In our modern society, content marketing is a commonly used strategy for many brands and companies; the question at hand is, what is content marketing? Content marketing is the process of planning, writing and publishing strategic materials focused on distributing relevant and consistent content to retain a clear and loyal audience and eventually make profit from it. This can be done in many ways, including social media posts, blogs, articles, infographics, email marketing and case studies. To create valuable content, you need to focus on who your target audience is and what you as a brand are wanting to gain from them.  

There are three stages of the content writing process including the ‘Awareness Stage’ where you will be focusing on addressing the audiences' top concerns and questions to show you’re engaging with them. This should be educational and useful information. Then there’s the 'Consideration Stage’ which includes addressing their needs and includes case studies to help the audience get a better understanding of what you’re offering. The last stage is the ‘Closing Stage’ where all the information you have comes together. Include case studies, statistics, general information, benefits, answering any questions, user-generated content and even reports.  

Why does content marketing matter? This type of marketing is essential for building your brand’s awareness, getting your name and business out there. Having blogs, articles and informative social posts will help generate more leads and open more business opportunities, which then boosts authority. Content marketing will also help with the increase of organic traffic to socials and your website, indicating that there is genuine interest in your business. This is a cost-effective way of marketing, it’s free for all and can be done as often as you like.  

Having blogs on your website has shown to increase leads and engagement by 67%! 

90% of marketers rely on social media as a key channel for content marketing.          

73% of marketers use email newsletters to distribute their information. 

If you don’t know where to start, this is how to begin... 

Start by defining what your goals are. Make sure that they’re specific, relevant to your business and achievable within a certain period. Know who your target audience is! Do research on demographics, common questions and online behaviour to give yourself a better understanding of who your content is intended for and how you can optimise it to them. It’s also crucial to understand your customer's journey, where they start, finding the information they need, their questions being answered and where they end up. Brainstorm. Take all your ideas and get them down on paper, then review them before creating your content. Create high-quality content which caters to your audiences’ needs and is informative. Use all different kinds of formats, from blogs to webinars to social media posts and not just sticking to one platform. Use SEO! Optimise your content with relevant keywords and links to help boost visibility and authority. Check and check again. Read over what you have written, re-word sentences and make sure what you’re saying is clear and makes sense. 

Content marketing is a great way of saving money on marketing and building your online presence. This strategy is a key part of modern marketing and is the way to go when creating your marketing plan. Many marketers say that content marketing is the most effective method of marketing today.