What is content marketing? You may ask. Well, if we put it into marketing terms, content marketing is the planning, creating and distributing content via various marketing channels, including blogs, social media, print, podcasts and more. Businesses use content marketing to capture the attention of their target audiences to increase brand awareness and, in turn, sales. According to Hubspot's research - '70% of companies use content marketing.'
However, there's more to content marketing than meets the eye. Curious? Let me explain.
The true essence of valuable content marketing
In essence, content marketing is storytelling.
You'll come across numerous definitions and explanations for content marketing and how to go about it. But here's my take on it:
Content marketing is a long-term strategy that involves telling an authentic story through informative, educational, and sometimes entertaining content to connect and build strong relationships with your target audience. While your goal is to grow sales - through your content marketing, you generate value and show your customers your care.
Why is content marketing important?
Content marketing is your first step towards building a relationship with your audience. Not only does it drive traffic, but it builds trust. You become the trusted friend they turn to when they are in need of your product or service.
Regardless of where your consumers are in the sales funnel, your content marketing will be with them throughout their journey like a supportive friend playing an important part in their decision-making process.
In a nutshell, content marketing is essential because it
creates brand awareness,
builds credibility and trust,
educates your audience,
builds genuine connections,
delivers ongoing leads at no cost and
helps build organic search results on Google.
If that is not enough, a successful content marketing campaign can bring an average return on investment (ROI) of $984,000. Hence, 82% of marketers invest in content marketing.
Types of content marketing
Coming back to the art of storytelling. When we think of a story, it has a beginning, a middle and an end. Likewise, when working on your content marketing strategy, you must consider how and what content meets your consumer's needs at each stage of their journey; this is where you'll want to consider the conversion funnel.
Here's a quick overview.
Top of the funnel (TOFU)
In the beginning, you are building brand awareness and introducing your audience to the solution you provide to their problem.
TOFU content includes
Blog posts
Social Media posts
Podcasts
Ebooks
Webinars
short-form video content
Middle of the funnel (MOFU)
At this point in their journey, your customer is aware of their problem and are weighing out all the possible solutions.
This is where you use your content to educate your audience on why they should consider your solution and how it's exactly what they need.
MOFU content includes
Email marketing
Blog posts
Longer video content
Webinars
Case Studies
Bottom of the funnel (BOFU)
Now it's time to focus on getting your prospective audience past that finish line and to convert. You can drive action by creating a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) and using powerful calls to action (CTA).
Examples of BOFU content include
Personalised email marketing
Testimonials
Case studies
Remarketing campaigns
Competitive blog posts
Mistry of Words can help you connect with your ideal audience
Combining our expertise in creative copywriting and over a decade of content marketing experience, we'll weave together the perfect content strategy to help tell your story in a way that truly connects with your audience and drives the results you wish for.