The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Content Marketing

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Content marketing is one of the most widespread marketing methods today. The principle is simple, people look for content and you provide it to them in exchange for advertising. Contrary to other methods that divert your clients’ attention in order to view your site, with content marketing you’re actually providing what they were looking for: good information. However, it is easy to get things wrong with content marketing, especially if this is your first time around. This beginner’s guide will serve as an introduction to the world of content marketing and how to make the most of it for your business.

What is Content Marketing?

First, let’s define what content marketing is exactly. You’ve probably heard the phrase “content is king” more than once, and it many ways, it is. Content is the life and soul of the internet and everything about it revolves around content. Every ad, tweet, video, news piece, audio file, email or product description is a form of content.

Content marketing is simply the creation of content for advertising purposes. While in some instances the goal may be obvious, in other cases it can be more subtle. A hard sell might be more apt for certain situations while in others, the content might be more entertaining or purely educational. However, in all cases, your content’s goal should be to bring more attention to your services directly or indirectly.

Why Go for Content Marketing?

There are many reasons why business owners should consider content marketing. For one, content marketing actually offers more value than a traditional ad. As a matter of fact, traditional ads can be disruptive and actually be a nuisance. With content marketing, you’re actually filling an actual need.

Also, by educating your readers, you might actually persuade them to buy your product. In many cases, people don’t buy products, not because they do not like them or are not interested but simply because they don’t understand how they work and how they can benefit them.

Another great advantage of content marketing is that once your content starts working for you, you start getting leads for free. Yes, you may have to pay a third party to create and advertise the content at first, but a single piece of content could get you thousands of relevant leads for years after it was published.

How Can I Get Started with Content Marketing?

Anybody can get started with content marketing. If you have significant expertise in a particular subject and know which channels to publish your content, you could get started right away by publishing a few pieces. However, if you’ve never done content marketing before, it would be better to work with an online marketing agency like Single Grain, or any other online marketing agency that is specialized in content marketing. They’ll be able to not only publish the content you need for your particular line of business across multiple platforms but they will also be able to help you tweak your existing content so you can get more results.

Content marketing is one of the most beneficial marketing tools out there for business who want sustained results. With content marketing, you can really establish yourself as an authority in your niche and gain traction for your brand very quickly.