Content Marketing Defined + Top 10 Ways to Fail at It

Maybe I should back up here and cite some official definitions for Content Marketing. If everyone's talking about it, then we need to be clear. Like with any buzz, it can mean different things to different people.

First, from Wikipedia: "Marketers may use content marketing as a means of achieving a variety of business goals, such as thought leadership, lead generation, increasing direct sales, improving retention and more."

Content marketing's agenda is to educate and inform customers and prospects. Content Marketing's slogan is - "Don't pitch. Don't sell. Don't interrupt. Educate, inform and provide value to customers and prospects. Your business will grow."

Content marketing must focus on what is valuable to the customer and must solve their informational needs.

Sometimes listing what not to do can really help make a concept clear.

Valeria Maltoni of Conversation Agent writes a great post Top Ten Reasons Why Your Content Marketing Strategy Fails.

She says, "The definition - content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action."

It's the opposite of interruption marketing, aka advertising.

Most importantly, Valeria says this: "It is better to fail after trying something new, than to fail because you're not even trying."

Start writing content and post it everywhere: your web pages, blog, article directories, comments on other people's blogs, Twitter updates. Write valuable, relevant information that genuinely focuses on the needs of others.

Comments

[Authority Networker]

Making yourself an indispensable source of information can establish your identity as an authority marketer. The more helpful and valuable your information is the greater the chance those customers will purchase from you. This is the concept of the new internet network marketing stratey called attraction marketing - develop ongoing relationships with clients and moving them along the buying path in your communications to greatly increase profits on autopilot. These clients will also bring in more business for you via referrals.

[Valeria Maltoni]

It's interesting how every time I publish a Top Ten list, if it is about what not to do people ask why I choose to write it that way instead of what to do. Guess what? They are more likely to read it and follow the advice when I talk about the pitfalls. But I am planning a follow up with more advice. Thank you for the link, a pleasure being in your company, as always.

[Jenny Pilley]

It is so important to write for your customers because ultimately they are the people who will read your work.
I prefer 'what not to do' lists because everybody does things differently especially in the way of writing.However, finding the flaws in your work can sometimes be an awful lot easier especially if there is guidance.
Keep it up! :)