// WIDSIX WRITTEN WORD //

What is Content Marketing?

con·tent mar·ket·ing

noun

1. a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.

“social media is an integral part of content marketing”

Content marketing is the marketing of the future. Consumers are sick and tired of seeing blatant ads, made to be as obnoxious and in-your-face as possible to compete with the thousands others like them out on the web. The problem with this traditional style of advertising is that it’s promoting the message that all the company wants is to plaster their product everywhere so that they can sell to as many people as possible. After a long day of being bombarded with ads, customers may feel as if companies view them as nothing more than cash cows. But content marketing is different. Content marketing embraces the give-and-take side of marketing. You want to provide your customers with valuable information and/or entertainment while exposing them to your product at the same time. In this equal exchange, the customers come away feeling satisfied and happy, and view your product or brand as a positive force. By doing this, you can establish that you are a helpful, trustworthy, giving brand, who truly cares about the customer’s experience.

Content Marketing Institute uses the example of the brand American Girl. The American Girl brand is a massive conglomerate of various forms of educational media from apps, games, videos, films, print publications, etc. However, all of these are designed around marketing their product: 8-inch dolls. The brand was initially built upon dolls who represented a specific historical period, and therefore all of the media featuring these dolls was fairly educational and content-based. Content Marketing Institute says, “In short, American Girl’s content marketing focuses on how a child can interact with the doll or things that are important to this demographic.” Each doll had a different story and life of their own, which was appealing to many young girls who felt they could identify with the girls portrayed in the stories. This continues to be an extremely effective marketing technique, as American Girl is now an award-winning, multi-million dollar company.

So now that we’ve explained what exactly Content Marketing is, you’re probably wondering how you can use it to grow your brand. Next week we will discuss how you can wield the power of content marketing to expand your small empire, with 4 Content Marketing Strategies for Your Small Business. Stay tuned!