What Is Content Marketing
Marketing is equal parts creative and a science. Wouldn’t you agree?
If not, hopefully this article will shed some light on why we put marketing in both camps.
When it comes to launching marketing campaigns many small business owners get hypnotized by buzzy Instagram reels and viral TikToks of hot selling items and in-demand services. Naturally, those outcomes are desirable for any entrepreneur to want to replicate to achieve similar results.
However, when creating your marketing campaigns, one area that you can’t afford to neglect is content marketing.
Wait, but first, what is content marketing actually?
Glad you asked.
Content marketing is the process of creating inbound marketing content in order to attract potential customers and clients.
Content marketing includes creating blog posts, branded journalism, social media posts, YouTube videos, email marketing campaigns, webinars, workshops, digital downloads, and other tangible pieces of content that users see value in.
Content marketing is about helping people solve their problems thanks to the content that you create.
Remember: marketing is showing and selling is telling.
Now that you’ve gained some clarity around what content marketing is, now let’s dive into three terms that relate to content marketing, and close with more key tips to skyrocket your efforts.
01 Call-To-Action:
As the moniker implies, CTA is all about inspiring people to take action. Essentially, you want your target audience to be so compelled by your CTA that they decide to connect with your brand on a more personal level.
Your CTA should be placed at the end of your content with an offer to help them with their challenges. Your CTA could be at the end of your blog posts, social media captions, email newsletters, freebie PDF guides, webinars, website pages, or even ebooks.
A quick formula for a CTA is: state a problem, offer a solution, and close with an ask.
For example:
You have just launched a new Airbnb in the hottest neighborhood in Atlanta. When you do your big reveal in a series of TikTok videos you want to end every video with a CTA to inspire them to book your Airbnb.
“All hotels are already booked up, stay here this Super Bowl Weekend - Click my link to book”
Another example:
You recently released a new free worksheet for creative freelancers in your bookkeeping business and want to use those that download your PDF as new leads for your premium bookkeeping services. You can use your newsletter to have CTA’s at the end of your email to encourage signups.
“Quarterly taxes are due in one week (yikes), grab my new freebie, ‘Tax No Stress: The 5 Step Cure for Filing Taxes On Time, Every Time’. - Download it here.”
02 Click-Through-Rate:
This is a term to thoroughly understand and analyze in your marketing data. CTR is the ratio of people who click on your content versus the number of people who do see your content and don’t.
CTR is what you want after people read/hear your CTA.
For example:
If you create an Instagram reel to promote your personal chef services, and Instagram pushes your reel to 50,000 people, and out of that 50,000 only 20,000 people actually watch your reel, and out of those 20,000 only 100 people decide to follow your account.
Another example:
You are a personal trainer and nutrition coach for busy moms who want to get back into shape and you’ve just published a healthy meals recipe ebook. Your email newsletters can highlight your new book and when people click your link to purchase, you will have increased your CTR.
03 Evergreen Content:
This refers to creating content that is useful and relevant indefinitely. This is the content that is worth the effort in creating from day one with your brand. Evergreen content is consistently searched in search engines, which also include YouTube and Pinterest in addition to Google of course.
Evergreen content is an easy way to build trust and authority quickly when people discover your brand for the first time.
For example:
If you are a hair stylist that specializes in cut and color you can make a YouTube video that walks people through how to safely bleach and color their hair at home. People will always be seeking tutorials on that type of evergreen content.
Another example:
You have a successful trucking business and are ready to finally begin teaching people how to achieve the same success in the trucking industry. You can create a free webinar that shares the basics of how to get started. This is content that people are consistently searching for and can be an easy win for you.
To close, hopefully our overview and examples about content marketing can help you to begin or revitalize your marketing campaigns.
The beauty of content marketing is that much of it can be done for free. It takes only a smartphone to record and upload YouTube videos. With just a tablet or PC you can create evergreen content blog posts and execute social media marketing campaigns.
Content marketing just requires your time and commitment to an effective strategy to work.
Keep in mind that content marketing can be a slower-burning fire. It takes time to build a subscriber base on YouTube, to build up your Instagram or TikTok account, and bring people to your blog or other online real estate that you have.
But the dedication will pay off if done right.
With all of that being said, if you are seeking a solid blueprint for content marketing, then becoming a member of our online business academy may be a perfect fit for you.
In our online business academy, we have modules with lessons that cover business management (which does include marketing), business finance, and mindset for entrepreneurs.
To learn more about our three affordable membership tiers including our online business academy, click here.
Have you tried content marketing before? If so, how did it go?
Sources cited:
By Darryl Sykes CEO of Synture.com
