Quantcast
Channel: remarkable – Domesticating IT
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 14

Four Reasons Why Content Marketing Works

0
0
why does content marketing work

Ever wonder why content marketing works?

Content is the fuel that propels any inbound marketing effort. A consistent, well-written blog and/or email newsletter results in a loyal audience that is eager to hear what you have to say and tends to share it with others (hint, hint). A high quality, well-promoted ebook spreads brand awareness and generates leads. But the best part of content marketing, in my (not very) humble opinion, is that it's the gift that keeps on giving. Content is forever. When you invest your time in content marketing, the result is an asset that will continue to work for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I thought this week I'd deconstruct content marketing and examine the reasons why it works so well. But before we go there, I have to offer some standard disclaimers. First, as I talk about content throughout this post, please understand that I'm talking about a very specific kind of content. Surely, long time readers of this blog will already know what I'm going to say: It must be remarkable. If you need a refresher on that concept, read about Remarkable Content's "Big Three." If it's not remarkable, then none of the effects I'm going to talk about today are applicable. The second disclaimer is that you must be able to convert interested visitors into leads. Otherwise, you're a writer and not a content marketer. The difference (at least for the purposes of this discussion) rests in the desired outcome. For a writer, their objective is to have their ideas enter as many minds as possible. For a content marketer, it's to generate leads. Successfully generating leads through content requires a conversion strategy. There are four reasons why content marketing works: motivation, education, reciprocity and promotion.

Motivation

The Inbound Marketing Inquirer is a weekly premium article that's free to view for members. To read the remainder of this article, create a free account now:
Username:
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Password (twice):
Enter your desired password twice. Must be at least 8 characters long.
 

Conclusion

Content marketing isn't a new concept. It's been around forever and I even wrote about this a couple of years ago in a post that remains one my personal favorites, Grumpy Old Marketers. In that post, I was responding to a LinkedIn discussion in which inbound marketing was being mocked by a grumpy, old marketer as nothing new. He argues that he was doing content marketing all the way back in 1982, which is true enough but certainly not the same. Part of my response was:
His brochures and white papers cost his company a fortune in production, printing and mailing costs. Today, I can write my own e-book with free open source software, upload it to a cloud-based host like Scribd for free, register with an affiliate sales channel for free, Tweet it, share it on Facebook and have it downloaded by a million people without spending a nickel. I can record high definition video on a $150 Flip camera and upload it to YouTube where millions more can watch it – for free.
I'm reminded of a quote from Crazy Earl in the movie Full Metal Jacket: "These are great days we're living, bros. We are jolly green giants, walking the Earth with guns." Except, of course, in our case our weapon is not an M16 - it's the Internet. crazy earl There are lots of articles on this blog and others about how content marketing works. But before you get there, you need to understand and accept why it works in the first place. Motivation, education, reciprocity and promotion are the four main reasons why I think it's such a powerful fuel for marketing in today's wired world. Outbound, interruption-based marketing is getting harder and harder to pull off. Editor's Note: Each week, I used to include three additional inbound marketing stories I thought were the best of the week. Analytical as well as anecdotal evidence suggests that this wasn't a particularly popular feature. For that reason, I'm going to discontinue its inclusion. However, if it's something you enjoyed feel free to give me your feedback and if there's enough demand I'll be happy to put it back in.

Free Inbound Marketing Self-assessment Guide


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 14

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images