The Move Toward Content Marketing

December 2, 10:17 AMPhoenix Internet Business ExaminerCarma Spence-Pothitt

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The interconnectedness of online content
has made it a very attractive marketing tool.

It has long been said that content is king ... and these days this has become much more evident.

"Corporations are competing against media companies for attention, to build relationships," Joe Pulizzi, founder and chief content officer of Junta42, recently told BtoB magazine. "These days, we're all publishers."

Pulizzi was referencing the rise of content marketing, once called custom publishing. This technique used to include advertorials and the occasional custom publication, but the method has grown. Digital media is now a growing part of the mix.

In fact, I believe, that entrepreneurial blogging has had an effect on this trend. Digital content is becoming a more and more common way to promote company's products and services.

For the small business owner or one-person shop, online marketing is often the more effective way to go. Having a business blog, linking that to Twitter and Facebook is pretty much the norm these days. And they still can be a very good way to market a small business.

Even better is when you create content that is not only sharable, but compellingly so. "The new formula is all about velocity," Paul Dunay, global managing director of services and social marketing at Avaya, Inc. told BtoB. "Does it get picked up and shared? In other words, is it frictionless?"

Word of mouth these days it facilitated by social marketing. So, if you want the word to spread about your business, you want your content marketing strategy to have a viral, sharable component to it.

And you don't have to worry too much about including promotions for your business with your social networking activities ... as long as you don't over do it. A recent study found that about 30% of respondents indicated an interest in offers presented in a social media context. In fact, 30% of respondents said they first learned about a new product or service via social media.

Another tip: it is a good idea to share your content in multiple formats: blog posts, podcasts, online video, special reports and more. This makes sure that your content ... and therefore knowledge of an interest in your business's existence ... reaches as many individuals as possible.