Debunking Content Marketing’s Biggest Myth

As you can see in the nearby chart, the phrase content marketing in news headlines increases year after year.

The term content marketing provides a new way for a business to understand marketing, which is interesting because content (e.g., catalogs, brochures, white papers, etc.) and marketing are not necessarily new things.

The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as:

Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience — with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

Because content marketing is still marketing, there are quite a few similarities between content marketing and so-called “traditional” marketing. While technology and consumer behavior made a difference in how companies market, the fact remains that the goal is to drive profitable customer actions.

In this post, we’re debunking the highly perpetuated myth that content marketing is new. The goal here is to help you make wiser decisions when you create your own content or hire marketers to help you grow your business.

Let’s get right into it…

Content Marketing Is Not New

While the term itself is new, marketing and content have been around for thousands of years. From books to storytelling, humans always relied on information to persuade, promote, and inspire.

So what is content marketing really, and why is it so popular today?

The term “content marketing” stems from a much-needed rebranding of marketing. Because people were (and still are) tired of annoying marketing, the marketing industry needed a new approach to describing how they promote products and services.

Content marketing’s intention is to only create content that’s relevant and valuable to the customer. That’s the main difference between content marketing and the kinds of marketing most people consider SPAM. Content marketing is about giving people a choice about the kinds of marketing they want to see and not see.

In general, content and marketing are not new concepts. The content marketing approach is simply a way to describe how to promote a business without being slimy, unethical, or annoying.

How to Find Content Marketers Who Understand the Fundamentals of Marketing

When looking for a content marketing agency to help your business, make sure they understand direct-marketing principles. If they don’t, your business could suffer.

For example, Facebook recently released a page dedicated to using direct response to help you create better Facebook ads. Your average content marketer would overlook elements like compelling copy, headlines, call to actions (CTAs), and testing when writing your ad.

Content marketing is more than supplying content. It’s the process of creating marketing material that converts curious prospects into interested buyers.

When you’re ready to reinvigorate your business with powerful marketing that delights your customers, and understands how to market beyond the latest trends, contact Sūmèr.