Have you ever seen the movie, Finding Nemo? It’s about a fish named Marlin who was looking for his son, Nemo. One part of the movie caught my attention. Marlin was telling the turtles about his adventures while looking for Nemo. The story is so interesting that the turtles couldn’t help but talk about it to other sea creatures, passing the story on and on until it reached Nemo, who was inside a dentist’s aquarium that was half way across the world in Sydney!

That, my friend, is how content marketing will work for you.

It’s the present and future in marketing. Content marketing is creating and sharing material that is relevant to your customers and prospects. When done right, you are communicating to them without the need to sell. Although it’s basically promoting your product and service, it does not sound “salesy” as compared to other forms of marketing.

Who Can Use Content Marketing?

Everyone! From small and mid-size businesses to the biggest corporations in the world, this marketing strategy can do wonders.

More consumers favour scouring the Internet for information about products and services. TV shopping is next to dead, and so are newspaper advertisements. With the growing prices in basic commodities, spending for dailies is almost always out of the question.

How Does This Work?

You create interesting and relevant material, someone reads and finds it compelling and shares it with his golf buddies, his colleagues, and his family. It won’t stop there. His golf buddy will tell more people, more co-workers. Well, you get my point.

Smart marketers actually keep their customers hungry for more information, making them feel that the company is doing them a favour by providing valuable products and services.

People talk about it and spread it around. Sounds familiar? Works like gossip, I know. But you have to those gossipers first. Or let them find you. Contrary to what you know about how big the world is, people can find you faster than Marlin can find Nemo. Seconds, in fact, if content promotion is done the right way.

What exactly is talk (and share) worthy material?

1. Useful – You can’t expect them to talk about you and promote your brand if they feel that they don’t have any use for your products or services.
2. Not “Salesy” – People hang up on telemarketers most of the time. If you create material that sounds very promotional, they’ll move on the next site.
3. Relevant – Why write about water purification when your company is not selling water purification systems or even remotely involved with such? It does not make sense, right?
4. Gives them proof – If you say you are the market leader, prove to them that you are ultimately the expert by providing valuable information, testimonials and statistics.

Where Does SEO Fit In?

I know Google will tell you that the Internet is made up of algorithms. But hey, algorithms do not look for you, people do. Google is just there to guide them in searching for you. That’s where Search Engine Optimisation comes in. An SEO and web design company can help you in this aspect. Aside from creating a remarkable website design for you, they can help you with relevant and valuable content and market your brand using effective e commerce solutions to make you Google ready and share-worthy.

Conclusion

Traditional marketing like 30-second television ads won’t work anymore. Even if you put it in print by handing out leaflets, your hard work will just end up in the garbage bin. Content marketing is becoming a must for small and big corporations because of its importance and how influential it can be. And if you publish content that’s simply arresting, you’ll have a significant number of Internet users buzzing.

By Debra Wright

Debra Wright enjoys a multi-hyphenated identity. She is an online marketing specialist, writer, cat lover, and aspiring cupcake critic. Wright’s articles about web designing and online marketing draws on her passion for learning and dedication to share her discoveries to others. Get updated on what she’s discovering now @debrawrites…