Content marketing can feel like it’s simply the latest buzzword that the online marketing community has hooked onto. It appeared to come from almost nowhere and pop out almost fully formed about a decade ago. Now, it’s almost impossible to read an online marketing blog or talk to an agency without having a lesson about content marketing shoved down your throat.
However, it’s worth remembering that agencies generally know what they’re talking about and people don’t tend to jump on this type of bandwagon unless there is a grain of truth in it. Nevertheless, if you’re not familiar with the concepts behind content marketing, it can be hard to grasp exactly how it will help your bottom line. In a nutshell, it is all about establishing yourself as experts in whatever it is you do. You need to provide content, whether that be
in the form of articles, videos, infographics or something else entirely that allows you to show off that expertise and share stuff that’s useful and relevant with other people.
Good content marketing isn’t about a hard sell or directly convincing​ someone to buy your product. It’s about showing that you provide a good and trustworthy service and are the true experts at whatever it is you do. The content is designed to attracting potential customers and to cause them to start considering you as an option. With a few rare exceptions, content marketing will not lead to an instant sell and you need to be aware of that when you’re managing expectations. However, good content marketing campaigns will pay dividends in the long-term so make sure you stick at it.