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Content Marketing Basics: Everything You Need To Know To Get Started

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Savannah Abney
Savannah AbneyChief Content Officer
content-marketing

If content marketing has been on your radar, but you haven’t committed to doing it yourself yet, then you’re in the right place. Content marketing is one of the most valuable tools in any business’s arsenal. It is truly such a game-changer. Instead of going at your audience with “salesy” advertising campaigns, content marketing lets you connect with people in a more casual and approachable way. Done right, it doesn’t just boost your brand; it positions you as the go-to in your industry. If you’ve been looking for something to help you reach your audience better, grow your business, and establish your brand; content marketing is the way. Whether you’re just getting started or simply want better results, let’s go back to the basics. 

What is Content Marketing?

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Content marketing isn’t just throwing content onto social media and hoping it sticks. It’s a strategic approach where the content you create—whether blogs, videos, or infographics—is crafted to draw people in, tell a story, and give your audience something they find useful.  Content marketing is the art of creating digital content that tells a story while also reaching a target audience, boosting brand awareness, driving sales, and increasing customer loyalty. It can take place on many different digital platforms such as websites, social media, email, podcasts, videos, apps, and more. The goal is to meet people where they already spend their time. If your target audience spends a lot of time on Instagram, you need to be posting there. The same applies to every other social media site, email, website, etc.  You’re not just pitching your business; you’re sharing, teaching, and showing how your brand can help them. 
Unlike traditional outbound marketing, which tends to feel pushy and overly promotional, content marketing is more based on building relationships with your audience, potential clients, and peers. But to do that, you have to consistently be posting quality content for those people to engage with. 
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What Are Types Of Content Marketing?

You know you need to be posting content, but what exactly should you post? There are so many different tactics you can use to leverage content marketing. Regardless of your industry, resources, time, or skills, everyone can find something that works for their business. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to content marketing. You just have to try certain types out and shift accordingly.  Content marketing campaigns can use many standard marketing formats. As long as you focus on storytelling, almost anything can become content marketing. Let’s look at some of the most common content marketing options.

CM on Social Media

Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn are perfect for content marketing. Not only can you pop up on your audience’s feeds, but you can directly interact with them. Social media provides a unique opportunity to connect with your clients in a casual setting. Plus, the ideas are unlimited when it comes to posting on social media. You have access to videos, photos, stories, written posts, comments, DMs, etc. that you can use to communicate to your audience with. 
 

CM Through Infographics

Infographics are a type of content that you can use on social media, within blogs, in emails, and anywhere else you see fit. You can use them to share data, statistics, and other information. These visuals are great for making stats and educational information more digestible and shareable. Infographics are a powerful tool for making dry data feel more interesting and accessible. 

CM Via Blog Posts

Blogs are a valuable opportunity to dive deeper into topics that you don’t always have space for on social media. You can craft a blog series to promote your services, discuss trending topics, humanize your staff, and more. They’re the perfect place to break down complex topics to help you build trust and establish authority with your audience and peers. Plus, blogs are often within your own website, making it a great way for people to interact with your site. Focus on the human element in your writing and include compelling visuals whenever possible to really maximize audience engagement.

CM In Podcasts

Podcasts are a unique and modern way to reach your community. People listen to podcasts while commuting, running errands, doing chores, and even while working, meaning you can reach people in spaces you traditionally don’t have access to. Podcasts are a fun way for your brand to share expertise, talk about trends, and feature guests. One of the benefits of having a podcast is the bonus content you can get from it. With one podcast episode, you can cut it up into short clips for social, expand it into a blog post, and turn important quotes into inspiring infographics.   

CM Through Videos

You simply can’t have effective content marketing these days without video content. Short-form videos have been dominating almost every social platform recently, even the ones you wouldn’t expect. We’ve seen platforms like LinkedIn really pushing video content the past couple of months. This is because regardless of the type of videos you post, whether educational, entertaining, inspiring, funny, or whatever else, video content is the video is the number 1 most memorable type of content from brands. You can also share video content across social media accounts to boost your engagement on multiple platforms.

Paid Content Marketing

While content marketing has a focus on organic content, paid content marketing has a place too. Paid content uses a similar concept as regular paid ads, but instead focus more on the storytelling aspect, rather than simply promoting a product or service. Instead of selling, it should tell a story. Popular examples include sponsored posts, promoted videos, and collaborations. Promote the story you’re telling about your services, not the service itself. Your audience will be more likely to engage with your brand if the content is compelling.

How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy

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Before you can fully dive into content marketing, you first need to have a solid strategy. Setting a clear plan to follow will make coming up with ideas easier and ensure you’re targeting the correct people. A strong content marketing strategy will guide your journey so you have success. Here is a general outline of a content marketing strategy:

1. Establish SMART Goals

Just like any kind of marketing strategy, your content marketing campaign should have clear goals from the beginning. The SMART framework can help you establish realistic goals for your campaign. Instead of aiming to “increase engagement,” aim for something like, “Boost blog traffic by 20% in three months.” Choose targets that fit the SMART acronym:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-based

2. Identify KPIs

Use your goals to determine key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs are measures you can use to track your performance to make sure your efforts are paying off. For example, you could track blog traffic, social media impressions, video watch time, or lead conversion rates. Your KPIs should be directly related to your SMART goals. 

3. Choose Platforms

Choose the platforms where you’ll share your content. Your brand may have different audiences on different platforms, so be aware of your follower demographics for the best results. Remember: you don’t need to be on every platform. Instead, invest your energy into platforms that will actually be worth your time. 

4. Select Content Types and Pillars

What sort of content do you want to share? The options are almost endless. As we mentioned earlier, there are tons of content types you can choose from. The topics you’ll cover go hand in hand with this. Determine the core content pillars you want to focus on. For example, a good baseline for solopreneurs includes:

  1. Educational
  2. Thought Leadership
  3. Client-Focused
  4. Third-Party
  5. Fun & Engaging

5. Determine a Budget

Choose your budget, then plan how you’ll spend these funds. Depending on your budget, you might want to invest in hiring an expert content creator to make your content for you. Or, maybe you just need help coming up with a strategy. If your budget allows for it, don’t be afraid to go to an expert for help. Another aspect of your budget should be set aside for paid content if you want to go in that direction. Here’s a good guideline for planning your budget. 

6. Create and Post Content

Now for the fun part, creating the content. After all the planning, you can finally bring your ideas to life. Make and share content on your chosen channels, then start engaging with your audience. 

7. Analyze the Results

After sharing your content with the world, you can start looking at your analytics and tracking those KPIs you set. Compare the actual results with your initial SMART goals. Identify what’s working and consider shifting parts of your strategy to make improvements. 

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Learn More About Content Marketing Basics

Content marketing is an effective strategy to connect with your audience–when done correctly. By understanding what works for your brand, building a strategic content plan, and tracking your progress, you’re setting yourself up for sustainable growth. Remember, don’t be afraid to get help from a professional. A lot goes into creating an effective content strategy and an expert is going to be able to help you be the most successful. 

If you’re interested in getting your own content marketing team, take our quick needs assessment to see what we can help you with. Or check out our different services here! 

Ready to Launch a Content Marketing Plan for Your Small Business?

We know that carving out the time, resources, and energy to create ongoing content for your brand or business is a full-time job. That’s why we created Breezy – your instant content marketing team.

You don’t need to hire multiple full-time employees to handle all of the strategy, planning, writing, designing, and publishing of content. You also don’t have time to wrangle tons of different freelancers to get this all completed. You need one expert team that can help get all of the amazing thought-leadership and subject matter expertise out of your head and into formalized, engaging content that keeps you top of mind with your audience.

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"I started working for Breezy when my wife first had a baby. It's great because I can tells stories through social media and earn extra money."
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