Content Marketing Basics

Digital marketing channels are busier than ever. Where attention is the ultimate commodity, content marketing can make all the difference. Content is at the centre of brand communications, providing a powerful medium through which you can entertain, educate, engage and convert audiences into loyal customers.

Best described as a strategic approach to marketing focused on the creation and distribution of relevant, actionable, useful content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. The goal is to drive profitable customer action.

Unlike traditional marketing which focuses on the direct promotion of products and services, content marketing aims to provide information that is genuinely useful or entertaining to potential customers. This could take the form of a blog post, podcast, video or social media post. The core of content marketing lies in building a relationship with your audience.

Why is Content Marketing Important?

If you’re not using content marketing as part of your marketing strategy, you are missing out on opportunities. Not only does it allow you to showcase your expertise and establish credibility, it aligns with how today’s consumers prefer to receive information – content that is valuable and engaging, rather than disruptive.

Brand Credibility

The consistent publication and promotion of high quality content, you can position yourself as thought leaders in your industry. Audiences are more likely to trust and choose a brand that has provided them with valuable insights, a compelling story or problem solving content over one that has blatantly pushed advertisements.

Brand Awareness

Content that resonates with your audience not only helps in brand recall, but also expands your reach. Engaging content is far more shareable, increasing the likelihood of your brand being discovered by new potential customers.

Customer Engagement and Loyalty

Interactive and audience focused content encourages community building and repeat visitors. Through consistent engagement, you can turn a one time visitor into a regular consumer of your content and eventually into brand advocates.

Search Engine Optimisation

Visibility on search engines depends on good content that serves search intent. The publication of content on your website is one of the most effective ways to improve your websites search engine rankings. Using relevant keywords and including useful information, you signal to search engines that your website is a credible source of information.

Types of Content Marketing

There are so many ways you can raise awareness of your brand using content marketing. Depending on the message, medium and audience, different types of content can deliver different results.

Blogging

Creating a business blog is a traditional form of content marketing and it still holds weight in 2024. It’s one of the most effective ways to improve SEO. It serves as a platform to share insights, company information and engage in dialogue with your audience. You can also create conversations around your content if you repurpose blog content on social media, directing people to the full article to read more. Combine your blog with a knowledge base and you have a strong content marketing system that will work for your business and bring in a steady stream of traffic if properly optimised.

Video Marketing

Video has increased significantly in recent years, with the introduction of short form videos such as those on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Its impact continues to grow as the popularity of video platforms gains momentum. Videos can be highly engaging (both long form and short form) and are effective in communicating complex messages into an easy to digest format.

Social Media Content

Content shared across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) should be tailored to the strengths and preferences of each networks users. It’s a place to showcase product features, demonstrate the benefits of a product or service and share stories that resonate with audiences.

Infographics

Visual representations of information, data or knowledge designed to present complex information quickly and clearly. They are highly shareable and effective in driving traffic to your website.

Content Marketing Metrics

It’s not enough to simply create content. You must understand how it is performing to refine your strategy. Finding out what works will take time, but to find out which content to focus on, you need to gather data, ideally over 3-6 months.

Traffic

Monitor the number of visitors coming to your website from various content platforms. This gives you an understanding of which channels are driving the most traffic and where you should focus your efforts.

Engagement

This includes metrics such as time on page, comments, shares, likes, and other interactions. High engagement rates suggest that your content is resonating with your audience.

Conversions

Ultimately, you want your content to drive customer action. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, downloading a whitepaper, or making a purchase, track how many visitors are converting thanks to your content.

Retention

A returning visitor is more likely to convert. Use metrics that measure returning visitors to your site, such as subscriber numbers and repeat purchases, to understand your retention rates.

SEO Metrics

Regularly track your keyword rankings, backlinks to your content, and search engine visibility to ensure your content is being found by potential customers.

Content marketing is one of the best marketing tools you have. It will take a while to build up a library of content assets, but once you have a selection of quality pieces, they will pay for themselves over and over. That said, content marketing isn’t just about creating content. It’s about sharing stories, building a community and solving problems. The key to all these things is to truly understand the people you are writing for to craft the right message. Mastering the art of content marketing can lead to significant business growth and success.