Anyone who works in marketing for their own business or for clients has surely heard the term Content Marketing . Bill Gates himself said, “ Content is king ,” emphasizing the importance of almost obsessive attention to your content to achieve results in your business.

Although companies have only understood the importance of content marketing in recent years, the concept is actually much older.

DEFINITION
The term “Content Marketing” was officially coined in 2001 by Penton Custom Media , marking the recognition of this strategy as a distinct marketing discipline : a new form of marketing based on the creation of valuable content to attract and acquire customers.

Of course, the internet wasn’t yet the primary means of communication through which companies found their customers, but it’s clear that content marketing can also be applied to other channels outside of the web.

Today we want to focus on the concept of Content Marketing, what it is, and why it’s important for every company.

Before we begin, let us introduce you: you’re reading the blog of Moonify , a company that has been pursuing this great passion for content marketing for years . Since 2022, we’ve been helping companies grow organically, thanks to valuable content consumed by thousands of people every month.

Thank you for being here!

1. What is content marketing?

Content Marketing is a set of marketing strategies based on the creation and dissemination of valuable content to attract, acquire, and retain a target audience with the aim of promoting a brand or product.

The contents produced can be the most diverse, such as

blog posts;
infographics;
video;
podcast;
social media posts;

depending on the target audience and the chosen distribution channel.

The concept of content marketing as we know it today is relatively new , although some forms of marketing based on the creation and distribution of content have existed for a long time. While the old form of promotion was based on direct and somewhat intrusive advertising (think of TV commercials that interrupt your viewing experience or pop-ups on websites that prevent you from reading news or articles), content marketing goes hand in hand with the concept of inbound marketing . Let’s take a look at what it is.

1.1 Inbound marketing and content marketing: what’s the relationship?

Let’s start with a brief definition of inbound marketing.

DEFINITION:
Inbound marketing is a marketing strategy based on creating valuable content that addresses the needs and questions of potential customers in order to establish a point of contact with a company. This means that potential customers come to you voluntarily and not "driven" by intrusive advertising. This allows you to build long-term relationships with your customers.

By creating valuable content, you can earn the trust of your potential customers and become a valuable resource for them. This can increase long-term sales and enhance customer loyalty . The goal is to be a valuable resource for potential customers in order to gain their trust and increase the likelihood of them purchasing your product or service .

Furthermore, inbound marketing is often less expensive than outbound marketing because it relies on content creation rather than paid advertising. As I mentioned earlier, by adopting a good SEO strategy , potential customers will be the ones to search for you , greatly increasing the likelihood of direct contact with them.

Make yourself known through quality content that engages the reader.

1.2 Inbound marketing in practice

Now put yourself in the shoes of a user with specific needs. To clarify, let’s look at a practical example .

Example -> Imagine you’re an ordinary person wondering how to secure your home. Like many, you might open Google and type a keyword into the search bar , such as ” how can I secure my home without spending a lot? ” (Yes, because BrightEdge suggests that 68% of online experiences start with a search engine because most web traffic comes from organic searches, and the top three organic results in Google receive 68.7% of all clicks , confirming the central role of search engines in the online user experience ).

The results will bring up many articles and pages (in addition to the more recent AI Overview ), probably from websites belonging to companies dealing with alarm systems, window installation, etc. You will probably click on the first search result and, if it doesn’t answer your questions, you will go back and move on to the next result until you are satisfied .

You’ll read a short article that explains in a few steps how to make your home more secure . Now imagine that each paragraph contains a link to a technician who installs alarm systems or security doors. You’ll land on their page, read the information about them, and, if they’re convincing enough, call to schedule an appointment .

Have you ever gone through this process when purchasing an item or service? Let’s say you were looking for new glasses and stumbled upon an article explaining how to prevent eye problems. You realized an eye exam was essential , so you booked directly from the site where you found the article.

1.3 Primary and secondary needs: how to stimulate them with content marketing

Let’s just add a brief psychological aside . When you browse the internet, you do so either consciously or with a little more levity. Sometimes you open Google knowing what you’re looking for , like when you want to buy a pair of running shoes. It’s a primary need of yours , one that you keep clearly in mind and want to satisfy.

Content marketing can help you with this challenge . In fact, expert content marketers base their work on generating online content that is not only valuable, but also well-optimized, meaning it addresses a specific user search intent .

If a company sells running shoes, it needs to know its customers well and anticipate the keywords they will use to search online.

They might search for “ running shoes ,” “ running sneakers ,” or even for shoes from a specific brand sold in a certain location, such as “ running shoes for sale in Milan .” Content marketers who successfully address user needs by selecting the right keywords and answering their questions can be among those who increase their profits using this strategy .

However, there’s another direction Content Marketing can take, the one we identified with the example of glasses and ophthalmic problems. Let’s look at another example for clarity: have you ever been searching for a product online and suddenly a list of suggested products appears that might be complementary, similar to what you’re currently looking for, or related to a previous search?

Maybe you’re looking for tips on making delicious cookies , and an internal link in an article takes you to another piece of content about chocolate frosting for cake. When you searched, you weren’t thinking about chocolate cake, but cookies, yet those articles have sparked the urge to bake or eat cake.

This means that Content Marketing has aroused a secondary need in you , that is, one that is not immediately evident, that you had not thought about and that now, to use a hyperbole, is tormenting you.

Content planned by a good marketing strategy can therefore respond to the specific needs of an online user as well as generate new ones that they are not thinking of at that moment.

And this is why those who work in Content Marketing must also have skills in consumer psychology .

Book an introductory call

2. Why is content marketing so important for a company?

By analyzing the user journey we’ve just described, you’ll certainly have grasped the real benefits of Content Marketing and will clearly understand why it’s one of the most popular strategies among marketers today.

Before we further highlight the benefits of Content Marketing, we invite you to take a look at these statistics :

75% of people prefer blogs to traditional advertising for information.
Interest in in-depth, authentic content continues to grow, cementing blogs as the primary source of information.
73% of viewers purchase a brand after seeing it on YouTube.
YouTube remains a key platform for discovery and purchasing decisions, thanks to demo videos and reviews.
80% of people say they’ve been convinced to purchase or download software or an app by watching a video.
Video tutorials and demos are increasingly effective at driving digital conversions.
97% of users have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
Explainer videos have become an almost essential tool for corporate communication.
85% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing.
Investment in content marketing continues to grow, with an ever-increasing focus on personalized and interactive content.
70% of the most successful B2B marketers have a written and regularly updated content marketing strategy.
Formalizing and continually updating your strategy are key factors for success.
When deciding which links to click, users choose the link with the most useful information, based on cues from the link label, viewing context, and previous experiences, with an increasing focus on trustworthiness and transparency.

These statistics should be of interest to you as they demonstrate how content is a form of advertising that appeals to both B2B and B2C marketers, precisely because of its effectiveness, and to users, who can benefit from quality content that is in line with their needs.

The reasons for such appreciation are numerous:

It is clear that by creating quality content and sharing it on social media and other online channels you can first of all increase the visibility of your brand and reach a wider audience and, if you can make it persuasive and high-converting, attract potential customers leading them to buy your product or service.
The content you create for your audience, if it meets their needs, will increase their brand loyalty. You’ll become a safe haven for your customers where they can satisfy their desires and find answers to their questions. This only improves your ROI.
If you focus on content-related SEO , you will be able to achieve a better position in search results and therefore attract more readers or visitors.

Content Marketing is a very effective strategy that is gaining more and more ground and, another great advantage, it is low cost compared to other more direct and paid forms of promotion.

If you do good SEO , content marketing is a tool that has become truly essential for any business over time because it helps build increasingly effective customer relationships at very low costs. Building and developing your online presence certainly increases your brand’s long-term visibility .

Creating quality content can help you reach new customers and increase sales. It can be incredibly helpful if you want to establish yourself as a professional or company and demonstrate your authority in your industry.

You can become more competitive by strengthening your position in the market .

3. How to implement a winning content marketing strategy in 5 steps

“We’ve talked about how content marketing is a powerful way to attract and engage your target audience, build trust, and establish a brand as a leader in a certain industry . Simply starting to post every day on social media or your blog isn’t enough to achieve excellent, long-term, and low-cost results.

Thorough planning is required.

You need to understand the needs of your target audience , the channels they use for information and entertainment (for example, it’s easier to find a teenager on TikTok than on Facebook these days), the content users prefer (did you know that ” How-to” articles are the most popular content formats, followed by news and trends, guides, and ebooks? Then you should include them in your content strategy), the topics they expect to find online, the editorial calendar with publication dates and times, etc.

In the following lines, we’ll explore the key elements of a content strategy and provide actionable steps to help you plan and implement successful strategies. No waste, guaranteed.

Step 1: Identify your niche

The first step in planning a Content Marketing strategy is to define the target audience .

->  Who are the people you want to reach with your content?
->  What are their demographics, interests, and common pain points?
->  How could you help them solve their doubts and problems related to their daily lives?

Identifying the right target audience is crucial because it allows you to create an effective content marketing campaign and reach the people most interested in your product. If you sell luxury cars, there’s no point in creating mass content. You’ll spend a lot of money and resources creating content that reaches countless people who, however, don’t have the financial resources to purchase your product.

If, on the other hand, you focus only on people who can afford a luxury car, who love design, performance, etc., you will increase your chances of attracting their attention (therefore increasing awareness) and converting them into customers (concluding a greater number of sales) .

To identify your target audience, you need to gather information such as age, gender, income, education, and profession . You’ll also need to conduct market research through surveys, interviews, and questionnaires to better understand your existing and potential customers. This will allow you to understand their needs and desires and find solutions, in the form of content, to satisfy them.

Ultimately, this step is crucial because it allows you to focus on a group of people with similar needs and desires, rather than trying to reach a general, diverse audience . Knowing your audience also means creating content that uniquely meets customer needs and, therefore, generates more revenue .

This way, you will gain a competitive advantage, as you will attract a certain niche that will not choose your competitors.

Step 2: Set goals

Next, you’ll need to identify your goals for your Content Marketing campaign .

-> What do you want to achieve with your content?
-> Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or increase conversions?

Answering these questions will help you identify the best content to reach your target audience, capture their attention, and create points of contact with your brand.

In practice, defining the objectives of a content strategy means analyzing the current situation of the brand and the market in which it operates , identifying the best scenarios to achieve.

It is therefore necessary to rely on certain and reliable data , carry out market research to understand the needs, desires and expectations of customers, why competitors have failed to satisfy them, identify their strategies and their strengths and weaknesses so as not to imitate them.

Based on these premises, it is then possible to identify short- and long-term objectives, ensuring that they are:

Specifics
Measurable
Achievable (achievable)
Relevant (pertinent)
Time-bound (with an expiration date)
SMART

Always track your progress by adopting your own system of analysis of so-called Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your marketing activities and to identify new objectives.

Step 3: The editorial calendar

Not everyone does this, even the most experienced marketers who underestimate its importance. A content editorial calendar is essential for planning content publication in advance and also for tracking progress.

A content calendar is useful for ensuring that content is consistent with the company’s overall marketing strategy and is published in a precise, predetermined order. This document should include:

The type of content that will be created (e.g., articles, videos, images, etc.)
The publication date
The publishing channel (website, social media accounts, etc.)
The author of the content
The target audience
The keywords
Metrics for evaluating success

Here’s a tip -> Carefully select the distribution channel that aligns with your content and target audience. Social media platforms, websites, and email are the most popular and certainly useful distribution channels, but your audience might not be there, and you’ll be wasting money generating content that doesn’t reach readers.

Always ask yourself which channels your potential customers use and focus on those. The mistake even many experienced marketers make is being present everywhere. There’s been a lot of talk lately about omnichannel and multichannel strategies, which are excellent for creating high-quality, consistent experiences for users. However, that doesn’t mean you should exploit every channel under the illusion that your audience is everywhere.

Find your common ground and dedicate your resources to those.

Step 4: Create your content in advance

Once you’ve identified the content you want to publish, the dates, and the channels, you can start working on it. In the world of digital marketing, you always work ahead of time , so as not to arrive so close to the content’s publication date without anything ready. Furthermore, it’s always a good idea to check whether a series of content pieces are performing well and, over the course of the days, intervene if they aren’t delivering the desired results. This will give you time to create new ones.

Create your content about two weeks in advance and pay close attention to its quality, both visually and communicatively . Users have become very demanding, they expect the highest quality and tend to get bored quickly. Always try to offer something new and that stands out from other content, but without going too far beyond your users’ comfort zone.

As with traditional advertising, shock is fine, but be careful about using something familiar, something that perhaps has been successful for your competitors. Take inspiration from the internet and create phenomenal content.

In addition to creating and publishing content, it’s also important to promote it . This is where social media, email marketing, Google Ads , and other tactics come into play. To promote your content, you should use a variety of tools, including paid ones, that give it a boost by making it more accessible to users. You should also leverage influencers and other prominent figures in your industry to help spread your content.

Our advice is therefore not to skimp: if your content strategy needs a visibility boost, also invest money in sponsorships and software to grow your business.

Step 5: Track insights

Once you’ve planned and published your content, your work as a content strategist doesn’t end there: it’s essential to measure and analyze the performance of your marketing strategy . Use metrics like website traffic, engagement, lead generation, and conversions to understand how your audience interacts with your content and make data-driven decisions about the direction of your campaign.

The web offers a wealth of tools, such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics, to analyze performance and refine your strategy based on the data collected. If a certain content marketing strategy isn’t delivering the desired results and the investment, in terms of time and resources, is greater than the return, then it’s best to optimize or eliminate it.

This process really saves resources and makes your content strategy more targeted.

Creating a successful content marketing strategy requires planning, hard work, and consistent measurement. By following the steps outlined in this article, you’ll be able to create a strategy that aligns with your target audience and business goals and delivers excellent results.

Book an introductory call

I want to know more

4. The practical example of a tourism blog

Now we want to tell you about a real-world example we’ve applied at Moonify . In 2020, we created a travel blog about Rome, which now has around 40,000 unique active users each month .

We achieved these results by applying the techniques we’ve described in this article. Below, you can see an example of a search conducted with Ubersuggest , one of the best tools for analyzing a domain or keyword from an SEO perspective.

How it was born

This blog’s content marketing strategy is perfect for best practice. When we started it, we barely had 10 visitors a day coming from Google. Within a few months, these visitors continued to grow: our articles improved our Google rankings , and (gradually but steadily) we continued to write new ones.

Results -> In the first year, we reached about 2,000 monthly active users with 40 articles. Later, that number increased to 5,000, and quickly reached 10,000. This was only thanks to a year of blogging. Of course, it all depends on the niche (tourism has higher numbers than other sectors), but the important thing is quality: highly profiled users who can be converted into paying customers .

What is this blog today?

Today, approximately 1,200 users visit this blog daily. Imagine that: 1,200 potential customers visit our blog pages every day. These pages offer products that users themselves have searched for on Google, and which we can sell with a good marketing strategy.

All this was possible thanks to Content Marketing .

It’s people who search for us , potential customers who come to our blog and buy our products. While we continue our content marketing strategy for the future, they come to the “evergreen” content we’ve developed over the past two years. The interesting thing is that this data will tend to improve over time.

Evergreen, indeed. This word is crucial in this type of strategy. Content that’s always relevant, useful, regularly updated , and answers questions that may arise at different times. For example, the keyword ” What to see in Rome in 2 days ” was relevant in 2020 and still is today.

What will be tomorrow?

This site tomorrow will be a major evolution of what it is today. The goal of every project we manage with Moonify is to build a puzzle piece by piece ; each piece of content is a small piece of a much larger picture. Each piece of content can potentially be linked to other pieces of content.

If a potential customer lands on our site tomorrow, through related categories and articles, they’ll be able to find a wealth of information about “what to see in Rome.” We’ll become a reliable source for them, and we’ll then move on to selling our products or services.

You can do this too, whether you’re a freelancer or a company!

5. Conclusions

Content marketing can help us develop meaningful customer relationships, increase brand visibility, and build a strong and effective online presence.

You’re currently reading Moonify’s blog: we’re a content marketing company . If you’d like to chat, book your first hour of free consultation or email business@moonify.it .

Thanks for your time!

Kashish Arora

SEO & GEO specialist.

Content Marketing: what it is and why it’s important for every business