Content marketing is a topic gaining popularity lately. But not everyone understands what content marketing really is. Digital Media Solutions is here to help. In this article, we’ve answered five of the most-searched questions about content marketing. Click on your question below to see the answer.

1. How useful is content marketing? 
2. What is content marketing strategy?  
3. What is the relationship between SEO and content marketing? 
4. How does content marketing support digital marketing? 
5. What is the biggest pain point in the content creation space? 

1. How useful is content marketing?

Content marketing is very useful for helping educate, nurture and convert consumers. When deployed alongside a multi-channel media plan, content marketing allows you to regularly reach out to your target audience to say “hi.” Content marketing is the soft sell, the nurturer, the “we’re here for you when you’re ready for us” approach that makes prospective customers more comfortable with the sales conversation.

2. What is content marketing strategy?

Content marketing strategy is the plan for developing content and aligning it with marketing objectives. Effective content marketing strategies incorporate both evergreen content, relevant for long periods of time, and content based on current events, news and trending topics.

An effective content marketing strategy is long-term and time-intensive, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are five steps to quickly launch a content marketing strategy:

1. Define your content marketing objective.
2. Define your target audience.
3. Identify knowledge gaps for your target audience.
4. Identify people on your team who can fill those knowledge gaps.
5. Start developing content and getting it into the hands of your target audience.

3. What is the relationship between SEO and content marketing?

Content marketing is a component of search engine optimization (SEO) and should always be considered as part of the broader SEO strategy. Content should always be developed according to successful SEO strategies and with Google trends in mind.

4. How does content marketing support digital marketing?

Content marketing supports digital marketing by nurturing individuals along the decision path, from awareness through conversion. Content marketing can support digital marketing by:

• Driving awareness: Content marketing can be incredibly effective at driving high-quality, organic traffic to a website, especially when performed as part of a broader SEO strategy.
• Educating consumers: Content marketing can also help consumers better understand products and consumers, bringing them closer to the purchase decision.
• Engaging audiences: Because they provide valuable content that fits into the lives of their target audiences, many brands are able to get consumers to subscribe to their content.

5. What is the biggest pain point in the content creation space?

Content creation can be incredibly time consuming. Especially for brands that want to ensure all their content is high-quality, on-brand and valuable to their target audience, care must be taken during content creation. Recent Google algorithm updates have addressed content quality and relevance, which means taking the time to produce high-quality content can have long-term benefits.

Are you in the process of reimagining your content marketing win?

The team at Digital Media Solutions (DMS) helps brands develop content marketing strategies and develop premium, evergreen content. We can help you visualize your victory and elevate your marketing strategies to achieve your marketing goals. Contact DMS today to take your content marketing to the next level.

Important Note: We believe there is no such thing as a stupid question, so feel free to ask us all your content marketing questions when you reach out.

This article is part of our “Ask a Stupid Question Day” series, in which Digital Media Solutions is answering 55 questions about digital marketing to celebrate the September 28 holiday. Additional articles within this series cover digital marketing, performance marketing, lead generation, pay-per-call, affiliate marketing, paid search, email marketing, SEO, programmatic and social advertising.

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