Not sure what content marketing is? Well, if you’ve ever watched a sponsored cooking tutorial, or shared a corporate meme, then you’ve already experienced it for yourself!

 

Unlike conventional marketing, which relies on the direct promotion of your products and services, content marketing works to gain sales by indirectly highlighting your company and what you offer through entertainment and education. 

 

To learn more about the nuances of content marketing and how it can benefit your business, continue reading!

 

 

What is Content Marketing?

While most forms of marketing will focus on highlighting your products and services, content marketing takes a different approach, shifting the focus away from promoting what you offer, to providing high-value content instead. 

 

For example, let’s say you run a private gym. If you were to use conventional advertising to promote your personal training services, your advertising may revolve around your certifications, accolades, and achievements. In this instance, your advertising would directly promote you as the product and service, in order to gain more clients. 

 

On the other hand, if you were to promote your business with content marketing, your marketing may revolve around a free-to-download injury prevention guide. In this instance, instead of utilizing your resume to gain more clients, your marketing would provide valuable content to indirectly showcase your expertise, and build relationships.

 

Now, as for what may or may not be deemed valuable, it depends heavily on the specific industry that you are in… However, it all boils down to understanding the intricacies of your target market, and creating content that either entertains them, educates them, or both.

 

 

 

 

What’s the Difference Between Entertaining and Educational Content Marketing?

While both can be effective, there is a significant difference between content marketing made to entertain, and content marketing made to educate!

 

Essentially, they each work to gain clients by building relationships, but in 2 distinct ways. Entertainment-based content marketing builds relationships by connecting to their target audience’s emotions, and in contrast, education-based content marketing builds relationships by solving their target audience’s problems. 

 

Let’s continue with the previous example and say that you offer personal training services at a private gym. In addition to that, let’s say that your gym is located in an affluent area of the city, and that you’re targeting leads without any exercise experience.

 

• In this scenario, do you think a discount is the best way for you to gain new leads? Probably not!

 

While a discount may be appreciated, based on the characteristics of this target market, it probably isn’t what they’re looking for. As an affluent yet inexperienced group of individuals, this target market is most likely looking for high-quality personal training, tailored for someone new. 

 

In this case, both entertaining and educational content could work well to attract and convert this audience. For example, if you wanted to earn new clients using entertainment, you could provide value through inspiration and humour! An audience looking for a personal trainer would be much more likely to work with you if they’ve already been inspired by your coaching videos. And, since this audience is also brand new to the gym, seeing videos that poke fun at gym culture and the beginner experience, can make them much more comfortable working with you.  

 

As for education, you could provide value by making your informative content relatable and easy to understand! With something like exercise, you can easily overload a beginner with exercise names, muscle groups, and training cues. By creating straightforward how-to videos, you can provide your target audience solutions, while showcasing your coaching style and expertise at the same time. 

 

To convert someone into a paying customer, you can’t just throw discounts at them! But, by entertaining or educating your target audience with content that relates to their feelings or problems, you are much more likely to build a relationship that turns a lead into a customer.  

 

 

 

 

What are the Advantages of Content Marketing?

Unlike conventional advertising, which is simply a broadcast of your selling points, with high-value entertainment or education, your content marketing can demonstrate your selling points, to earn trust faster, better showcase your expertise, and make a long-lasting impact.

 

One of the primary advantages of content marketing is that it can establish trust significantly faster than conventional advertising. This is because content marketing PROVIDES value, meanwhile, conventional advertising makes a business APPEAR valuable. For example, let’s say that you’re a realtor looking to win over new leads with your knowledge of local neighborhoods. 

 

• What do you think will earn more trust? 

 

Ads that say that you’re an expert, or ads that offer neighbourhood guides by an expert? If it wasn’t obvious, showcasing your expertise will always earn more trust than telling people about it… At the end of the day, people trust evidence over claims!

 

After establishing a foundation of trust, another advantage of content marketing is that it will allow you to better showcase your expertise and knowledge. Just like our previous point, when it comes to building your professional credibility, demonstrating it through helpful content will always make more of an impact than telling your audience about it through advertising.

 

Lastly, granted that you produce high-quality content, the lessons taught and the credibility added to your business from content marketing, will benefit you long-term. Again, let’s say that you’re a realtor. If you produced a step-by-step home selling checklist, not only will your clients use it during their current transaction, but this client could also use it the next time they sell their home 3 years from now! 

 

While conventional advertising may touch on your target market’s specific wants, needs, and concerns, by directly addressing them with content marketing, not only can you better help your target market with the issues at hand, but you can also better earn their trust, showcase your expertise, and make a long-lasting impact.

 

 

 

 

If you weren’t familiar with content marketing before, you should be now!

 

In conclusion, we summarized the nuances of content marketing, and covered how providing entertainment and education can help you better resonate and build relationships with your target audience. And, unlike conventional advertising, which may only appeal to the wants, needs, and concerns of your target audience, we also covered how content marketing goes the extra mile to directly address them with solutions.

 

So, if gaining new leads is a challenge for you, consider providing value instead of advertising your own, and start creating content marketing material today!

 

Looking to outsource your content marketing instead? Contact us to learn about our Social Media Management and Blog Writing Services.