Content Marketing 101: Everything You Need to Know

Content Marketing 101

You’ve heard it all around town. “Content is king”, they say. “Content is the one key component to connecting with your clients”. But the idea of ‘content’, previously reserved for simple written copy, has naturally evolved into something complicated in our internet-savvy world.

‘Content Marketing’ is the relatively new buzzword around networking circles, and if you’re one of these few who've stood around, drink in hand and quiet smile on your face, wondering what exactly content marketing is, we’re here to give you an Introductory 101. Class is in session.

What Is Content Marketing?

So what exactly is Content Marketing? And why should you be refocusing your company efforts on building a strong Content Marketing strategy? To put it broadly, Content Marketing is everything: it’s copy, it’s blogs, it’s social media, podcasts and videos.

It’s a marketing strategy that sees you creating interesting and engaging content to target your essential goals. That goal could be building brand awareness, acquiring new customers, retaining long-standing ones through brand loyalty, or even just sharing your authoritative knowledge with the world.

Essentially, it comes to the idea of offering your customers valuable content, rather than shoving sales pitches down their throats. It educates and informs, and builds a strong rapport between clients and companies. It’s can be done free or for very cheap, in-house or through a Hong Kong copywriter, and is specifically targeted to be shared.

Method in Your Marketing

Now we’ve established the basics of Content Marketing, it’s time to work out how you can put it to good use. Our saturated internet world offers millions of methods for getting content out there. But a small, strategy approach works infinitely better than throwing everything at the wall.

Blogs are essential. They’re classic and at this point, traditional. Blogs allow you to communicate key goals in a variety of formats, incorporating copy, images, visuals, and even audio and video. Blogs also are great for building SEO, and a dedicated weekly or monthly schedule can bring loyal readers back again and again.

Once written, blogs can easily be shared across a variety of social media outlets, which brings us to our next point. Social media is the backbone of any great Content Marketing strategy, but it isn’t simply about posting updates every so often. A regular posting schedule, coupled with engaging with your audience, allows you to benefit from every facet of social media.

Scheduled updates of unique content maintains your competitive edge, and gets you those all-important views and shares. Remember that customers often want to hear from you. And keeping them engaged builds overall customer satisfaction: has somebody written something nice about your business or posted a cool photo? Don’t ignore it; share it and give it thanks. It'll pay off in the long-run. 

Podcasts and videos aren’t natural marketing methods, but they’re frequently being held up as beacons of a good modern strategy. But remember, drop the sales pitch. Nobody wants to spend an hour listening to an extended radio ad or infomercial. Again, it all comes down to building value. The minor budget put in to audio-visuals, makes your brand stand out as a thought-leader in your field and gives you that SEO edge.

Questions & Answers

So, you understand Content Marketing, you’ve got the methods in place. Now you just have to work out what you’re going to say, and more importantly, how you’re going to say it. We’ve covered the importance of good content and the essentials of finding a voice before – do read up on them for detailed advice – but in broad strokes, it comes down to a few vital questions to keep in mind.

Does this help my customer-base? Does it stay true to my company values? And is it actionable? These are three things you have to ask yourself over and over, as you develop and build your Content Marketing strategy. Hong Kong copywriting companies will sell you on a strong overall plan, but it comes down to you as the business to work out the fine-tuned design.

Remember to keep it simple, keep it real, and always be proud of what you’re doing. A customer can smell a sell-out a mile away, especially in the murky waters of Content Marketing, so try not to fake it.

Content Marketing is an essential strategy for any modern business, and we hope that now you have a firmer understand of how it works, as well as how you can make it work for you. Class dismissed, but don’t forget you can always email us if you have any questions.