Content Marketing

Content Marketing is a Marketing Strategy that consists of Creating useful Information to Attract potential Customers.

• In order to Sell them a Product or generate a Profit.

The Process that Content Marketing uses is usually the following:

• Offer an Answer to what Potential Customers are concerned about, and then offer them a Product or Service that may be useful to them.

We have summarized the 4 Stages that any successful Content Marketing Strategy goes through:

The Four Stages of Content Marketing are:

1. Inform.
2. Help.
3. Hook.
4. Monetize.

Let’s see them in more detail:

In this First Stage, the Company offers different Information (Content) to its potential Customers.

• This information doesn’t necessarily have to be Product oriented.

Examples

• Tips for something.
• Short and inspiring Stories about people that succeeded.
• Technical Information easily explained.
• A Blog where the Company “engages” with users informally.

In this Second Stage, the Company proves to be Helpful for its Potential Customers.

• Potential Customers perceive the Company as a Trustworthy Entity.

Examples

• An Article of a Blog helped a user to lose weight.
• The Tips shared by a Company helped a person find motivation.
• A Recipe published by a cookware company proved to be delicious and easy to prepare.
• Instructions given by a Car Company were helpful in checking your tire pressure.

In the Third Stage, the Company earns the Loyalty of its Potential Customers.

• The Potential Customers become “loyal” to what the Company publishes.

Examples

• Potential Customers check what the Company publishes regularly.
• Users start following the Company on Social media.
• Users get involved on Social Media; commenting and sharing the publications of the Company.
• Potential Customers start getting interested in the Company.

In the Fourth Stage, the Company Monetizes the Activity of its Users.

• Potential Customers become Clients or generate Indirect Income for the Company.

Examples

• By selling a Product that helps Customers.
• By Placing Ads on its Content.
• By offering a Service.
• With Sponsored Content.

As you may be thinking the best scenario is when Clients are Immediately monetized.

This happens when the Company has developed a very good Content and offers a helpful Product.

• A Product that solves what Customers are concerned about.

Therefore, the next question we have to answer is:

• How can I develop good Content?

Talk about something you know about or Hire someone who does.

• People can easily guess Who’s talking just for saying something and Who knows the topic.

Explain things in a Simple way.

• Your content must be easy to understand. Else, nobody will read it.

Use a Personal Approach even in you are explaining some instructions.

• People trust other People. No one feels affection for an answering machine.

Never stop Researching what your potential Customers are concerned about.

• Their concerns will vary over time and you must show them that you know them.

We have chosen 3 real examples that perfectly show how Companies use Content Marketing successfully.

Let’s begin:

If you ever search for things like:

• How to organize a party.
• Tips for having a great picnic.
• Recipes for a football night.
• etc.

You might be surprised to find helpful Posts… published by Costco.

Costco has lots of Posts where they give different Tips.

• Advice on everyday situations that may interest everyone.

In these Posts, they also offer their products so that you can buy them if you want:

They share Useful Information and also, they offer their Products.

• It is a good example of Content Marketing Strategy.

Leroy Merlin is a French Home-improvement and Gardening retailer.

• If you need anything for your Home or Garden, you’ll find it there.

And most important:

• They use a Content Marketing approach.

But, unlike Costco, their content is more “How to…” oriented.

Once inside, you’ll find the detailed and easy-to-understand instructions…

… And all the Materials and Tools that you will need.

Ahrefs is an Internet company that offers a Tool to investigate (mainly):

• Search Volumes per Topics.
• Website analysis.
• Trends on the Internet.

Website professionals use this tool to improve their Pageviews by analyzing what they should post about.

• “Grosso modo”.

And, they use Content Marketing as well:

They have a YouTube channel where they share interesting information about Website building.

• And, in practically all their videos, they use their Tool.

It is a subtle but effective way of promoting their product.

• Which is, by the way, relatively expensive (around $1.000 a year).

Content Marketing is a Marketing Strategy that consists of Creating useful Information to Attract potential Customers.

The 4 Stages that any successful Content Marketing strategy goes through:

1. The Inform Stage: the Company offers different Information (Content) to its potential Customers.
2. The Help Stage: the Company proves to be Helpful for its potential Customers.
3. The Hook Stage: the Company earns the Loyalty of its Potential Customers.
4. The Monetize Stage: the Company Monetizes the Activity of its Users.

Tips on How to create good Content:

• Talk about something you know about or Hire someone who does.
• Explain things in a Simple way.
• Use a Personal Approach even in you are explaining some instructions.
• Never stop Researching what your potential Customers are concerned about.