What is content marketing and how does it work?

Put simply, content marketing is creating original and interesting content and sharing it you’re your corporate website, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. Content marketing is effective in building your online profile, demonstrating your knowledge of your industry while growing your credibility in your field. It’s a powerful tool to share your specialised information.

Content marketing is so effective because Google search spiders are attracted to their fresh content on your website and social media properties and index them often, growing your organic search keyword list and attracting more visits through organic search .

So, while content should be keyword rich and ideally support your targeted keyword strategy, your articles are first and foremost to be values add for readers, offering insights, tips, trends, information or advice. If you publish content to your site just for Google, then sure, you will attract visitors back on your keyword stuffed content, but they will bounce straight out as the content is not appealing or interesting – a factor which will have a negative impact on your SEO efforts.

Blogs
Most website platforms these days support Blog / News modules, a tool that you can use to quickly and effectively share new information. Blogs don’t need to be long written articles looking at every facet of a trend. Keep blog articles short and focus on one area – break down a subject over several articles to create a series. Each blog should support one key idea – and targets one keyword. Subscribe to the Icon Marketing blog here.

Some facts about blogging

Online presentations
It’s never been easier to share your presentations online. If you are in the business of regularly delivering PowerPoint presentations, with some simple online software you can record the presentation, add your voiceover just as you would if delivering the presentation online, and voila – instant online presentation.

eNewsletters
While much of the content in your website is designed for visitors to find your site and to click through (inbound marketing), eNewsletters are a way to push out your content out (outbound marketing) to any database you might have – customers and potential customers. By consistently sending out eNewsletters, you aren’t relying on customers to remember to come back and visit your site, you‘re delivering interesting content directly to them. Subscribe to the Icon Marketing eNewsletter here

Whitepapers
Whitepapers are a way to more deeply explore larger subjects and big ideas, often supported by research and new information. Whitepapers are a valuable source of information – and as such as recommend you request more user information in return for downloading a whitepaper – name and email address so you can build a database of likely potential customers who are interested in your content. Download an Icon Marketing Free Whitepaper here.

Infographics
Especially in highly technical areas, infographics are a great way to easily explain content and concepts. And especially when internet users just want information in bite size chunks, infographics are perfect for this. The human brain will be more likely to remember infographic information because the brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text.

How to guides
The term “how to” is searched in conjunction with Google search terms 18,000 a month in Australia. People look to the internet for advice and guidance and your how to guides can be a valuable source of information. Just like whitepapers, you can typically request user information in return for a how to guide.

Videos and animation
You Tube is the second largest search engine behind Google. Creating videos and animations and having your well optimised You Tube channel will help provide valuable content in a simple format as well as help with your SEO programs.

Icon can help your build your online content calendar so you always have something relevant to say to the right audience.

Icon Visual Marketing is not an SEO or Digital Marketing Company. It is a marketing company who understands that online and digital are part of your overall marketing strategy. Contact us to talk about your digital strategy and how it can fit in with your marketing goal