Content marketing, a way to build a professional image of the company

Advertising takes on a new face in the twenty-first century. Traditional advertising tools (leaflets, pens with the company’s logo) are becoming a sign of the past. Internet promotional tools become more and more important, especially in the case of large companies.

One of the online promotion tools is the so-called content marketing (sometimes also referred to as content marketing). What is content marketing and which companies should use it? What are the benefits of such activities? You will find the answers to these and many other questions in the text below.

Content marketing – what is it?

If you are surfing the net, you are definitely visiting companies’ websites. You probably have been irritated or disgusted by the content of these pages many times. In fact, it shouldn’t surprise anyone. Web content is often boring, sloppy and full of linguistic errors. Brazen advertising is also a common phenomenon on the web. The average internet user receives dozens of offers for new products and services every day. As the amount of new information is enormous, the recipients pay less and less attention to advertisements.

A large number of users are looking for more sophisticated information. They are not interested in simple, repetitive advertising; their aim is to obtain information on the specifics of the company’s operations, the way a product is created, etc. For example, a coffee lover does not need an advertisement for another product. He will certainly be more intrigued if the seller provides him, for example, with interesting tips on tasting and unusual ways to prepare it.

Advertising content is not the only element that let you create the image of a reliable brand on the market. If you are wondering how to build your company’s image on the Internet, perhaps content marketing is a great solution for your company. Practice shows that this method is used by:

companies from every industry (banks, clothing stores, restaurant giants, tax and legal offices),
enterprises of various scales of operation – content marketing is also used by small businesses, although it works primarily in larger enterprises. Why are such promotional activities the domain of medium and large companies? You will find the answer later in the text (“Content marketing is a long-term investment“).

Professional content writers are usually employed in large companies. Although such a solution is relatively expensive, it means acquiring an employee who will approach the assigned tasks in an individual way. When using external services, it often happens that content writers execute orders for many different companies. As a result, their texts may be repetitive and far from perfect.

Content marketing and copywriting – what are the most important differences?

The terms “content marketing” and “copywriting” are sometimes thought of as having the same meaning. Meanwhile, these concepts relate to various issues. Copywriting is about creating online content that is short and easy to read. The goal of copywriting is to increase traffic on the site. For this reason, the content contains a lot of keywords and links. Copywriting usually takes the form of product and category descriptions.

Content marketing is a much more complicated task than copywriting. The purpose of this activity is to provide recipients with valuable information about the market industry, products, etc., related to a given company. For example, a store that sells games for PlayStation items may post reviews of the latest games and lists of releases from the last year on its website.

The essence of this method of operation is valuable content on the Internet. The promotional aspect (brand advertising) is also important, but should not play a decisive role. Properly implemented content marketing is an unobtrusive advertisement. The recipient of the content is looking for interesting information – too strong promotion may have the opposite effect.

Content is King – that are the benefits of content marketing?

Correctly implemented content marketing has many benefits for the company. Thanks to this solution:

sales value increases,
customers are more aware of their purchases,
the entrepreneur’s brand is credible in the opinion of consumers,
customers become loyal to the company.

This is a good solution for companies that count on gaining regular, loyal customers for their goods and services.

The most common methods of action in promotion with the use of content

When developing content in the field of content marketing, it must be remembered that these materials are prepared for a wide audience. This means that they should be not only substantive, but also accessible. Placing boring text in large amounts (“walls of text”) will certainly not encourage the recipient to read.

Differentiating the content and adapting it to the recipient’s profile is a much better idea. What does it mean? The answer to this question is very simple. You should ensure that content marketing contains valuable information and looks professional. Do you want the recipient to follow the materials created by your company with interest? If so, your advertising and promotion department should prepare:

blogs – running a blog is one of the most popular methods of operation. Regular posting makes Internet users follow the company page. The greater number of visitors means that the website gets better search results on the web,
infographics – they show basic information in an interesting way. Infographics is an ideal solution if you want to present, for example, the financial results of your company,
e-books and guides – e-books should contain valuable content about the industry in which your company operates. If you run, for example, a large accounting office, it is a good idea to create an e-book with the analysis of changes in tax law. When the recipient reads the guide created by your company, there is a chance that they will recommend it to their friends. Practice shows that many large companies – including, for example, reputable consulting companies – regularly prepare professional reports on the economy. Since this data is used by entrepreneurs, students or lecturers, content marketing may translate into establishing cooperation with new contractors or well-qualified employees in the future,
podcasts – Spotify and other streaming services have enjoyed great popularity in recent years. These applications give you access to the best music and valuable podcasts. Nothing prevents the company from also creating a series of short, regularly published podcasts,
webinars / videos – movies are a very effective way of promotion in social media. This solution is used by various enterprises, including, for example, law firms, software houses, accounting offices and non-public training centers.

Content marketing is a long-term investment

Content marketing should be treated by the company as a long-term investment in the brand. When preparing the company’s budget, you need to be prepared for large expenses. This is due to two reasons:

this type of promotion is not cheap, and industry specialists – content writers – are well-paid employees,
the total cost is not a one-period expense. Building a strong brand of an enterprise in the Internet is a long process. It takes many weeks for online users to see the valuable content on your company’s website. The following weeks/months are necessary. During this time recipients will star to visit the website regularly and recommend it to their friends. Sometimes the first customers who become interested in the offer appear in the company after 2 years.

Some entrepreneurs implement their content marketing and count on immediate results. This is one of the most common mistakes. This form of advertising is a long-term action – the first positive effects (increased sales and traffic on the website) should appear after a few months. Meanwhile, many entrepreneurs and managers give up this type of activity after a few weeks.

All this makes content marketing a service that should be used primarily by large companies. The largest enterprises have a separate budget for promotional activities. Allocating large sums should not pose a challenge to a large company.

Content marketing should follow SEO principles

SEO optimization is also important when preparing valuable content. The need to reach the audience is the main goal in online promotion. As a result, the optimization of content on the Internet is also important when implementing content marketing.

Contrary to appearances, the combination of this form of content promotion and optimization in accordance with SEO principles is not particularly difficult but requires knowledge of positioning. To achieve this goal, the following should be used, for example:

the right keywords,
headers (H2, H3, …, H6).

Of course, the text should remain attractive to the reader and substantive. Interesting content is undoubtedly a better idea than dozens of random keywords. The meaning of content marketing is the balance between such elements as:

substantive value,
internet content SEO optimization,
language of benefits.

Content marketing. Summary

Content marketing is often treated as one of the most effective methods of online promotion. If it is skilfully implemented, it contributes to the increase in brand recognition and the acquisition of new, loyal customers.

At the same time, you must remember that valuable marketing is an important, but not the only tool. Other means of online promotion are necessary to achieve business success. These include solutions such as, for example: paid advertising (Google Ads, Facebook Ads), activity in social media and newsletters. Only the right combination of all these methods will allow you to increase your market share. Obviously, it is an expensive undertaking and can be implemented mainly by large enterprises.