What is content marketing? We’ve heard that phrase bantered about all the time over the past few years, but what does it really mean?
Inbound marketing is closely related. That’s using the internet to attract prospects to you rather than going out and blasting them with marketing materials. Inbound marketing only works if you have quality content users want to read.
Content marketing is the craft of generating quality reading material people want to read, posting it on the internet and social media strategically, and in such a way people want to return to read more. Content marketing works under an assumption people don’t always agree with, but has been demonstrated countless of times. Giving away knowledge lends to your credibility and generates trust. That, in turn, encourages people to do business with you.
That’s the big catch about content marketing—you have to be willing to give away knowledge with no catch. It’s a game of trust, end to end. If your regular quality content helps people in small ways every day, when the big issues come up, they’ll come to you.
It’s not a quick solution. As the old saying goes, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Content marketing is building a strong infrastructure of knowledge and trust, upon which you build your business. That’s the answer to the question what is content marketing.