Hughes blog post: Content marketing – buzz word or required tactic?

With above the line marketing becoming less effective at reaching audiences that have “zoned out”, marketers are now increasingly utilising content marketing to re-engage with their target audiences.

Content marketing is a technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and maintain a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action. It is the art of communicating with an intended audience - without selling.

The goal of content marketing is to consistently provide relevant information to the target audience that can change or enhance their behaviour in your favour. It is an ongoing process that is best integrated into an overall marketing strategy.

According to Roper Public Affairs, 80% of business decision-makers prefer to receive company information in a series of articles versus advertisements. Buyers aren't looking for you to sell to them—they prefer information that answers their questions or fills a void. Buyers are getting information from case studies, company blogs, infographics, industry news, and other content-driven sources.

An organisation that conducts clever content marketing is Lorna Jane (fitness wear for women). The standalone Move Nourish Believe website acts as the brand's content centre - it presents articles of relevance to their target audience - covering topics like skincare, healthy eating and motivation, as well as videos, healthy recipes and forums. All of this serves to create a conversation and sense of community with its target audience, allowing both the company and the audience to benefit.

The ‘Content Marketing in Australia: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends’ report was released earlier this year by the Content Marketing Institute and ADMA. Some of the major findings included:

• 96% of marketers use content marketing;
• 25% of budgets are allocated to content marketing;
• 61% of Australian marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget over the next 12 months;
• 57% of companies outsource content creation.

View the full report here.

How does your company’s content marketing program compare?

Which stage is your business at in the above content marketing model developed by the ADMA? Content marketing may be an often misunderstood buzz word, but as you can see it is becoming a more relevant tactic to marketers in both the digital and physical environment in order to attract, retain and grow their customers.

- Jamie Hershman