When I was a kid, my grandfather had a bakery.
Every month, he would get a stack of magazines from bakery supply companies. Each publication was full of recipes, marketing and merchandising ideas and plenty of tips on how to run a profitable bakery.
That’s my earliest memory of content marketing.
Many think content marketing is a recent development that has its roots in the online world. But the fact is that content marketing has been around for hundreds of years.
In a blog post on the Content Marketing Institute website, Joe Pulizzi listed early examples of content marketing. Among the first was Poor Richard’s Almanac, published by Benjamin Franklin in 1732 to promote his printing business.
Pulizzi cited other early examples, including:
- The Locomotive magazine launched by the Hartford Steam Boiler and Inspection Company and now the oldest company magazine published continuously under the same name.
- Procter and Gamble’s production of radio programs under the banner of several of its brands in the 1930s. Those radio programs and their sponsorship gave rise to the term “soap opera.”
Content marketing can take many forms. But no matter what form it takes, content marketing has a single purpose:
- To help you build relationships with your audience by providing them with educational, helpful information that encourages them to take action.
What Is Content Marketing?
Before I get to what content marketing is, let’s talk about what it is not. Content marketing is not sales copy. It is not pushy, persuasive, or have a big sales offer.
Instead, content marketing helps you build a relationship with your target audience. It uses educational and relevant information to help your audience solve their problems and satisfy their needs. In my grandfather’s case, the magazines from bakery supply companies helped him better serve his customers and operate his business more effectively. He continued to do business with those companies in return.
Content marketing can take several forms, including:
- Blog posts
- Video
- Podcasts
- White papers and guides
- Articles
But no matter what form it takes, content marketing serves a clearly defined purpose: To attract the attention of a defined target audience in order to build a brand relationship and drive the desired consumer action.
What I Deliver
When we work together, I deliver more than just content.
If we are working on a series of blog posts, I do more than just write the post. I also include photography suggestions, meta descriptions for each post, a Twitter post you can use to link to the content, and longer posts you can use for Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media.
For audio and video content, I can recommend production companies you can use, or I can outsource for you and deliver you the finished product. I can do the same for printed pieces because I have worked with many talented graphic designers over the course of my career.
Let’s talk about how we can work together to develop and implement a content marketing program. Call me at 267-987-9531, or email me here.
