Content marketing is one of the most popular and effective ways to attract your target audience online. The benefits of content marketing are aplenty including increased web traffic, brand awareness, and customer engagement, as well as higher search rankings and conversion potential. To a beginner, developing a content strategy may seem daunting, but you just need time to learn the basics. Here’s a content marketing guide to get you started.
A Beginner’s Guide to Content Marketing: What Is Content Marketing?
Here are the content marketing basics you need to know before creating and launching a content marketing plan for your business.
Content Marketing Definition
Content marketing is a specific marketing strategy that focuses on delivering relevant, informative, and valuable content to a target audience. Businesses can use content to attract and engage current and potential customers so that they take some sort of profitable action — such as making a purchase.
Content Marketing Advantages
Content marketing, especially when combined with other forms of digital marketing, can be very effective in gaining the attention of your target audience. As you produce valuable content that speaks to their needs and challenges, they start to see your business as credible and an authority in your field or niche.
Through more content, businesses can nurture and strengthen these relationships. When these engaged consumers are finally ready to convert, they are more likely to purchase from your business. Thus, content marketing helps businesses develop a loyal customer base.
Another advantage of content marketing is that it is significantly cheaper than traditional forms of marketing — such as television commercials and print ads. Even if you do not employ paid traffic campaigns — such as pay-per-click ads — content marketing can still deliver optimal results.
With lower marketing expenses and a higher return on investment (ROI), it’s no surprise that 60% of B2C marketers and 41% of B2B marketers have committed to running content marketing strategies.
Types of Content Marketing
In this section of the content marketing for beginners’ guide, you will learn about the different types of content marketing.
1. Blogs
Blogging is the most popular type of content marketing.
For many businesses, blogs are also the pillar of their content marketing strategy. One reason for this is because blogs or articles are fairly easy to produce.
Nevertheless, they are effective in establishing and strengthening relationships with customers. Businesses who also have more leads, inbound links, and indexed pages on search engines.
2. Video
Video is considered the future of content marketing. In the United States alone, there are 232 million digital video viewers. A third of all online activity is also spent watching videos online. As such, creating video content is a great way of attracting and engaging your target audience online.
Most consumers today will first watch a video before purchasing a product or service. As such, unboxing videos, product reviews, and video tutorials have been extremely popular on video-sharing platforms like YouTube.
3. Case Studies
Case studies are a great way to show the value that your business can provide to consumers. You can feature success stories from clients, illustrating how your products or services have significantly improved their lives or businesses. You can also use case studies to explain the applications of your products or services.
When consumers understand how your products or services work, they will be more willing to make a purchase. Thus, businesses can use content marketing to increase brand awareness and boost conversion rates.
4. eBooks and Whitepapers
E-books and whitepapers are examples of long-form content. Rather than advertising products or services, e-books and whitepapers deliver valuable and relevant information to consumers. For instance, these types of content can provide solutions to a specific pain point of your target audience. By providing value, businesses can gain the trust and loyalty of the consumers.
E-books and white papers are typically used as lead magnets or gated content. This means that consumers will have to provide information — such as their name or email address — before gaining access to the free e-book or whitepaper. Businesses then have the opportunity to nurture and engage these leads to increase conversion rates.
5. Social Media Posts
Just like with video content, social media has become one of the most powerful digital platforms today. If you want to reach your target audience, you can find them on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Businesses can produce social media content to inform consumers about new products, sales and promotions, and other relevant information.
Apart from delivering promotional and informational content, businesses can also use social media to engage with their customers. For instance, you can pose a question on social media and encourage users to share their comments, thoughts, or opinions. Businesses can use customer feedback to further improve their content and digital marketing strategies.
Other Types of Content Marketing
Apart from the five aforementioned examples, here are additional types of content marketing.
- Webinars
- Podcasts
- Checklists
- User-Generated Content (GIFs, memes)
- Photos/Illustrations
- Infographics
- e-Newsletters
- News Articles
- Testimonials/Product Reviews
- How-To Guides/Tutorials
- Influencer Content
Online Content Marketing Strategies for Beginners
Now that you have a good grasp of the basics, it’s time to learn different online content marketing strategies. As content marketing can be quite complex, here are simple but effective strategies that you can easily implement as a beginner.
1. Start with One Type of Content
Rather than implementing different types of content, it’s much better to start with one. Choose a content format that is best suited for your business. It also helps to choose a format that you are confident or comfortable with or a format that is most appealing to your target audience.
For example, if you are selling sports goods, you can produce video content that showcases your products and their features. Meanwhile, if you are selling food items, you can create recipes and how-to articles featuring your products. Once you’re able to get a good grasp of your primary content format, you can branch out to other types of content.
2. Use Keyword Research to Select Relevant Topics
You can use keyword research to identify content topics or ideas. The goal is to identify keywords that your target audience is using to find your products and services. Then, to boost brand awareness, engagement, and conversion, build content around these keywords.
For instance, if your target audience is typing “ants in my kitchen” on search engines, you can create an article that explains why these insects are entering your house or a tutorial on how to get rid of them. Even though you are selling ant control products, the goal of the content isn’t to advertise. Rather, you’re providing useful information that can make your consumers’’ lives better. When the time comes that they need ant control products, they will know to come to you.
3. Publish Content on Platforms Where Your Target Audience Resides
Publish your content in places where you know your target audience resides.
For instance, if you are targeting Gen Z consumers, publishing content on platforms like LinkedIn will not be as effective as posting on YouTube or Instagram.
You must have a good understanding of your customer avatars, what their needs and challenges are, and where you can find them online. By producing targeted content, you’ll be able to experience the benefits of content marketing.
4. Repurpose Your Content
It takes a lot of time and effort to create content. To get a better return on your content marketing strategy, make it a point to repurpose your content. If your primary content is video, you can transform that into many other formats. You can use the information to create an article, screencaps to create infographics or illustrations, or tutorials and checklists.
Repurposing content also helps widen your online reach. You can reach more consumers by posting content on relevant platforms such as videos on YouTube, pictures on Instagram, and articles on your website.
A Content Marketing Guide for Beginners
There’s so much more to learn about content marketing but with this online content marketing for beginners’ guide, you’ll be off to a good start. As you take a deeper dive into the world of content marketing, you’ll learn more strategies and techniques that they can apply to their businesses. If you want to create a loyal customer base, as well as increase sales and profits, you’ll never go wrong with investing in content marketing.
Enjoyed this content marketing guide? If you want to learn more about content marketing, do not hesitate to reach out to Tanner Grey today! Call us at 844.500.1339, email us at web@tannergrey.com, or contact us online to discover how we can help your business.
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