What is content marketing?
Content marketing is older than all the marketing types together – if you consider rock paintings about hunting as first content. Joking apart, any detailed description of a product that is of real benefit to the consumer is content marketing.
Content marketing definition.
Content marketing is the development and distribution of valuable content for your target audience. The purpose of technology: to attract and retain potential customers, to motivate and thus stimulate the purchase.
Since content is expressed in writing form, the author, when creating it, uses one of four types of academic writing, which are descriptive, analytical, persuasive and critical. Each of them has its own compositional features.
Content marketing came into the world of advertising along with the need to rethink what content is for the user. Obsessive neon banners and pop-up more often annoy a modern person. Whereas the valuable, useful, relevant content:
- increases trust and loyalty to the brand;
- increases its recognition;
- attracts new customers and keeps old ones;
- activates sales.
The indirect mention of the product or the company is not a direct advertisement, and therefore is easily and naturally perceived by the audience.
This content is developed by content marketer. However, he is also a marketer, which means his task is to promote. It’s not enough just to create valuable content, you still need to show it correctly, make sure that the “right” users see it (target audience), and then evaluate its effectiveness.
Content marketing strategies.
Creating a content strategy is one of the most important stages of a content marketing project. Content strategy is developed individually. Its main stages are:
- Analysis of the market and target audience.
- Developing a content plan (types of content, chronology of publications).
- Staffing (authors, designers, SEO specialists, developers, in other words, the hands and eyes of a content manager).
- Publishing (own web resources, external sites).
- Content sowing (active placement everywhere).
- Analytical work (campaign performance check).
Channels of content dissemination are very different:
- Sites;
- Blogs;
- News portals;
- Video hosting;
- Social network;
- Forums;
- Email distribution;
- Instant messengers and so on.
And those are only virtual media. There are also print publications, thematic events, and personal communications. All resources can and should be used.
How to do marketing?
So, if you have decided to fill in the sites, have been trained and are eager to take up duties, the most important question arises: where to find the job?
There are several ways to find clients. First, a novice content manager can get a job in a web studio that provides a site filling service. Secondly, he can apply directly to the employer, having considered the offers on employment sites, or by sending a resume to the organization. In addition, you can simply post your resume on specialized portals and wait for your employer to find you.
How to start marketing company?
According to the latest scientists’ research, 70% of Internet users visit the Internet for the sake of social networks. Marketers have long noticed this fact and use social networks to promote products and services. In addition, 55% of entrepreneurs have their own website, through which they inform their customers and start advertising goods or services. Only 5% understand the work of a web resource and are able to bring their sites to the first positions of search engines. Therefore, the creation of the SEO/SMM agency can bring a good income to its owner.
The marketing through social networks is not a new phenomenon, but if you get serious about your business and develop your strategy, the business will pay off in a year.
To optimize a web resource, you need time and well-coordinated work of a team of copywriters, marketers, programmers, web designers. Professionals can be hired remotely and for each individual order, so you will save on payments to the pension and social insurance fund. The team can be picked up at various freelancing exchanges. However, the staff should be selected from proven people, since the inexperience of any participant will severely slow down the process.
You should apply for individual entrepreneurship. If the project involves several people, then you can register an LLC. Legal status is necessary, as it is important to conclude an agreement on the services offered, otherwise law will not protect you, and the activity will be considered illegal.
You can start working directly from your home computer, but for further serious work, you will have to rent a small office. Moreover, its placement will not affect the income, so you can rent a room even on the edge of the city.
SMM/SEO agencies have been working on the client base for years, so it will be difficult to find first clients. Place an ad online on various resources and try to search for those who needs content marketing among your friends. A good self-promotion is a popular online resource, which demands several thousand dollars investment.
We recommend starting such a business, when you have knowledge about Internet marketing. Otherwise, it will take a long time to delve into the work, and investments will significantly increase.
To sum up, content marketing is the strongest tool that influences the formation of credibility and trust between a company and a consumer. It makes a person stop, read, think, choose and buy. If you have your own business, it’s time to use content marketing for your benefit.
