Content marketing has risen to become an essential part of every successful digital marketing campaign. Here’s how.
You don’t need us to tell you this, but the internet is full of ads. They’re all through your social media feeds, they jump out of news websites, and they’re everywhere on Google.
Digital advertising is such an accessible and low-cost way for businesses to market their goods and services, that everyone’s doing it.
What this means though, is that it’s increasingly easier to get lost in the crowd.
That’s why content marketing has risen to become an essential part of every successful digital marketing campaign.
What is content marketing?
Put simply, content marketing is all the stuff that supports your digital marketing campaign.
It’s blog posts, videos, infographics, instructional articles, webinars – the list is practically endless.
Just think of everything you see online that supports a marketing campaign, and that’s content marketing.
Content marketing and digital marketing are terms often used interchangeably – but they are actually quite different and have distinct roles in marketing.
Digital marketing is the strategic use of digital platforms and search engines to reach your target audience and generate leads.
Digital content marketing is the meat of digital marketing – the devices used to achieve deeper engagement with that audience, and massage them through the buying cycle from interest to consideration, and finally to purchase phase.
How content marketing fits into the digital marketing mix
The role of content marketing has been growing steadily over the years, as consumers turn their backs on traditional advertisements and have started to expect real value for their time.
Potential buyers are less likely to read an article about your fashion store than they are to watch a slideshow featuring images of the ‘it’ looks for spring.
Likewise, they probably won’t sit and read an article about how great your hardware store is, but will watch a video about DIY jobs anyone can do this weekend.
And they are probably not as interested in your latest property development as you are, but will read an article about what new homebuyers should look for when deciding to buy.
It’s this depth of content marketing possibilities that makes it a great marketing tool across various digital platforms.
Digital content supports digital marketing by providing access to social media platforms and websites, as well as traditional media such as print and television.
A really great content marketing strategy can also save you money and do a lot of the work for you.
Content that is interesting and engaging is shared around by social media users at no cost to you, reaching audiences you may not have previously connected with.
And if a video or any other piece of digital content goes viral, that reach can grow enormously – and even attract the attention of mainstream media.
Digital content fuels the marketing funnel
Digital content targets potential customers at every stage of the buying cycle and works them down the marketing funnel.
Customers at the consideration stage, for example, might read an article that answers the three key questions (e.g. What is the issue my customers are experiencing? How can my product or service solve it? Why is my business the best to do it?) and move down the funnel to purchase phase.
Importantly, content marketing can really target people at the very early stages of the buying cycle – a stage notoriously difficult to hit.
How do you market to people who may not realise they have an issue in the first place, let alone alert them to the solution you are offering? A steady stream of information can do this, and digital content is the best way to deliver it.
Don’t believe us? A recent study by CRM developer Salesforce revealed that 87 per cent of customers begin their buying journey on a digital platform.
Digital content and retargeting
Increasingly, digital content is drawing on SEO and email marketing techniques to ease customers down the marketing funnel – and one of the most effective techniques is retargeting.
Remember when you watched that video about how to start running for fitness and you clicked on the shoes the model was wearing because, hey, all runners need the right shoes?
Remember how ads for those shoes followed you around social media? Remember how not long afterwards, the retailer emailed you with a one-time special discount on those very shoes?
It all began with digital content, and it ended with a sale.
However you choose to incorporate digital content marketing into your marketing mix, it’s important to remember to always be authentic.
Speak to the content marketing experts
If someone has clicked on your link expecting information, entertainment, or direction, you must deliver that, not just an advertisement.
This is where it really helps to have a skilled marketing team involved in developing the content.
Assemblo is a full-service marketing agency based in Melbourne, staffed by professionals who understand how to create powerful and strategic digital content for every aspect of your marketing mix.
To find out how we can help your business, give us a call on (03) 9079 2555 or send us a note via the contact form below.