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Content Marketing Basics | DeWinter Marketing & PR | Denver Colorado

Content Marketing Basics

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When you learn about – and deploy – content marketing basics, you’ll be doing your website and your business a big favor. Content marketing helps your business in the following ways:

  • It helps your website maintain its position or rise in the search rankings.
  • It helps generate traffic to your website.
  • It provides a legitimate, information-based way to engage with customers & prospects – without hitting them with heavy sales messages and approaches.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a form of marketing that involves generating, publishing & distributing free content about topics related to your product or service.

Did You Know:
Content marketing (i.e., adding fresh new relevant content to your website) is the number 1 ranking factor that the Google algorithm uses to place your website in search rankings.

What Form Does Content Marketing Take?

Content marketing comes in many forms, including:

  • Blogs
  • Case Studies
  • E-books
  • Email Newsletters
  • How-to Guides
  • Infographics
  • Photos
  • Podcasts
  • Q&As
  • Videos
  • White Papers

How Does Content Marketing Work?

Content marketing works by generating information that educates your customers & prospects about aspects of your product or service offerings. Content marketing does not involve sales brochures or promotions.

It’s purely about providing helpful educational information. This helpful information helps builds relationships with customers and prospects. One of the main services content marketing provides is to help your customer or prospect make a more informed purchasing decision about your products or services. Here are some examples of buying tip-related content marketing:

  • The top 5 mistakes businesses make when securing marketing services – and how to avoid them
  • The top 4 indicators that your website needs an update
  • How to avoid agency mark-ups on websites, graphic design services & more

How Is Content Marketing Distributed?

Content marketing assets that are created for your business typically “live” in these 3 locations:

  • On your website (in a Blog section or an Information Resources section)
  • On your social media feeds
  • In your month email marketing newsletters

How To Set Up A Content Marketing Program That Incorporates Content Marketing Basics

Setting up an effective content marketing program takes 4 specific steps:

  • Step 1: Determine which products or services you most want to sell
  • Step 2: Brainstorm ideas for articles, podcasts, or videos that highlight aspects of your products & services…in an information, educational mode vs. a sales mode
  • Step 3: Look at your business cycles for the year, and build a calendar of what topics you will feature at specific times of the year
  • Step 4: Generate content marketing assets, and post them on your website, your social media feeds, and in email newsletters

Content Marketing Case Study: A Colorado Veterinary Clinic Wins Big With Its Content Marketing

Here’s a short case study that highlights why well-developed content marketing programs are the gift that keeps on giving, year after year.

Business Scenario: With the help of the DeWinter Marketing & PR team, a new Colorado veterinary clinic was launched in January of 2018, including a new website.

Content Marketing Phase 1: DeWinter Marketing & PR developed an annual content marketing calendar, with specific topics of interest to pet owners featured at appropriate times of the year.

  • Example: We wrote a detailed article on Hypothermia in Dogs & Cats, and we published that expert article in the month of January – when Mother Nature typically brings a week or two of sub-zero temperatures.

Content Marketing Phase 2: These content marketing assets were published each month, and also promoted in a monthly email newsletter.

Results: It’s 2021, and more than THREE years after the launch of the veterinary clinic. Google Analytics shows that this veterinary clinic is STILL garnering website visits from pet owners who want to learn more about hypothermia in dogs & cats, how to prevent it, and how to spot it. (See the screenshot.)

Learning Point!!
When you follow Content Marketing Basics, and deploy a strategic content marketing program, the informational content you post can still drive traffic to your website YEARS after you initially posted the content.

Pitfalls To Avoid When Buying Content Marketing Services

The biggest content marketing mistake that business owners make is to just hire a general writer to do content marketing. It’s not enough to have writing skills. You must have a knowledge of business strategy & Search Engine Optimization to really make your investment in content marketing count.

Here are 3 tips on hiring the right marketing professionals for this critical activity:

  • Hire a content marketing strategist who can help you build a business-focused content calendar that’s relevant to your products or services
  • Hire content marketing experts who know how to do SEO keyword research
  • Hire content marketing experts who know how to optimize your content marketing with high-ranking keywords that will attract site visitors

Whether you want to learn how to do content marketing and DIY it, or hire a content marketing firm to help you – it’s still one of the most important marketing strategies to deploy if you want your website to rise in the search rankings.

Need affordable, effective content marketing services from successful content marketing experts? Contact DeWinter Marketing & PR!

Courtney DeWinter is the president & founder of Denver-based DeWinter Marketing & PR in Denver, Colorado. She is a marketing & PR consultant with 25+ years of experience in branding, marketing, public relations, websites & journalism.

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