What on Earth is Content Marketing All About: Part 1

In the first of our four-part series we chat to Jay Baer to find out what content marketing is really all about.

What is content marketing? Content marketing is information that develops or deepens a connection between company and consumer through education, entertainment or interactivity.

What are the biggest mistakes made in content marketing? Most content marketing is 100% about the company and its products or services. That’s not really content marketing, that’s just a brochure. Some of the best content marketing in the world transcends the transaction. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.

What are the biggest difficulties for companies? Marketing is harder than ever because the competition for attention continues to ratchet upwards. Content marketing – when done well – allows companies to break through the messaging clutter and drive behaviour affordably.

What are the most exciting developments in the field? To me, the trend toward useful content (Youtility) is so interesting I wrote an entire New York Times best-selling book about it. Companies all over the world are embracing the concept of providing content that is truly and inherently useful.

Jay Baer (@jaybaer) is The New York Times bestselling author of Youtility, Why Smart Marketing is About Help Not Hype. He is also the president of Convince and Convert, digital marketing advisors based in Indiana.