What is content marketing?

As you may be aware, there is a phrase being bandied around in marketing circles. Yes, that’s right, there’s a buzz. Everyone’s talking content marketing. But what is content marketing and how does it help business? And is it really a new thing?

Content marketing is any marketing that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire and retain customers. In fact for us, the team at Padua Communications team, it’s not a new thing at all. It’s something that we’ve been doing for over 20 years. Perhaps because a lot of us have backgrounds in PR and journalism, we think content marketing is the creation of content – whether that’s a good newsletter, article, piece in a magazine or a blog post that will help raise a company’s profile, help to increase leads or make someone take a closer step to buying a product or solution.

Although the way people buy products has changed over the years (how many people now research and read online reviews before splashing the cash), businesses who are serious and clever about marketing realised a long time ago that out and out sales promotion actually pressures people and puts them off. Instead those companies that are helpful with tips and advice, offer clever timely promotions and are there as a trusted resource are much more likely to get sales. And all of the information in these tips, advice, resources – well that’s content. The marketing aspect is recognising where these potential buyers might be or go before they get out their credit cards and making sure this content is in the right places?

Building a content marketing strategy and putting it in place is what we do for the majority of our clients. Thinking about what resources could be useful to potential buyers as well as understanding your target customers’ behaviour, and therefore advising on tone, language and medium – online, video, social or PR is our bread and butter. Why not give us a call on 0203 282 7576 or come and see us for tea and we’ll show you how thinking creatively and getting your content marketing sorted can be fun as well as beneficial to your bottom line.