Demystifying Content Marketing

Content marketing is a way of engaging current and potential customers which shows them that you are the kind of person or company they want to get to know better. Instead of pitching your organization directly, content marketing enables you to establish a relationship with your market by providing content that people enjoy reading.

The keyword here is enjoy.

Content marketing is all about the long run–it won’t help you make a sale right now or even next week. What it will do is attract and entertain new readers and viewers. Over time, that online presence increases your organization’s trustworthiness and credibility. So post what your fans want to read, not what you think they should know about you.

Being an effective content marketer involves building trust, so be transparent. Post about your company’s unique methods, values, and the way you do business. Telling your fans about these practices convinces them that you are the kind of company with whom they should do business. These kinds of posts also establish your online personality, which helps show fans and followers how you’re special and better than the competition. That personality is also what keeps your fans coming back for more.

Engaging with your market also involves building credibility, and that means linking to other respected opinions, blogs, and posts, while always providing your own opinion or slant. While many content marketers simply repost what others have already said, reposting content doesn’t say anything about you, so create your own! Building credibility means asking the right questions about content. Afraid that you don’t have all the answers? Who does? To find solutions and insights, you have to engage your readers by making them think about important questions.

Make your audience want to hear what you have to say, and your content marketing strategy could make them want to buy what you have to sell.