You may think that content marketing has just become mainstream however, content marketing started in 1895 when John Deere launched a magazine for his customers. Since then, the use of print publications has advanced to blog post articles, infographics, and social media posts. Modern day content marketing allows brands to be creative, and repurpose their content for a variety of uses. Content marketing has developed into a strategic plan, businesses use to market themselves today.
Where it Started
In 1985 John Deere created a magazine to help educate his customers, with hopes of increasing business. This was the only available type of marketing that was successful in getting the brand’s full message out to it’s audience. This is how content marketing was started, before online technology, and social media sites. This isn’t the only example of content marketing before our time. In 1904, Jell-O wasn’t as popular as it is today. A final strategy was used, a free booklet with recipes featuring Jell-O as the main ingredient. This step in content marketing made Jell-O sales jump to $1 million dollars by 1906.
As technology advanced print publications became less popular. The internet became a source of all information. YouTube became a popular video marketing channel and companies started making videos. Blogs were started, and were an open forum used for customer feedback and discussions.
Modern Day Content Marketing
How do we use content marketing today?
Businesses have a larger range of people to reach in 2013 than they did 1895. Using a digital content marketing strategy will help your business become more successful.
Understanding your audience is the first step in creating a content marketing strategy. Who is your brand trying to reach? Defining a buyer persona will better help your business generate content that will appeal to them. Since there are so many businesses in your niche, your brand should stand out. Keyword research is a helpful tactic used to determined what words your customers are searching for. Knowing this kind of information will help you create optimized content that your customers will find useful.
There are several ways to reach your target audience, and not all content marketing has to be in text form. Repurposing content is a great way to expand on the amount of people who will see it.
Video is a popular platform used in content marketing strategies. Brands often have explainer or “how to” videos. This is a great way for a business to humanize their brand and get the attention of their potential customers. People want to be “in the know” and feel apart of a brand. Disclosing some “how to” secrets is great way to show your brand’s reliability.
Content marketing has been around for over 100 years. Although the technology behind it has changed, the overall goal is the same. Businesses want to become a reliable source for their customers, helping to educate them. To generate successful content, it is best advised that a business should have a content marketing strategy.
What kind of content marketing strategy do you use?
Are you familiar with some of these techniques?
In the comments below, tell us if you have use a content marketing strategy. Does your business need help coming up with a successful content marketing plan?