. It also offers visitor tracking and a variety of plugins to help you optimize your marketing approach.    

3. Trello   

Trello is the solution to make planning and collaboration more enjoyable. It represents projects with boards and tasks with cards. All tasks and projects can be organized and tracked in one spot. It is also compatible with several other content marketing systems.   

4. Airtable  

Airtable is best suited for storing large amounts of data in one location and sorting it using custom filters. It is commonly used as a project management tool and serves various content marketing functions, including editorial calendars, marketing campaign tracking, influencer management, and so on.    

5. Google Analytics   

Google Analytics is another essential content marketing tool for most web platforms. It is free and easy to use. You can use this to track product purchases and form submissions. You can use Google Analytics by setting up an account and copying the code to your website to begin tracking your data.      

6. Buzzsumo  

Buzzsumo is a content marketing and research platform that may be used for various purposes. You’ll be able to find the top trending topics and headlines generating the most discussion for almost everything. It helps you determine what style of material will work best for the given topic. 

    

7. Yoast   

Yoast is a great content marketing tool for creating SEO-friendly content. There are colored markers in red, yellow, and green that make it simple to determine whether your page has been properly optimized.    

8. Ahrefs  

Ahrefs is a robust SEO tool that can also generate detailed performance data. It allows you to follow your keywords’ rankings, examine your competitors’ keywords and traffic, and much more.   

 

9. Google Optimize   

Google Optimize offers statistical modelling tools for simulating real-world performance for any test you want to run. It can assist you in determining which parts of your website visitors interact with the most and focusing on areas that require further work.    

10. Canva   

When it comes to content marketing, good visual elements are crucial. Canva makes it simple for designers to create visual content. You can either choose one of their templates or start from scratch.      

Best Examples to Draw Inspiration From     

You can create high-quality content that resonates with your visitors or audience and drives more organic traffic to your website. By optimizing and tracking the performance of your content, you can build a successful content marketing strategy that will help you succeed in the future.  

1. Social media Content Marketing Example      

There are many great examples of content marketing that you can use to draw inspiration from. An example of social media content marketing is Starbucks. The company has an active presence on various platforms, including Instagram and Twitter.    

1. Podcast Content Marketing Example     

The best example of podcast content marketing is Skinny Confidential. Skinny Confidential is a podcast hosted by social media influencer Lauryn Evarts Bosstick. It offers interviews with experts, discusses health and wellness topics, and shares inspiring stories.   

1. Blog Content Marketing Example     

Blogs can also be an excellent way to connect with your target audience. One of the best examples of blog content marketing is the blog run by the real estate company Zillow. The blog offers tips, tricks, and advice for getting the best out of your home-buying experience.   

  

1. Video Content Marketing Example     

Video content can be an ideal way to engage with your target audience. One of the best examples of video content marketing is Dollar Shave Club. The company produces short, humorous videos that provide insight into its products and services. 

5. Ebook Content Marketing Example    

Ebooks are a powerful way to provide helpful content to your target audience. One of the best examples of ebook content marketing is the ebook from MyFitnessPal. The ebook offers a comprehensive guide to healthy eating and living.   

6. Email Content Marketing Example    

A strong email marketing funnel may assist both large enterprises and small businesses. One of the best examples is the email marketing funnel from Drift. It provides personalized content, helpful tips, and valuable advice to keep visitors engaged and informed.   

  

1. Case studies Content Marketing Example     

It has been regarded as an extremely powerful content marketing strategy. You can check Buffer’s case study as an example, and you’ll see how they used their product to achieve 30% growth. It provides an in-depth look at how Buffer used their platform to engage and grow their customer base.

   

1. White papers Content Marketing Example     

White papers increase your authority and help solve challenges for your clients and stakeholders. For example – the “State of Marketing Automation” white paper from Marketo provides valuable insights into how marketing automation can improve ROI and boost business growth.   

1. Press releases Content Marketing Example     

Press releases can be very useful in introducing your brand to the public. One good example is the press release from Slack in which they announced their new features and how they can help businesses.  

Leverage The Power Of Content Marketing To Optimize Your Brand Visibility And Recognition

By leveraging the different types of content marketing discussed above, you can build an effective content marketing strategy to help your business reach its goals. Content marketing can be used to your advantage, from driving organic traffic to increasing brand recognition.     

Please check our website to see how we can help you. Discover more of our blog posts and how these content marketing trends can make a difference.