What is content marketing?
We hear about it absolutely everywhere at the moment, but what exactly is content marketing? What are the differences with traditional marketing, and should one prefer one of the two? How do you know if this method is truly effective? Don't worry: in this article, I answer all your questions and more!
Content marketing: definition
In French, "content marketing" is translated as marketing de contenu. As you may have understood, this method is completely focused on the distribution of various types of content, and you may sometimes find it referred to as "stratégie éditoriale" (editorial strategy).
The content must therefore be:
unique in their kind
relevant and useful
with real added value
At first glance, the goal of content marketing is similar to traditional marketing: attract a large audience, and then convert them into customers. But you will quickly see that the methods used will ensure you have a higher quality audience, much more targeted and that you have defined according to your own criteria.
Difference between content marketing and traditional marketing
Content marketing and traditional marketing are two very different things from each other. The tools used for both approaches are already an example: for content marketing, we will use new technologies, or methods like storytelling, etc.
In other words, with content marketing, the focus is mainly on how to convey information in a way that will have an impact on the largest number of targeted individuals.
For content marketing to be effective, regular publication of your content is of utmost importance. However, do not confuse spam with content marketing: this method does not involve constantly sending out information, but rather providing high-quality content. Studies have also shown that20% of emails are never opened in Europe the spams, in particular..
Examples of content marketing
Any content, if it is good, can be used in a content marketing campaign. The main thing is that it brings real added value to your audience! Here are some examples of content that you can activate:
The blog post
Attention, let's start with a tricky question: what are you reading? Yes, blog articles are an excellent way to activate your content marketing! This one, for example, is around 2000 words, but the length of a blog article depends entirely on your target readers. You are indeed the only one who knows if they prefer to read short or long content. In any case, it is recommended to write articles of 1000 to 2000 words, or even more. And why? For the natural referencing of the site, of course!
The videos
Videos are another way to showcase your message, and have the advantage of being very engaging, as well as easy to share (indeed, a study conducted by HubspotStudies show that videos are 40 times more likely to be shared than other types of content). But unlike written content, they require more time and resources.
External content
Posting your content on your website is good, but sharing it with the entire web is even better! So, think about publishing content elsewhere than on your site, such as on social networks. Then it's up to you to choose whether to simply share the links or to adapt the format to each platform.
However, you must know how to choose the type of content to publish. To do this, you must pay particular attention to your targets. By doing so, you will become aware of their needs in order to deliver content that may interest them. While for some, images and videos will have a greater impact, for others, blog articles will suffice.
In conclusion, the important thing is to create emotion through the content, regardless of its nature.
Why choose content marketing over traditional marketing?
There is nothing stopping you from continuing to use traditional techniques, but content marketing is without a doubt THE trend of the moment. And consumer behavior reinforces this idea: advertising trends have completely reversed in recent years. For consumers who still watch television, over 80% skip ads. And now that information is available everywhere on the internet, newspapers and magazines are becoming obsolete..
Many other reasons will surely make you lean towards content marketing, such as the awareness of advertising from consumers: inundated with messages day after day, they now tend to prefer content that will bring them added value.
Finally, and this reason could particularly convince you, theContent marketing is more cost-effective.
The benefits of content marketing
Thanks to content marketing, a company can build its reputation. Indeed, by disseminating quality content, it can position itself as legitimate and credible
If you stick to a regular publishing schedule for your content, you ensure better visibility. And more visibility means more prospects!
Finally, you can use content marketing to do what is called Nurturing Marketing: it is simply maintaining the relationship with your prospects who do not currently intend to buy. Always remember that your efforts are never in vain, and that any trusting relationship takes time to build... Be patient!
The history of content marketing
Content marketing only appeared in history in the 19th century, in the United States. It all started with a simple magazine, initiated by John Deere, owner of a tractor company, in 1895.
"The Furrow", contrary to what one might think, is not a magazine where Deere promotes its products. Instead, it explains various agricultural issues (or similar subjects) that many farmers face. And above all, it provides advice and solutions.
Other professionals who have seen the value of such a method have not hesitated to adopt the same strategies. Indeed, many companies still publish magazines regularly, which are read by many people around the world.
In the case of France, content marketing was initiated by Michelin in the 1900s. The Michelin brothers wrote the first guide on vehicle maintenance, travel tips... There is no need to tell you the rest, we all already know the success of the brand and its reputation!
The purpose of content marketing
If we decide to use content marketing, it is primarily to increase the size of our audience, and therefore acquire more customers. Sales are not the main objective here, even though they will logically result from the process. The goal is rather to attract prospects, get them to adhere to our message, and build a real relationship with them
On the other hand, your readers, prospects, or clients will want to use your products or services simply because your content has made an impact on them. Let's take an example: maybe your content has helped them in their decision-making process, regarding a specific topic that your site focuses on...
Some American companies, such as Microsoft or Michelin, use blogs as a means of distributing their content by writing articles on them. Unlike a traditional advertisement, these articles last in the long term and provide real added value to the reader/customer
But it's not just big companies that know how to do it! Small ones are not left behind... In fact, they also use content strategy to grow their business! Here, size doesn't matter, but rather the quality of the content offered.
How does content marketing work?
It can be combined with any other form of marketing. Whatever it is, you must ensure first and foremost that the content being disseminated is of high quality. As the saying goes: "Content is King".
Content marketing is a tool that can be used in conjunction with many others, such as for an effective SEO strategy... Indeed, regularly publishing quality content is the foundation of natural referencing! (To review the basics of SEO, take a look at our article right here -> LINK)
Finally, the PR (Public Relations) strategy; in other words: the visibility that is obtained (earned media). Its name already says a lot about it: this method depends entirely on your surroundings. If you have been able to build good relationships with them, you have every chance of having a positive image in their eyes. So, when they talk about you, they will only say positive things. On the other hand, a bad impression is enough to harm your reputation. But how to ensure a good PR strategy? Just adopt this principle: produce good content, at the right time and for the right targets!
The Steps of Content Marketing
Like in any process, it is better not to skip steps in content marketing, at the risk of getting burned... Starting with the basics will ensure quality and results.
Identify your targets
To begin, you need to define your target audience. It is only in this way that you will know the content that could interest your audience, in order to achieve the best results. By identifying the target, I mean that it is abouttruly know them their habits, their expectations...
Find content ideas
Once you have correctly identified your target audience, all you have to do is ask yourself the right questions! Put yourself in the shoes of your (potential) consumers, and ask yourself: if I were in their place, what content would interest me? What can I offer them?... Being attentive to their feedback and requests will help you better understand them and anticipate their desires!
Finding good ideas for relevant content is not an easy task, but it can pay off big time. In addition to satisfying those already loyal to your brand, you can build a new audience interested in what you have to offer!
Lacking inspiration? You will find some tips for creating relevant contentOn this page...
Plan your publications
Consistency is one of the keys to content marketing. That is why you need to establish a fixed schedule (publishing plan), and above all, to respect itIt is also a good way to retain your target audience!
Create!
When it comes to creating content, you have several options: you can take care of it yourself, or you can use the services of professionals... And to make this choice, several factors need to be considered!
Keep in mind that the content you provide, whatever it may be, must be of high quality and offer real added value. So depending on the field of activity, it may be better for it to be produced by an expert in the field!
Finally, as I mentioned earlier, consistency is key: if it takes too much of your time to take care of content production yourself, delegate it.
The main thing is that quality and consistency are present!
Promote your content
It is now impossible to deny that we are living in the era of sharing: by sharing your content on various social networks, you not only ensure the sharing and promotion of your content, but also the creation of a community specific to each platform... But beware! Each network has its own rules and codes: so be careful to use them intelligently.
Another way to promote your content would be to partner with other blogs: in doing so, a link exchange is possible, and you will then automatically gain traffic... Yes indeed, the fact of using advertisements is no longer necessarya requirement to gain traffic on your website !
How to know if your strategy worked?
Just like in any marketing strategy implementation, you will need to come up with results, then analyze them to better understand them, and be able to use them for potential adjustments
Content marketing is no exception: you can easily isolate and measure all the results you will need using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which are, as their name suggests, performance indicators. These indicators will allow you to measure the results specific to each objective that you have set in advance. For example, you can measure customer loyalty or product sales using different indicators. Here are a few examples to illustrate the explanation:
For the sale of products, you can focus on these criteria:
The number of requests and orders
The turnover and profits..
While for customer loyalty, you can focus on:
The number of users who regularly come back to your site
The time they spend there
The bounce rate
The different pages viewed..
In conclusion, content marketing isThe trend In terms of digital marketing, which ultimately encompasses all other branches (such as SEO, community management, or AdWords campaigns...). Simply because it has already proven its effectiveness in a large number of companies (discover more15 other brandswho have used content marketing wisely on Instagram)
And you, do you want to start creating content for your brand, but you don't know who to turn to to start? That's great, I would love to help you take your first steps..