Content marketing. What do you think of when you hear those words? For some, it’s little more than a new toy in the marketing toy box, something to play with a little before moving on to the next. For others, it’s a mysterious concept that holds little water in today’s seemingly bite-sized world. Here are 5 myths that are preventing you from successfully implementing a content marketing strategy that sells your products and services:
- Content marketing is all about blogging. Content marketing is a holistic marketing strategy. Blogging is an essential element, but so are white papers and case studies, the long form of content that is valuable to prospects and clients. Tell them how you can solve their problems, and they’ll come to you. White papers are particularly valuable, even when they’re not branded as white papers. For B2C businesses, you can brand them as special reports or ebooks. The concept remains the same: a valuable takeaway that presents solutions for a prospect’s problem.
- Content marketing is a fad. Actually, content marketing is here to stay for as long as bite-size Tweets and Facebook updates are – which is to say, for a long time. People used to say radio was a fad, then television, then the Internet. People still listen to radio, just in a different form. Same with TV, and the Internet has just gotten faster and more powerful. Content marketing has been around since before the Internet; companies would just mail white papers and case studies to a prospect, instead of emailing or making them available for download.
- Content marketing is prohibitively expensive. Because of the Internet, content marketing is cheaper than ever. A skilled white paper writer or case study writer can craft a thoughtful, engaging piece, and a graphic designer can lay it out and add custom graphics. From there, distribution is simple: your website. Direct visitors with Tweets, Facebook updates, pins on Pinterest, and on forums. Add a QR code to your print ads to point visitors to the download landing page.
- Content marketing can be done all by itself. Content marketing is part of a holistic marketing strategy. It’s an important piece that requires a writer who can also interview you and your clients, conduct research, and pull together a cohesive piece. If you don’t have one of those on your staff, don’t hesitate to contact me.
If you haven’t already, sign up for my newsletter and download The Content Marketing Cookbook, full of tips on how you can use white papers and case studies in your own marketing mix.