Traveling in the way-back machine, a new business would hang a shingle, get listed in the yellow pages, print up business cards and have some promotional material and Voila! Oh, how things have changed! If you are looking to grow your business, the most popular solution today is content marketing.
What exactly is content marketing
According to Wikipedia:
Content marketing is any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers.
Few people respond well to a hard-sell approach. Content marketing lures potential customers by providing educational information which will benefit them. Instead of selling or cramming your message down potential customer’s throats, you are gaining recognition and making them appreciate the value your business provides.
With today’s technology, content marketing is available and affordable to every business owner.
What kind of content can you create?
Your next question you need to answer is what type of content will you create. The options are endless.
- Blogs
- Video
- Newsletters (and eNewsletters)
- ebooks
- Infographics
- Case studies
- How-to’s
- Q&A’s
- Photos
Just take a look at the full slide deck from Content Marketing Institutes consumer market study to get more information and ideas.
How will you distribute the content
Through social networks, of course! LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Slideshare and the host of other tools that exist to help you disseminate your message! I guess that means you are going to have to start figuring out how to use them. You’re in luck, because more will be here in the future.
Where do you start?
It may seem a tad overwhelming if you are not already using some of these tools. But just like learning a foreign language, once you learn one, it is easier to pick up the others.
Start by adding a blog to your website! A blog provides you with the ability to create content you can share across social networks.
You’ve created content, now where will you share it? Where your customers are, of course. Check out this infographic to identify which social network your potential customers are using most.
Hint: Facebook is great to market to consumers and LinkedIn is great for marketing to businesses. But it can get more granular, so check this out!
Got other questions? Please add them in a comment below! This will provide me with information to write about in the future!
And in case you didn’t hear, I’ll be launching a book this summer to help business owners leverage social networks! More details here!
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
