I am currently reading the book Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi. While I am not very far into the book, I wanted to share some interesting thoughts from it.
Discerning the difference between content marketing and traditional marketing, may be a challenge for some. In an early part of the book, Pulizzi pulls together several definitions of content marketing, one of my favorites was the “Content Marketing: For Practitioners:”
“Content Marketing is about delivering the content your audience is seeking in all the places they are searching for it. It is the effective combination of created, curated and syndicated content.* Content marketing is the process of developing and sharing relevant, valuable, and engaging content to a target audience with the goal of acquiring new customers or increasing business from existing customers.**”
Pulizzi then explains, “Your customers don’t care about you, your products, or your services. They care about themselves, their wants, and their needs. Content marketing is about creating interesting information your customers are passionate about so they actually pay attention to you.”***
Isn’t that interesting? While the second bit might be harsh, I think it is spot on. It is so important to be reminded what content marketing really is and who we are producing it for – our customers! The focus should be on what our target audience is looking for, what they are interested in and what they want to read. Always ask yourself when you are writing and creating content, what does my audience want and how will this add value to their lives? But, be careful. Always be sure that what you are publishing resonates with your brand and company identity – do not lose your authenticity or forget your core values when trying to engage customers.
I am sure I will have more to share in the future from this book. I am curious, what role does content marketing have in your efforts to grow your business? What kind of content marketing have you tried? What efforts have worked well for you?
* Michael Brenner, Senor Director, Global Marketing, SAP.
** Amanda Maksymiw, Content Marketing Manager, Lattice Engines.
*** Joe Pulizzi, Epic Content Marketing, pg 6.
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