The Rise of Content Marketing

Content Marketing has the business world’s full attention. Although it is a relatively new concept, everyone agrees on its power to reach your target audience, as well as being a thoroughly effective means of connecting with them.

But where did the concept of content marketing originate, and why are we only really engaging in it now?

Interrupt Advertising

The traditional way of marketing has relied on interrupting potential consumers – a couple of minutes break between television shows, or an image on the side of a bus for pedestrians to gawk at on their way to work. The purpose of these adverts has been to grab the audience’s attention or imagination in a funny, striking or unusual way, and convince them that they need a certain product.

This method means that you pull a wide variety of groups to your product, and you have the ability to piggy back on the audience of popular publications or radio shows with large listenership. The drawback is that traditional advertising doesn’t allow for a lot of useful information about a product, nor does it delve too deeply into what exactly it can do. It’s more about giving a general look or feel of a company. These adverts can also cost a bomb for companies, and only last a short while in circulation.

Content Marketing

The swift rise of The Digital Age and the take-over of the Internet, brought a culture of information along with it. Our society is now more informed than ever, and is constantly becoming more educated across all areas – from receiving alerts about historic anniversaries to searching for articles on how to eat healthily.

It is no coincidence that the rise of content marketing followed closely behind, bringing this culture of knowledge to the consumer’s doorstep. Although there was always a form of content marketing in every business practice, a real focus on brand-storytelling and the great results it can herald (when done right) has only recently evolved.

Content Marketing can come in many forms, from a consumer magazine or newspaper, to a staff publication, to a business blog. The latter has really fuelled the notion of content, and giving a voice and a personality to big, bold, businesses (another way of connecting with audiences and creating consumer loyalty). Social Media is also a form of content marketing, in the way that it shares information with a customer, engages with the individual and doesn’t focus solely on what their selling.

The great advantage of Content Marketing is that it nurtures a company’s core customer base through feeding them consistent, trustworthy and original content. This benefits everyone, as it informs the customer as to what they might buy, and adds value towards the company’s public face.

Content Marketing in Ireland

Ireland’s businesses are relatively new to the extraordinary results content marketing can bring. That being said, those that are engaging in the dark art of content marketing at the moment in Ireland are doing it well. As a nation with a strong track-record of great storytelling and world-class writers, we have little to no excuse not to engage in the fun and time-consuming way of advertising.

Give us a call today to find out how you can bring great story telling to your brand! Tel: +353 (0)1 255 7566 | Email: hello@zahramediagroup.com