May 14, 2013

What is Content Marketing?

Have you ever been at an interview where someone threw you a seemingly completely off-base question? I’m not necessarily thinking of those inane questions that some of the most well-known companies out there ask—like when Forrester asks “If you were to get rid of one state in the U.S., which would it be and why?” and when JetBlue asks, “How many quarters would you need to reach the height of the Empire State building?” 

I mean really, how do you even begin to calculate that?

I’m talking about when your interviewer asks, “Read any good books lately?” or “If you could trade places with any other famous person for a week, who would it be?” Trust me; your answer matters.
 
Here at Content Boost, we ask prospective employees a similar “put-you-on-the-spot question.” We ask: “How do you define content marketing?” The responses? Oftentimes a mashed-up, confused definition. But when someone “gets it right?” Ahh…cue the “Hallelujah” chorus. I put “gets it right” in quotes because, let’s face it: the definition of content marketing will always be in flux, especially since it takes on a different meaning for each company. 

For our company, though, the definition of content marketing is simple. It’s refers to a comprehensive marketing strategy that involves creating and sharing relevant, customized, insightful copy—with the end goal of helping a company bolster its brand awareness and profitability.   

If you are not investing in content marketing yet, you’re not in marketing, according to the Content Marketing Institute. And trust us…you want to be. Already a whopping 91 percent of B2B marketers are leveraging content marketing strategies, from creating news articles for their corporate website to populating social media accounts with timely news to crafting e-newsletters and blogs. Moreover, more than half of B2B marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget over the next 12 months.

You sensing a trend here? But then again, why wouldn’t a company employ content marketing strategies?

By originating and distributing custom copy—either in the form of a blog, newsfeed, infographic, Tweet, status update, etc.—you are taking critical steps to reaching your company’s goals of brand awareness, customer acquisition, lead generation, thought leadership, customer retention and customer engagement, among other things. All without ever having to make a formal sales pitch.

So why aren’t more companies embracing content marketing? Because 64 percent of B2B content marketers are strapped with time to produce enough content.  

And that’s an incredibly valid concern. From maintaining your relationships with your key stakeholders, to making business critical decisions about product and service offerings, to overseeing a team of employees to meticulously developing long-term company roadmaps, who has the time to populate a blog?

Our team does. 

Let Content Boost help you. Our team will become your team, assuming the onus of populating your site with custom, tailored copy.

And in the spirit of what content marketing is all about, I’m going to stop there. I’m not going to give you a sales pitch. That’s not what content marketing is about. Instead, explore our site and let our copy tell our story. After all, that’s the essence of content marketing—selling your company through a non-traditional channel. Providing engaging, provoking custom copy.




Edited by Allison Boccamazzo




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