Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to think of a company that doesn’t apply content marketing in digital networks and other media. 

This is an aspect of advertising and marketing that in the last 5 years has generated an enormous growth boom, for the simple reason that it’s very profitable. 

However, applying it is not an easy task, nor is it something that can be learned overnight. 

It takes practice, of course, and that's what we're going to talk about today. A way in which you can understand what content marketing is all about, and how it can help your company take the leap it needs to achieve success. 

Aren't you excited to know about it? Wait until you put it into practice and enjoy the results. 

What is content marketing? 

Well, let's start with the basics, which is key to understanding what this is all about. Content marketing is a communication strategy that aims to give value to the brand it represents. 

Content marketing can be applied by a company, as well as by any other autonomous or public entity (businesses, agencies, groups), for example, yourself. 

However, this strategy is of vital importance especially for companies, as it allows a more competent growth and development of the personal brand. It creates such a level of authority that it is recognized locally, nationally or internationally. 

A clear example of this is when we notice the fight between brands in a specific niche. They create content to surpass their competition, and therefore, create a greater connection with their audience and get them interested in the product or service they offer. 

Do Coca-Cola and Pepsi come to mind? Because for us, yes, it’s an excellent example of how content marketing can be applied to promote and develop a brand, that is, authority in the niche. 

What is the purpose of content marketing? 

The purpose of content marketing is to make the content known through an interesting communication strategy. 

That is to say, it’s not about: "you will like this just because", it’s about convincing and persuading the consumer so that he believes that he needs what he is seeing.

And so, content marketing has different specific purposes:

1. To offer valuable and interesting content. 

One of the objectives is to promote content that is of value or interest to the consumer. Whether you’re talking about digital tools, creating cooking content, audiovisuals, or providing training, you must do it through content that is attractive. 

As we mentioned before, it's not about directly telling the customer to buy something, it's about creating value and interest around that something, which motivates the consumer to buy what we offer. 

2. To generate authority and knowledge 

Let's see, when we look for information about something, we do it based both on the visual, but also on the knowledge that it transmits. 

If you, for example, want to learn about photography, the obvious thing to do is to look for content about photographers or photo agencies that offer content that will help you learn about this field. But of course, not just anyone, but those who have the ability to transmit confidence to their interlocutors. 

To do this, it’s necessary to demonstrate that you really know what you are talking about. This will not only generate confidence in your potential client, but will also help you build authority in the niche, demonstrating your capabilities and how you differ from your competition. Speaking of which...

3. To differentiate yourself from the competition 

In today's digital world, and in today's work system globally, it becomes increasingly necessary to have unique elements that identify your personal brand. 

Remember, there are many who surely offer the same product or service as you, in case you are a known niche. The question is, what is your differentiating factor, what is it that makes a client choose you over someone else offering the same thing? 

To exemplify everything in a simple way, just think of two people selling the same product, for example, cookies. While one of them sells the cookies only in cash, the other one sells them in cash, but also accepts digital means of payment. 

By this simple fact, there will already be more buyers for that person who has several payment methods. Why? Because there is more flexibility, and you satisfy a need, which is direct payments on digital platforms without the need to make currency exchanges. You save time, hassle and sometimes the consumer’s money.

4. To build a brand

Here, the price of things is left aside. Because, although it may seem very important, it is much more effective to consolidate clients based on your value as a brand, than on the price of what you offer. 

Have you ever heard the saying "whoever chooses you based on price will replace you based on price?” That’s the importance of developing a brand, because regardless of your price, they will always want to choose you because doing so implies value and quality. 

On the other hand, those who base their product or service on prices, will find themselves in the need to always be making discounts and rebates, because they don’t have a consolidated brand that assures them that they would generate profits in another way.

How to structure a content marketing plan? 

Well, now going a little more into the matter of interest, the construction of a content marketing plan is fundamental. To do this, it’s necessary to formulate and answer these key questions: 

• What will you talk about? 

• When should you talk about it? 

• How and what media will you use to talk about it? 

In order to accurately answer these questions, the following marketing structure must be followed. 

1. The strategy 

This is the first step before everything else, and it’s where you will conduct your market research. We are sure you’ve heard it before, however, whether you know what it is about or not, here we provide you with a step-by-step so that you can have all the necessary information. 

Define the following: 

• Audience 

Who are you going to refer to, who is your target audience, who are the people who will be interested in your product or service? 

You must be clear about who your audience will be, since the type of content you are going to create will depend on it. 

• Actions 

Once you have defined your audience, what do you expect them to do with your content: buy, read, tell, comment...? Depending on the action you expect, your content must have the right medium and approach to get the expected result. 

• Media 

That's right! The type of content depends strictly on the medium through which you are going to transmit it. 

For example, do you want to make valuable tips about your niche through videos? Platforms such as YouTube offer a space dedicated to this. Either through well-crafted videos, or even with its new inclusion of Shorts, ideal for shorter and to the point content. 

If, on the other hand, you are good with words, forging authority through your knowledge on platforms such as LinkedIn, is a perfect option both for finding work and for clients to find you.

• The topic to be addressed 

You have already defined your audience, what you expect them to do, the means by which you will seek results, but what is missing and what are you going to talk to them about? 

However, this is the easiest thing to do, since based on the niche you are targeting, you should already have a solid idea of the topics to break down that will be of interest to your audience. 

• Manage 

Whether you have a solid and dedicated work team, or you are starting your own venture, you need to manage how you will carry out everything. 

How will you start your project, how will you present it to the public? And from there, how will you keep their interest in your content? And even, how will you deliver it to them? 

For this, we recommend the use of advertising tools, such as Business Facebook Suite or any other tool for creating advertising campaigns through audience segmentation. This will not only optimize your project management, but also your reach and results will be greater.

2. Create content 

Now, let's move on to the main course, the topic that interests us: creating content! 

Here, it’s necessary to have a content plan, which can be daily, weekly or even monthly. The content will be based on what you have obtained from the previous strategy step, but once you start creating, it’s necessary that the content is competent and interesting. 

For this reason, our advice is that you take the time to prepare each piece of content. From rereading information, updating on certain topics and knowing what your consumers really want to know, all this is essential so that, when it comes to writing, creating, thinking and building the content, you find a much easier task. 

To do this, consider the following aspects: 

• Respect your work schedules and content calendar. 

• Break down the content as much as possible, but summarize the most relevant information. 

• Try to vary the contents from time to time, being repetitive can doom your progress. 

• Take advantage of special dates in the calendar, as well as social trends. 

• Do not close yourself to explore other content presentation formats. 

By following these recommendations, you will be able to generate attractive content of great value to the user. In addition, little by little, you’ll begin to create authority, loyalty with your consumers, and a community. 

3. Content optimization 

Up to this point, we’ve talked about everything involved in creating content from the moment it is created to the moment it is executed. However, another fundamental aspect is also to work on the post-content aspect. 

That is, how your consumer or potential customer perceives the content you are showing him. Whether it’s through writing, audio or video, your content must be optimized for the audience. 

Here are some examples: 

• If your goal is to upload content through social networks, you need to have the ideal equipment so that it is perceived as well as possible. Having, for example, native Android or iOS devices, will help you to upload content to the networks without losing quality. Besides, of course, all the previous editing in programs such as PS, Ai, among others.

• If you’re a content writer for blogs, it’s essential that you optimize the content so that the reading of your audience is comfortable. Optimize the fluidity and loading of the blog platform, apply SEO strategies for positioning and present the information through a slow, digestible and captivating reading. 

• If your company's objective is to sell your info-product as well as possible, it’s necessary to optimize aspects such as: customer service, a secure and intuitive purchasing platform, well-structured advertising campaigns for your content, and everything that leads to a satisfactory purchase.

4. Distribution 

The time has come to present your content to the public. And with that, you need to think about how you plan to distribute or present it. 

There are two methods for attracting customers or consumers: 

• Generating organic traffic, that is, applying optimized marketing strategies so that users naturally get to know your content. 

• Generating traffic through advertising tools. 

We mentioned the latter in a previous point. And it’s important that you take it into consideration, because although it is possible to create a community of loyal users through organic traffic, advertising is what will allow you to increase your viewing levels. 

But in order to do so, you must have a strategic audience segmentation plan. It makes no sense to reach thousands or millions of users who simply will not be interested in what you offer. It’s better to invest in a precise segmentation, to reach those users who really are interested in what you offer. 

As always, it's not about quantity, it's about quality.

5. Content adaptation 

Once your info-product has been presented to the public, it’s not crazy to think about displaying that content on other platforms. 

To achieve this, it’s necessary to restructure the adaptation of the content. It’s not the same to talk about digital marketing through a text, than to do it through a video on a platform that allows you a maximum of 90 seconds. 

Do you get the idea? It’s necessary to adapt the formats and the information presented, according to the target platform. That way, you will be able to use your content through a dynamic strategy to capture clients or customers that you would not be able to reach on other platforms. 

Now do you understand how companies can grow so much,  how a user, from an idea, can build a massive project?

And this, thanks to a proper communication strategy. 

Will you now apply everything you have learned, in your project? Let us know about it. On the other hand, don't forget to share the info so that this valuable information reaches the people who need it.