Content Marketing Guide For Beginners, Types, Strategies, Benefits, Methods, Tips, Future

What is Content Marketing & How to Use Content Marketing to Boost Your Business?
Welcome to jobsstudy.pk again. Today we are going to publish a detailed guide for beginners about content marketing. In this blog post we shall introduce you with the concept of content marketing, its uses, benefits, history, challenges, types, strategies,tips and different channels for successful content marketing. Lets start reading this comprehensive guide;

In the early days of marketing, before the invention of internet, TV & radio, companies would use print media like newspapers & magazines to reach their target audiences. This was an expensive way to reach the target customers, as you had to buy space for advertisements in print media. And you could only reach people who lived near where the publication was printed. But at that time it was the only way to reach people at large scale. With the progress of science when mass media grew, the reach of media marketing also increased a lot. With TV & radio ads, companies could reach people all over the country with ease. And with the internet, companies could reach people all over the world in no time. But the costs of these channels were also high. And it was difficult to track & measure results of campaign.

Content Marketing Guide For Beginners, Types, Strategies, Benefits, Methods, Tips, Future

This is the point where content marketing comes in to help the companies in their media campaign. Content marketing is an effective way to reach your target audience at a fraction of the cost as compared to traditional channels. And you can easily track & measure your results.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating & distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract & retain a clearly defined audience — and ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

In easy words content marketing is the process of creating, producing & delivering high-quality content to a specific audience in order to increase brand awareness, customer loyalty & website traffic. Content marketing can be divided into 3 main phases: pre-launch, launch& post-launch. In the pre-launch phase, the content creator creates engaging pieces that introduce the product or service to a targeted audience. The following are some commonly used tools for content marketing: social media, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) & paid advertising on FB, Youtube, Instagram and Google.

In the launch phase, customers begin to experience the product or service. This is when marketers start to target specific demographics with ads & social media posts. They also create blog posts that focus on how people using the product are doing. After consumers have experienced the product or service for a few weeks or months, it is time for post-launch phase where businesses constantly delivers new content in order to keep customers engaged & interested in their products or services.

What is the History of Content Marketing?

Content marketing is the centuries old phenomenon. Content marketing started with the printed word. In the early days of the printing press, printers would use “broadside ballads” for the promotion of their business. These were single sheets of paper with a sweet song or poem on one side & an ad on the other.

Content marketing grew with the progress in mass media industry. In the early days of radio, companies would produce content like drama serials to promote their products. And in the early days of Television, companies would produce shows, like sitcoms to promote their products & services.

Today content marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry. And, it is growing with the speed of light. In fact according to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing will be a 400 billion dollars industry by 2025.

The term “content marketing” was first coined in 1996, by Jon Miller, then VP of marketing at Netscape. Miller realized that the traditional banner ads which Netscape was running on its webportal were not giving the desired results and that the company needed to find a better way to market itself & its products.

Content marketing, as we know it today, really started to take shape in the start of 21st century, with the rise of online media & the growth of digital marketing. Content marketing began to be used as a tool to attract & engage customers rather than simply pitching them products & services.

In the years since, content marketing has become an essential part of most companies’ marketing mix. According to the Content Marketing Institute, nearly three-quarters of organizations now use content marketing & those that do are seeing significant results in form of increased sales and business.

What are the Benefits of Content Marketing?

There are unlimited benefits of content marketing for both businesses & their customers.

Some of the key benefits of content marketing for businesses are as follows:

1- Content marketing can increase brand awareness & overall reach of the company among masses.

2-It can become a source of higher levels of engagement & interaction with its customers.

3-Content marketing can drive more webportal traffic & new leads.

4-It can improve search engine optimization of company’s official portal.

5-Content marketing can cause higher conversion rates.

6-It will Increase sales, business, revenue and net profit of the company or brand.

7- Content marketing can improved customer loyalty with brand & retention.

8-It is cheaper than other marketing techniques.

Here is the list of some advantages of content marketing for customers:

1-Content marketing is source of greater convenience & easy access to information.

2-Content marketing helps the customer to have the ability to make more informed purchase decisions.

3-It becomes a cause of a better overall experience with the brand.

4-Content marketing creates a deeper connection with the organization or brand.

What are the Challenges of Content Marketing?

Like any other marketing strategy, content marketing comes with its own & unique set of challenges. Below we have given a precise list of top 10 biggest challenges faced by businesses when it comes to content marketing:

1-Creating SEO optimized quality content on a consistent basis.

2-Generating enough engaging content to keep up with demand of audience.

3-Measuring the ROI of content marketing.

4-Reaching the right people/customers with the right content.

5-Deciding about the best channels for content distribution.

6-Developing a clear, consistent and result oriented content marketing strategy.

7-Building a team of skilled content creators, SEO experts, graphic designers & editors.

8-Use of artificial intelligence based content writing & link building tools.

9-Tracking the behaviors of visitors & deriving the result from the feedback.

10-Revisiting the content marketing strategy on the basis of result from the first phase.

What is the Future of Content Marketing?

The future of content marketing looks very bright due to its great benefits & effectiveness.

As more & more businesses/companies/brands come to realize the importance of quality content for their rapid progress & as customers become more & more demanding, the need for skilled content marketers will only continue to grow in upcoming days.

We can expect that is future lot more businesses will invest in content marketing & relsutantly more content marketing jobs will be available in local and international markets in the years to come.

What are the Different Types of Content Marketing?

Not all content is created equal. There are different types of content, each with its own purpose, audience pros & cons. Some of the most common types of content include:

Blogs: Blogs are one of the most popular types of content. They are typically written in an informal, conversational style & cover a wide range of topics. Blogging is on a rise now a days.

Articles: Articles are similar to blogs, but they are generally longer and more in-depth covering all the aspects of any topic. They are often used to provide information on a specific topic or to share news & views. Now AI article writers have also been introduced in the market like Jasper, phrase, closerscopy, katteb, mentum ai, creaitor ai, texta ai, bramework, wordhero etc. Now a days content marketers are using these tools but we do not recommend this practice as Google has included AI content into spam category.

Videos: Videos are a powerful visual content format that is perfect for engaging & entertaining audiences. They can be used to promote products & services or simply to tell a story. Youtube is the biggest free platform for video content marketing. Vimeo and dailymotion are at number 2 and 3 respectively.

Infographics: Infographics are visually appealing & they are a great way to communicate complex data & information in an easily digestible format.

How-to guides: How-to guides are a type of content that is designed to help readers solve a specific problem or accomplish a specific task easily and quickly.

Product reviews: Product reviews are a great way to build trust with potential customers & promote products & services organically.

Case studies: Case studies are in-depth looks at how a business or individual has used a product or service to achieve success. Case studies leave more impact on mind of customers than reviews.

Newsletters: Newsletters are a great way to keep subscribers up-to-date on what is going on with your business as well as providing valuable information & content from the direct source with accuracy of matter.

What are the Different Channels for Content Marketing?

There are a number of different channels that can be used for content marketing. The best channel for your business will depend on your target audience & your goals.

Following are the most common content marketing channels:

Websites: Websites are one of the most common places to find content marketing. Many businesses use their official website as a hub for all their content including blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, case studies & more.

Social media: Social media is a great channel for content marketing, as it allows businesses to reach a large number of clients and customers. Social media includes youtube, facebook, instagram, reddit, pintrest etc.

Videos, e-newsletters, webinars, podcasts, infographics, case studies, how-to guides and Q&As are some other common content marketing channels.

Why is Content Marketing so Popular?

There are a number of reasons for the popularity of content marketing among businesses. Firstly content marketing is very effective in nature. In fact, according to HubSpot, companies or brands that use content marketing see an average of fifty five percent more webportal visitors.

Secondly, content marketing is very efficient. It is a lot cheaper to produce a blog post than it is to buy an ad in a website, newspaper or TV channel.

Thirdly, content marketing is considered very flexible. You can use it to reach people on a number of different platforms, including social media, email and your web-portal.

Fourth, content marketing is very scalable. You can start small & reach a large audience later on after getting positive results.

Finally, content marketing is very track able. You can track through different sources that how many people read your article, how long they stay on your website or any specific page & what they do after they leave. Its a great feature of content marketing which helps a lot for making future strategy.

How Do You Get Started With Content Marketing?

There are a number of ways. Here are a few unique ideas just for your kind good self:

1. Start a beautiful SEO optimized blog in your niche & update it daily with interesting content.

2. Create an email newsletter & be regular in this activity.

3. Produce a podcast in a beautiful voice.

4. Create a compelling video for your youtube & Tiktok channels.

5. Write how to based eBooks with solution of problems related to your targeted customers.

6. Develop an online course.

7. Speak at an event with full preparation.

8. Create as many useful webinars as possible.

9. Use social media platform effectively & regularly.

10. Leverage bloggers & influencers for getting your business goals.

Content Marketing For eCommerce Websites or Online Stores

Now you have finally reached on the very important part of this guide. I am talking about the content marketing for eCommerce websites. We are also going to guide you in detail about it. The eCommerce website is one of the most effective marketing tools for online businesses & brands. It allows businesses companies & brands to reach a larger audience & sell products or services online. In order to maximize the potential of an eCommerce portal, businesses need to focus on content marketing technique which can definitely bring positive results for online stores in form of increased sales. Content marketing is one of the best form of online marketing that focuses on creating & sharing engaging content in order to promote a business quickly. Here are some practical methods for promoting your eCommerce stores quickly through the time tested technique of content marketing;

1. Creating How-To Guides

How-to guides are a great way to promote eCommerce websites. These guides can be used to show customers how to use the website, how to find products, how to check out & how to contact customer service. Even in live chats links of how to articles can be referred for answering the queries of the potential customers. How-to guides can be created in a variety of formats, including video, text & audio.

2. Creating Product Reviews

Product reviews are another great way to promote eCommerce websites or online stores. These reviews can be used to show customers what products are available, what features they offer & how they can benefit from them. Product reviews can be created in a variety of formats, including youtube video, article & podcast.

3. Creating Industry Newsletters

Industry newsletters are a great way to promote eCommerce websites. These newsletters can be used to show customers what new products are available, what sales are happening & what industry news is worth paying attention to.

4. Creating Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to promote eCommerce websites. These podcasts can be used to introduce potential customers about new products, their benefits, uses, coupon codes, promotions & prices.

5. Use of Email Marketing Technique

Email marketing has been shown to be an effective content marketing strategy for eCommerce websites. In fact a study by Litmus & Return Path found that email was the most effective channel for driving sales & generating leads. Add flares to your email content marketing strategy by trying these golden tips & tricks:

1. Create a targeted email list: Start by segmenting your email list by interests, demographics or purchase history. This will enable you to send targeted content as per the interest and needs of your subscribers.

2. Personalize your email content: Include the subscriber’s name in the subject line or in the body of the email. This personalization can help increase open & click-through rates which is very important for increasing online sales.

3. Use engaging visuals: Incorporate images or videos into your emails to grab attention & make your message more engaging.

4. Offer something valuable: Give your subscribers something of value in each email for example a coupon code, free shipping or early access to a sale.

5. Drive traffic to your website: Include links to your website, online store or blog in your emails so that your subscribers can learn more about your products or services and this will also increase your brand awareness.

Last but not least now a day you may use AI email writing tools and automated email sending software for your running your systematic email campaign like a pro.

How to Become a Successful Content Marketer? Tips

This is a difficult question to answer. There is no one specific formula for success in content marketing field, but there are some general principles that all successful content marketers seem to follow. Some of these include always putting the needs of their audience first, creating high-quality & unique content and being consistent with their content marketing strategy. You will also have to learn the search engine optimization techniques. Use keywords research tools like aherf or semrush for getting ideas about writing content. Use content optimization tool like surfer SEO or neuron writer. Promote your content through various channels, such as social media, email & paid advertising. Keep your audience in mind when creating content & tailor your message to them. Track your content marketing efforts & analyze your results to constantly improve your strategies.

How to Develop Content Marketing Strategy?

Once you have decided how you want to create your content, you need to develop a strategy. Your strategy should answer the following questions in detail:

1. Who is your target audience in the 1st stage of content marketing?

2. What are your short term and long term goals?

3. What type of content will appeals to your target audience for taking your desired action?

4. What format will your content take?

5. What platforms will you use to distribute your content?

6. What kind of frequency will you publish your content?

7. What overall budget do you have for content marketing campaign?

8. How will you measure the success of your content marketing campaign?

Once you have developed your strategy in detailed blue prints, you need to start creating your content on regular basis. Here are a few tips:

1. Write SEO optimized H1, H2 & H3 compelling headlines after detailed keywords research.

2. Write in a clear, concise, informative & convincing style and never rely on AI writing software.

3. Try to write in short paragraphs on each sub topic.

4. Use related images, infographics & videos in the content.

5. Edit your content effectively & professionally.

6. Promote your content on social media platforms like FB, YT, Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter LinkdIn & Pintrest.

7. Track your results on daily basis through google analytics & reshape the future content marketing strategy on the basis of these results.

Content Marketing Tips For Beginners

Now at the end of this blog post i am going to share some smart tips about content marketing for beginners.The 1st step is to understand what your audience or customers want to know & read. Once you know this important point, then you can start creating content that answers their questions in detail. If you are not sure what your audience wants to know, consider conducting a survey or using analytics/keywords research to see what kinds of content are most popular with your targeted audience.

Another important tip is to make sure that your content is of high-quality as content is the king and SEO is the queen. This means it should be well-written, accurate SEO optimized & informative in nature. It should also be engaging & visually appealing.

Finally, do not forget to promote your content. Be sure to share it on social media & other online platforms & encourage others to share it as well on their walls.

If you follow these super tips, you will be well on your way to creating successful content marketing like a pro.