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Content Marketing in a nutshell
A brand is about building a relationship. Content marketing is a highly effective and cost-conscious way of helping to build that relationship with your customers. Customized content can be used to demonstrate authority, expertise and empathy. Eventually, your brand becomes a trusted source of information as well as a provider of products and services.

Content marketing can work hard for you, too. Original, relevant, interesting content is likely to be passed on from one consumer to another.

And it’s attractive to search engines so your site or blog is more likely to come up sooner when a consumer is searching for information related to your products or services.

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Will it work for my customers?
Research is showing that traditional advertising, like print ads, TV commercials and website banners (essentially, messages that interrupt the consumer’s experience of reading, watching or searching) aren’t working as well as they used to.

Consumers are actively seeking out information to help them make lifestyle and product decisions. They’re familiar with custom publications and studies have shown that the majority of consumers find customized content to be helpful in making purchasing decisions.

In fact, in a recent report by Roper Public Affairs on behalf of the Custom Publishing Council, more than half of consumers surveyed said they’re comfortable with sponsors clearly selling their products and services, as long as the publications are filled with interesting information.

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Start by figuring out who's your customer
The first step in starting a successful content marketing strategy is to identify the people you want to reach. The more detailed your definition, the better you’ll be able to create content that will be attractive and useful to them.

You can define an audience in a number of ways. Each company’s consumer-groups have their own unique set of characteristics. The key is to look at your customers from different points of view.

For instance, if you sell electronics, you might want to define your customers by age and loyalty. But don’t forget that the whiz-bang product so popular with teenage boys is likely to be bought by an obliging parent. So you’ve got two different age groups with two different sets of sensibilities and priorities looking at the same product.

This kind of fine-tuned categorizing makes it easier to line up goals for changing your customers’ attitudes and behaviors.

Take half a minute to think of how many ways you can define your customers.

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What does your customer need?
Once you know who your customers are, the next step is figuring out what they need. Don’t assume you already know all about the informational needs of your customers.
• Mine your customer service communications.
• Talk to your staff and your customers.
• Check out what your competitors’ sites, blogs and print material are covering.

Then think about how your company is different. What can you bring to your customers that will help them…
• See your product/service in a new light.
• Learn how to use your product/service in ways they might not have thought.
• Realize how your product/service will make their lives more enjoyable/easier at home or work or both.

A great way to get started is to ask yourself “What makes me so excited about my company?”

2:30
Explore the best media channels for your audience
It's an interesting world out there:

• Facebook users are getting older.
• The average age of a Twitter user is 31.
• Most consumers get their information about a product or service online but print magazines are the strongest influencers in driving consumers to a site.

The bottom line is that content marketing works. We’ve got the stats and the experience to prove it.

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So now that you’ve got the intro, let’s get content marketing working for you.