It’s well-known that content is an integral part of marketing; however, the million dollar question on every organization’s mind is: how does content marketing fit in? While it’s not exactly its own channel, like, say social media or search engine optimization, marketing companies from Utah through the Midwest are relying heavily upon the incorporation of content marketing into these channels for successful advertising campaigns. So where, exactly, does content marketing fit in?
Perhaps the primary focus of content marketing is to relay a message or story to your target audience. It doesn’t matter if you’re targeting an audience in Utah or a consumer base on the East Coast; content plays the critical role of conveying your brand’s story to your audience. Choosing how the audience receives the content comes second to the primary goal of conveying the brand relevance and personality via well-written content.
Strategic Content Through Brand Stories
In the same way that any type of marketing campaign, whether content-centric or not, needs an outlet to reach new target audiences, it also needs a solid strategy to be successful. And while content can’t be purely categorized into one sole “strategy,” it certainly can be designed to fit an effective marketing strategy.
The theme that your content intends to express to audiences is the core strategy of any marketing campaign, whether you’re targeting an outdoorsy audience in Utah or preppy Ivy League schools on the East Coast. Your content strategy should consist of a successful relationship between the channels that you use and your overarching theme.
Pinpoint Focus, Then Employ Tactics
The tactics behind content marketing consist primarily of how, when and where you choose to broadcast content. For example, a successful content marketing tactic might involve steady, organic link building through 100 percent unique articles, blogs and infographics. Before deciding on a particular tactic, however, analyze what your end goal is. Is it brand awareness, higher SEO rankings or more on-page conversions? Once you’ve pinpointed your primary focus, you can utilize the most resourceful content tactics possible.
