What is content marketing?

Content marketing encapsulates multiple forms of communicative activities. In essence, it could be any medium that portrays some sort of informational or educational message. These mediums include (but are not necessarily limited to) blog posts, videos, infographics, podcasts, and social media posts.  

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We are content consumers. Our brains crave information and when satisfied, we are rewarded with a dopamine boost. What’s more, we have content at the touch of a button right at our fingertips. There is no time for boredom in this day and age, so what better time is there to get your message out in front of your audience?

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Let me tell you how.

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Content comes in many different forms…

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Blog Posts and Articles: This written form of content is highly popular. These can be used to provide in-depth information, solutions and insights targeting customer pain points. There are many benefits in doing this, such as driving organic traffic to your website or establishing yourself as a thought leader in the field.  

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Videos and Visual Content: With the rise of platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, videos and visual content have never been more popular. These offer an undoubtably engaging format for delivering information in the form of storytelling, tutorials or even demonstrations. Brands can and should most definitely harness this form of content to create strong connections with audiences.  

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Infographics and Visualised Data: Infographics are powerful for grabbing attention when presenting complex information in a visually appealing manner. This form of content is best used for presenting data, statistics or processes in an easily digestible form. These are often effective for driving engagement, as many individuals share these over social media.  

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Podcasts and Audio Content: As the podcasting industry continues to grow, audio content has become an influential form of content marketing. Like blogs and articles, podcasts allow brands to share insights and information while also sharing content such as interviews and conversations on relevant topics. This provides an opportunity to connect with listeners on a more personal level, often consumed while multitasking.

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Social Media Content: Now, this is an essential element of content marketing. Social media platforms are ideal for distributing bite-sized content such as mini videos, images, or small blog posts. These platforms allow for audiences to engage with content in the form of liking, commenting, sharing, or ‘duetting’ content.  

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So, why should it be a part of your marketing strategy? Here’s some food for thought…

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1. Builds brand trust and credibility: in consistently delivering valuable content, brands can establish themselves as thought leaders in their fields. This helps create trust amongst their target audience, thereby making them more receptive to the brand’s offerings.  

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2. Enhancing brand awareness: content marketing can enable brands to expand their online presence. Where content can be shared on platforms, this exposes the brand to a wider audience, thus promoting growth.  

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3. Increasing engagement: through online engagement mechanisms such as the ability to like, share or comment on content. This can help foster a sense of community amongst customers.  ‍

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4. Boosts search engine visibility: high-quality written content presented on your website that is optimised with relevant keywords helps improve search engine rankings. Appearing on the first page of search results can attract higher volumes of organic traffic.  ‍

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5. Nurturing relationships: content marketing can assist businesses in nurturing relationships with existing customers. Providing customers with valuable content (for example, a tutorial on using a product) can help keep customers engaged and support trust.

There is no doubt that content marketing has completely revolutionised the way that businesses connect with their audience. And perhaps consumers have never felt closer to brands. Through the creation of valuable, relevant and consistent content across various formats and channels, businesses can build trust, increase engagement and drive growth.  

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From blog posts to videos, infographics to podcasts, the possibilities are endless. All of these content mediums are essential to a strong marketing strategy. These are to be harnessed based on the audiences’ behaviour. But don’t you worry about that, we will write another blog post on tailoring your content strategy based on your audience and their behaviours.