What is Content Marketing?

If you’re looking to grow your business, brand or cause online, then you’ve certainly come across the term “Content Marketing.”

The following video is over 5 years old, but still provides the clearest and most concise definition of the concept of content marketing you’ll find online…

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Content Marketing Definition

But before you start a content marketing campaign, it’s necessary to understand what the term content marketing actually means.

According to Wikipedia:

“Content marketing is any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers.”

Creating and publishing media to acquire customers… that’s a good start.

According to Copyblogger:

“Content Marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers.”

Creating and publishing free media to acquire customers and repeat buyers… better.

According to the Content Marketing Institute:

“Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience — with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

Creating and publishing free media to acquire targeted, profitable customers and repeat buyers… Now we’ve got it.

Content marketing is the process of creating and publishing free media content to acquire targeted, profitable customers and repeat buyers.

Great… but what does this definition mean in regular words?

Educate. Entertain. Inspire.

We create blog posts, videos, podcasts, and images to educate, entertain and/or inspire our target audience.

Create enough value to your audience, with enough regularity and you’ll easily set yourself apart from the competition.

The result is a target customer who has convinced themselves your solution is the perfect solution for their problem.

What is content marketing?

Providing free public solutions to common customer problems over and over and over again.

We don’t need to make it any more complicated than it actually is.

…and if you’re still a bit confused how to begin, I’m here to help.

Thank you,

Hanley

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Ryan Hanley

Ryan Hanley is the founder and chief strategist at Hanley Media, a boutique communications and marketing strategy firm helping organizations match ideas to the audience they inspire.

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