Content Marketing
What is Content in context of Social Media?
Content means videos, images, social media post, eBooks, blogs, etc which can be communicated over the Internet.
What is Marketing?
In simple terms marketing means advertisement of the products and services with the primary intension of selling products and services to gain business.
Thus, Content Marketing means advertisement of the products and services through production and distribution of various content like images, videos, social media post, etc; over the Internet.
Why content Marketing is important?
Content Marketing is important because it is done on Internet. So, then let us try to understand why Internet is important?
Total number of Internet users in the world is 3.49 billion. Considering the total population on the Earth to be 8.5 billion, the percentage of population on the Earth using the Internet on the Earth turns out to be 41% which is big count!
Thus, looking at the number of users using internet, it can be understood that Internet is in use by massive population on the Earth and So, this huge potential communication opportunity can be utilized to have business gain by doing related content marketing over it.
Having understood the meaning of Content Marketing, let us try to understand various types of Content Marketing:
Content Marketing through Blog:-
What is Blog?
Blog is kind of discussion on some specific content over the Internet. It also serves as information source. So, what happens, when blog is written on the Internet?
People searching for specific content using search engine, will came across your blog, if it has that content. Thus, there will be inbound traffic to your blog. This can be supplemented by necessary advertisement for Business purpose. Further, if website is accompanied by blog, then chances of it appearing in the first page of search engine is more.
What will be the benefit if website appears in the first page of search engine, like google?
In simple terms, websites in the first page of google are having very high chances of being clicked. This is most obvious because, after content is searched, the first result return is having more visibility then successive pages on the users and so their probability of being hit are high. Thus, traffic will be more. And more the traffic, more the users expose to your advertisement.
Content Marketing through Videos:-
As per General survey one-third of all the online activity is spend in watching video content. This fact makes video, as one of the best types of content marketing for reaching out to the targeted consumers of your products / services. Consumers now prefer to watch video first, before buying the product / services. Whether it is unboxing, product review or explanation of various features of product to operate it, all types of videos are seen by consumer nowadays. This video has Impact to the extent of determining consumer decision of buying the Product. Thus, creating videos with intended content and sharing it across the target audience will help to fulfil the purpose of advertisement.
Content Marketing through Case Studies:-
Let us try to understand the meaning of case study.
Case studies are the actual consumer story that does walk through the success story of client or consumer because of the help from Business Product / Services.
End consumer would like the contents related to case studies because this type of content helps them better understand how business brand can add value and make them successful.
Though animated content can help understand the possible benefits, real life example is even more valuable as it helps in building trust and generate new leads. Having realized the potential benefit out of Business product / services, the readers would get attract in buying the products / Services.
Content Marketing through e-Book:-
eBook used for Marketing purpose over the Internet should contain information which is useful to the targeted audience. They should be benefited by referring the content of the eBooks. The information contents can be typically related to the needs and challenges of the target audience. The purpose of this type of content marketing is to build lasting relationship with the consumers so that they trust the business brand and do necessary purchase loyally when they are ready. eBooks should be free to download but with exchange of necessary information in return. The leads that can be generated from the information received will provide attractive return on the creating eBook.
Content Marketing through Social Media Post:-
Let us first try to understand what Social Media is?
Social Media is basically the websites and the applications through which users can share ideas, images, videos and various other contents with other users on the same platform.
What are the examples of Social Media website and Application and how may monthly active users they have?
Facebook - 1.59 billion users active per month.
QQ - 853 million users active per month.
QZone - 640 million users active per month.
Tumblr - 555 million users active per month.
Thus, looking at the number of monthly active users in various Social Media website and applications, it can be understood that Social Media Platform is in use by massive population on the Earth. This huge potential can be utilized for the purpose of Content Marketing by Posting advertisement content on these Social Media Platform to gain Business out of it. The Social Media post can be communicated to segment of existing consumer to convince them to buy other products, segment of new consumer to buy existing products, to promote business brand, to increase sales volume, to build lasting relationship with consumers, etc. Various strategy can be planned out and upon reaction of the target audience over the post the Business product can be optimized.
Thus, we have understood the meaning of keyword content in context of Social Media, learnt the meaning of Marketing and had thereby realized the importance of Content Marketing because of 41% of total population of Earth using the Internet. Having required understanding of Content Marketing, we had explored various types of Content Marketing that can be done over the Internet.
