Content Marketing In 2023: The Ultimate Guide

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Imagine this: you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed when an ad pops about a great sale your favorite outdoor retailer is having, complete with a picture of that kayak you had been eyeing that’s now 30% off. Content marketing is why you saw this ad, took the time to pause and absorb what it was saying, and are now making plans to buy a new kayak. In this article, we’re breaking down what exactly content marketing is, why it works and the best ways to implement it in your business.

What Is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a strategy that utilizes a wide variety of channels, including social media, websites, videos, infographics, podcasts and blogs, to attract potential customers. By creating, publishing and sharing relevant content, companies are building their brand, establishing trust, increasing engagement and ultimately influencing more people to buy their products and services.

With an influx of options everywhere we turn, establishing and nurturing a strong, sustainable relationship with customers is more important than ever. Buyers need to feel not only satisfied, but also truly cared for, in order to stay loyal to a business. In addition to supporting this customer relationship, content marketing also helps make it easier for your customers to become champions of your brand and assist in boosting awareness.

Why Is Content Marketing Important?

Content marketing is important because it has the power to make your business stand out from the competition. Say you searched for “camping chairs” and saw the hundreds of results that pop up. How will you decide what links to click on first and, eventually, which to purchase from? Company A has an outdated website, low-quality graphics, no social media presence and minimal product descriptions. Company B, on the other hand, has a fast-loading website with top-quality photos, ample product information, easy-to-find reviews and an active Instagram account that advertises periodic promotions. There’s no competition: Company B is going to almost instantly establish trust, start conversations and convert more browsers into buyers.

By using content marketing as a cornerstone, businesses can create a long-term strategy to build a larger, more loyal customer base. Through producing and distributing relevant, curated content, you are offering information, transparency and reliability to repeat customers, along with people who may not be familiar with your brand.

What Is a Content Marketing Strategy?

The best way to stand out is to identify your potential customers’ needs, create valuable content that addresses those needs and distribute that content to the exact platforms that your target audience frequents. In order to be effective, your content marketing strategy must address all three of those pieces, otherwise it will fall flat.

Content marketing strategies will vary widely depending on your industry, audience and goals—there is no one-size-fits-all approach to it.

Steps to Creating a Content Marketing Strategy

The most effective content marketing strategies are made up of four pillars: customer, cost, convenience and communication. Working together, these pillars help you to set goals, understand your audience, determine the best types of content to use and measure success. Here are the steps to creating a content marketing strategy:

Plan: Start by developing a content marketing plan that establishes your mission and sets specific, measurable goals.
Research: Next, you need to identify your target audience and research the best ways to communicate with them by using the forms of content marketing they prefer to interact with.
Audit: Take a look at your current content and see if it’s meeting the goals you set in the planning phase. If it’s not, improve upon or replace the parts that aren’t working.
Manage: This is the time to start using a customer relationship management (CRM) platform in order to collect leads, manage information and automate personalized marketing campaigns.
Create: Create high-quality content in the forms that your research showed will be most effective in reaching your target audience.
Engage: Convert your audience into customers or leads through interactive engagement with your content.
Analyze: Analyze your results and, when necessary, adjust your content marketing strategy accordingly.

What Are the Benefits of Content Marketing?

There are numerous benefits to content marketing, many of which are long-term advantages that will continue to increase in value over time. While there is a fair amount of upfront research, investment and implementation required, content marketing ultimately holds the possibility of reaching new audiences and building strong customer relationships. Some of the benefits of content marketing include:

Boosts Audience Retention

The most effective content marketing always starts with providing engaging, memorable experiences for an audience. What medium is used will depend on who you are trying to reach, but will likely include a few different forms of content in order to maximize both attention and retention.

Lands Higher Conversion Rates

Once you have the attention of your target audience, it’s time to convert all those leads. Content marketing is one of the most effective tools available to guide potential customers through the buyer’s journey and finalize purchases.

Increases Brand Awareness

The beauty of content marketing is that it’s an accessible strategy that any business, no matter how large or small, can implement. Using it to increase brand awareness can take many shapes, but one of the most rapid techniques is developing a strong social media presence. By examining social media statistics and trends, you can determine which platforms are the best fit for your brand.

Establishes Your Authority

Customers want to buy from a brand that knows what the heck it is doing, even if that means spending a little more. A highly effective content marketing methodology makes it clear that your business is the authority for a certain product or service, and that you have the data, reviews and online presence to back that claim up.

Creates Customer Loyalty

When your content marketing is so good that you have established a loyal customer base, the benefits won’t stop there. All those devoted buyers have family and friends who need brand recommendations from someone with a positive first-person experience. This means far-reaching perks for you, with no extra work needed.

6 Content Marketing Examples

There’s no shortage of forms of content marketing to choose from, so the sky is truly the limit in the different ways you can share your messaging with the world. It’s definitely best to take an educated approach, however, since certain types of content work best for particular audiences or industries. Knowing who you are targeting and how those people prefer to receive information can help you determine the right methods to use.
Some of the best forms of content marketing right now are: