September 14, 2008

• Content Marketing

  An ad is a great way to encapsulate information into a tiny bite. Think of it as a appetizer. Done well it leaves the consumer wanting more. I think the main meal is content marketing: creating useful information for prospective buyers.

  Content marketing is about providing something useful. A how to video on hanging up a picture sponsored by Black & Decker is content marketing. A blog post about five things we often forget when staying at a hotel sponsored by Priceline.com is content marketing.
  
  
  People seem to be more interested if a brand can have a relationship with their brand and teaching the consumer helps build a trust and a bond with more credibility than just a 30 second spot.

  Infomercials however aren’t always content marketing. They often are a little too far into the fake-smiles-and-bobbing-head department of gee whiz testimonials. I am talking about useful information presented in a way that makes the receiver of that information feel they have been given a value.

  There are many ways to do it for free or cheap. Blogs, video sites, pod casts and social networks are great places to share information and build interest about a product. These can be a great way to measure sentiment, drive awareness, and encourage conversation. Tie this to a marketing funnel and you’ve got the opportunity to convert people who respond to the information into more qualified leads and of course activate sales.

  • 5:03 pm
  • 2 Comments