Content Marketing for Dummies

sumers, thereby directly or indirectly promoting a business, brand, prod-

ucts, or services. Content marketing occurs both online and offline, but the

free and simple tools of the social Web have opened up the ability for companies

of all sizes to compete alongside one another, not for market share but for voice

and influence.

Marketing a business using content isn’t a new concept; however, it has evolved

in recent years to mean far more than creating a company brochure filled with

overtly promotional messages and images. Today, content marketing focuses on

creating content that is meaningful and useful to consumers with promotion tak-

ing a backseat to adding value, particularly adding value to the online conversation

happening across the social Web.

To achieve success, companies need to engage consumers rather than interrupt

them. Consider a pop-up ad appearing on a website today. It wasn’t so long ago

that pop-up ads were all the rage among marketers. Today, they’re a sure-fire

way to annoy customers and cause them to turn away from your brand. Rather

than taking control of consumers’ online experiences, businesses need to enhance

those experiences, and they can do it with content that adds value and engages

consumers.