Content Marketing - where to start?

I found an interesting article that was published in one of the LinkedIn network groups I am a member of. It seeks to define one of my favourite marketing terms: content marketing.

I am not just a fan of content marketing because TWCA the web content agency has made it part of our business model; but also because it actually works.

Content marketing works in three ways. It is any sort of content you create online or offline that drives traffic to your website; and by traffic I mean traffic that is valuable. It gives you more room to create copy for SEO and it will put you into the shoes of an information provider or an online publisher.

An example for the girls: expensive footwear and a shoe blog.

If your business is shoes, what could be better to talk about on your website, your blog or your twitter account than shoes? Or the makers of shoes. Or, if you want to jump the celebrity marketing machine, VIPs wearing shoes and how they wear them. Quality in shoes. Design kinks for shoes. The list is endless. Because if someone is truly, really, totally into shoes: they will want to read about them. They will be informed about shoes, so the more insider knowledge, the more topic related, theme orientated and interesting content you can deliver to the true shoe aficionado: the more these sole-mates will appreciate you and recognize and trust your brand, your business, your online entity as an information provider on their favourite topic and a valuable source of information.

Content marketing also means exposure for your brand – but more than that: you are not just commissioning online advertising: you are giving interesting information to the public, by sharing it, much less obvious than a blunt ad of some out of date celebrity wearing your shoes and nothing but them. Therefore it generates real interest in the brand.

The traffic it will drive to your online entity is more valuable: because you are talking about shoes to shoe lovers. What more could they wish for? And what more could you wish for? If you want shoe-loving-folk to visit your website: you will get them with the right content marketing strategy.

It need not be advertorials in the lifestyle pages of Vogue magazine (not that you can place such things, mind you) or similar out of reach targets. It can be your company blog – which people will regard suspiciously at first (well you are the company trying to sell to them and everyone is wary of salespeople), but once your audience has realised that you are writing insightful, valuable articles or blog entries about their passion: you will have won.

My passion is shoes, in case you were wondering; but also anything to do with online marketing. So there you go, advice from a content marketing professional and part time shoe-fanatic.

The article I was referring is published at the search engine optimizsation journal and can be found here.