It's all about content now.
With social media opening new ways for marketers to reach out and connect with consumers directly, a key to effective social media outreach becomes the content itself. Self-serving hard-sell material doesn't seem to be what works best on social media platforms.
For content marketing to work, what marketers put out there -- regardless whether on digital platforms or via traditional media -- must draw people in and keep them coming back for more. To do that, the material being offered needs to be interesting and relevant to the intended audience, and not simply a blatant sales pitch. The "sales" part of it will kick in by gradually getting the audience to trust your brand and rely on it for good information.
It's the type of writing that Public Relations people are trained to do. It mixes journalism and marketing, with the selling part very subtle, if there at all.
The increasing focus on content marketing is creating new opportunities for PR agencies, freelancers and laid-off journalists.
It's a whole new world.
Image: Forbes Magazine
Comments