Content: nature and purpose

Content marketing won over users’ hearts and minds as well brands’ budgets long time ago.

So, what is content? A trendy word for marketers to show off or an efficient tool?

Content marketing lies in the creation and distribution of content via various channels in order to target a certain audience.

Currently, everyone who in one or another way deals with marketing has deep understanding of content importance in brand promotion. Be it caps and mittens on Instagram or a well-known product.

The main tasks of content:

• Sales (posts with discounts, specials, other apps).

• Brand promotion (articles with personal opinions and achievements).

• Reputation formation + expert status and business contacts establishment (news of the market, company, feedback, and other proofs of your coolness😊 + useful materials to show your professionalism).

• Virality and coverage (lineups, a ‘Prize for repost’ contest).

• Identification of the target audience’s needs (polls).

• Objections disclaimer (feedback from authoritative people you know).

Simply stated, the abovementioned tasks may give an idea of those who work with content marketing. In other words, content marketing is to help you boost sales, promote a brand, build a reputation, show professionalism, improve website conversion, and turn a cold audience into a hot one.

Different specialists outline different types of content. Many men, many minds. I identify two: selling and useful. In terms of the former, I would recommend the following structure:

• Heading (maximally catching).

• Problem (targeting).

• Offered problem solution.

• Benefits of a solution.

• Work with objections (proofs).

• Price.

• Call to action.

To produce a qualitative and selling text, you have to elaborate clear understanding of your target audience, needs of the modern society, and your end goal.

Selling texts are not rocket science. Useful material is to meddle with. What is the reason? Advertising annoys. On TV, in the streets, on the Internet. That is true. In business, it is vital to create timely, non-advertising, interesting, and useful content to attract and retain users.

I go along with all marketers who divide useful texts into the main types as follows:

• Interview/case, success story. No doubt, opinion leader’s personal experience is what we would trust. Do not shy your success story away, share true details.

• News. Timeliness is vital. Old rewritten news is not useful anymore. If you are not a news aggregator, we recommend releasing weekly/monthly digests in your field.

• How to articles. Tell how to use your product, choose it, recognize a fake. Square up to related topics. If you sell cakes, write an article about chocolate tempering or cream whipping.

• Reviews, lineups. Top 5 family resorts would be good material for tourist agencies. A review and comparison of trends of interior design may be written even by a beginning designer.

To conclude, there is tough competition for users’ attention. Whatever we write — attention to our product is the main goal. Remember that content marketing takes time. Do not expect an immediate effect, sharp sales rise, just patiently move towards your goal. Every situation and product requires an individual approach. What is effective today may appear useless tomorrow. Stay interesting and useful to your client. That is a secret of success.

By Marina Krevsun
Head Of Content Department