Content marketing is all about creating and sharing valuable content that attracts and engages your target audience. It builds trust, drives engagement, and supports business growth by connecting your brand with potential customers.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is the creation and distribution of useful and relevant content to attract and engage your brand’s target audience. This often indicates expertise in a particular area and helps boost brand awareness. You want your customers to feel connected to your brand, to an extent, so it fits them. Providing valuable advice can develop and nurture relationships by striving to produce content that serves a purpose for existing and potential customers.
Blog, videos, podcasts, infographics, emails, newsletters, magazines, courses, webinars, social media posts, templates, quizzes, and more.
Some prime examples of useful content include:
- Canva Design School: A concise curriculum of short courses to help clients make the most of transaction tracking technology.
- Professor of History at Walter University and Financial Services Advisory Partner at IGACON IGACS.
Why is content marketing important?
Content marketing, one of the basic forms of traditional marketing, has many advantages. Michelin’s content marketing initiatives have endured for over a century. Content marketing is important because:
- It creates real engagement: Consumers who read brand-sponsored blogs or newsletters and identify with their content are more likely to develop positive relationships and continue supporting the brand.
- It offers value: Productivity podcasts from content management software companies build brand reputation, so their customer value translates into loyalty and sales.
- It offers versatility: With digital tools, there are now many ways to reach potential customers. From free knitting templates to UX design blogs, there are many approaches for brands considering content marketing. The same brand can use different media to reach new audiences.
According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing 2025 Report, 92% of marketers will increase or maintain their investment in brand awareness in 2025, and 25% will focus exclusively on content that resonates with the brand’s values.
By 2025, 20 percent of marketers plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) to automate initiatives, while 25 percent plan to use AI to convert text into multimedia marketing campaigns [1]. Semmersch reports that 68 percent of companies that use AI in their efforts see an improvement in their ROI, and 89 percent rely on organic search as the most effective distribution channel [2]. This is important because if Google search is how a potential customer discovers a brand, then the content they click on must be high-quality and useful.
3 ways to use content marketing to promote your business
To become familiar with a brand, product or service, customers go through stages of awareness, consideration and engagement. Each stage requires different types of content that can attract and retain customers.
1. Promote knowledge
During this time, customers may not be familiar with your brand or what you have to offer. Offering helpful and relevant content that illuminates and potentially mitigates their challenges, or that creates desire by making an identity connection, can draw attention to your brand. Social media posts, emails, blog posts, and videos are also helpful in raising awareness.
For example:
- REI expert advice on what to pack in a bike repair kit, including direct links to stores.
- The post sponsored by Bombay Sapphire on Bon Appetit is titled 99 Gin Tonics, Recipes for Every Occasion and Taste
2. Drive Consideration
At this stage of brand awareness, consumers have heard about your brand and are considering whether to choose it over another. Content is not only useful, but it can also influence customers to choose you. Content such as articles, quizzes, and guides can be especially helpful.
Examples:
- Aveda’s quiz to find the best hair care products for your hair type
- Shopify blog post
- How to create a product buying guide for your store: Your 24/7 salesperson
3. Drive Engagement
Consumers have committed to buying your product or service, so it’s time to close the deal. They may already be subscribed to your newsletter or email or following you on social media, so it’s time to convince them that you’re the best option among all your competitors. After the purchase, customers can share this type of content (such as tagging a friend in an Instagram post) if they feel it aligns with their identity. Newsletters, FAQ guides, research or impact reports, and social media posts can all help in this phase.
Examples:
- The yoga app Down Dog offers free access to students and teachers as part of its mission to provide affordable fitness and wellness content. AIGA’s email newsletter Eye on Design summarizes its latest stories in one place.
Creating high-quality content that speaks directly to your target audience is important as search engine algorithms become smarter. Only good content wins.
4 Key Elements of a Content Marketing Solution
When creating a content marketing strategy for your brand, consider your target audience and the touchpoints you’ll use to connect with them. These are the four main elements of a content marketing strategy: brand positioning, value proposition, ROI measurement, and plan development.
1. Position your brand.
First, define your brand, values, and positioning. If you sell chocolate, are you an artisanal chocolate bar that sources its beans from South America or do you sell Ferraro Rocher sweets? While chocolate lovers can buy both, both types of brands appeal to different consumers. You can consider demographics and location when positioning your brand, considering your competitors to develop strategies that provide a unique brand experience.
2. Identify your values.
Once you’ve defined your brand and positioning, you can begin to identify what value to offer with specific types of content. Through channels like email or social media, you can maintain relationships with customers as they follow your brand for recipe tips, aspirational lifestyle photography, links to life hack blogs, and more. Your content offering should make sense for your brand, but it should also convert into sales.
3. Consider your return on investment (ROI).
With your positioning and value in mind, make a compelling case for content that can boost your business. There’s no point in wasting time and resources producing content that doesn’t help your organization achieve its business goals. Develop a business case that evaluates the benefits, risks, and budget for your content strategy. Your organization needs to be convinced that it has a high ROI for implementing this strategy.
4. Define your plan.
After estimating your potential ROI, you can create a plan that addresses how, when, and where (consider channels and media, as well as regions) your strategy will be implemented. Your plan should align with your business objectives and integrate any other marketing and sales plans. With these four components in mind, you can develop a solid content marketing strategy to boost your business.
