Content Marketing: The Long Game

Content Marketing is the name that marketers are now using to describe communications with current or prospective customers.

Some portray this as being distinct from ‘selling’. Content marketing pieces don’t necessarily have a link to a sales page. Content marketing has evolved from what was being called ‘Educational Marketing.’

In broadest terms, it’s any communication sent to customers or potential customers that persuades them to consume the communication because it contains something that the reader deems valuable. This could be a blog post, an article, an email, a video, an audio clip, an infographic, a podcast, or a simple tip, trick, hack or bit of advice.

It’s not entirely correct to separate content from selling. There are sales letters that are designed to raise the buying temperature of prospects so high that they feverishly hit the ‘Buy Now’ button immediately. Content is part of a much longer game. It’s the development of a relationship with the consumer - establishing you or your business as an authority that can be trusted.

There are two components to doing this right.

First there’s being an authority on the subject matter of your business. That’s understanding the space that you do business in, and how you fit into the marketplace. Accountants know tax laws, Chiropractors know human anatomy, and Coffee shops know hot beverages.

Second is being an authority on the customers themselves. Consumers all have some version of the ‘buyer's journey’ where they identify a problem they have, gather information, compare solutions and make a purchase. Sometimes this process is a matter of feeling a growling stomach and walking across the street to buy a sandwich. Sometimes this process can take weeks or months.

The trick is to match the content to where the buyer is at in their ‘journey’.

Content marketing can be simple, for example, a guide to the different kinds of coffee beans. It may not be an explicit sales communication, but it will attract customers interested in good coffee. Content marketing can also be complex. It can be part of a long sales funnel that begins educating a consumer a year out from making a home purchase. This can also apply to a corporate purchasing manager in the B2B space.

In some cases, the idea of a sales funnel isn’t even appropriate. It can almost be looked at as more of a sales conveyor belt. The business will provide string of content over time, occasionally making an offer here or there. Some customers get the information they need to make the purchase right away. Some may stay on longer. Others may stay on for years.

It’s entirely possible to have a prospect consuming an email newsletter for years before they make their first purchase. This may be because the conditions in their life finally change to the point where they’re ready to make a purchase. Sales can be made anywhere along the conveyor belt, so long as the content keeps the belt moving.