The Importance of Creative Content Marketing and How to Use It

Author: Madison Deckert Category: B2B, B2C, Marketing Date: May 9, 2023

In marketing, you may hear the phrase, “content is king.” That’s because creative content marketing is a tool many marketers utilize, with 64% of the most successful B2B marketers maintaining and implementing a documented content marketing strategy (1). And the results speak for themselves – studies indicate that using a content marketing process generates three times more leads than an outbound marketing strategy while costing 62% less (2). What is the secret to content marketing – what is it exactly, why does content marketing matter, and how do you do it?

What is Creative Content Marketing?

Creative content marketing is a method that uses valuable creative content to reach your target audiences with the goal of building a relationship with them, inspiring interest in your brand, and selling your products or services. There are many different types of content you can use for content marketing, but some of the most common include:

• Online or web page content
• Blogs
• Social media content
• Videos
• Infographics
• Podcasts
• Paid ads
• Curated content from existing or third-party sources

Why is Content Marketing Important?

The power and importance of content, especially in digital marketing, cannot be overstated – it helps you build relationships with potential customers and clients, positions your brand as a respected industry authority, and helps you reach your business goals. More specifically, the benefits of creative content marketing include:

It works. 67% of marketers feel that focusing on content marketing increases their sales leads (1). Most often, consumers don’t purchase a good or service the first time they learn about it. It takes an average of nine to 13 “touches,” or audience interactions, for your marketing to be effective in building brand trust and creating engagement. Content marketing can supply one, or more, of those touches, setting up your sales funnel and taking your customer on a journey that increases the likelihood of a sale.

It positions you as an industry thought leader. Content creation allows you to educate consumers and give some free advice and information to benefit your target audiences. Among B2B customers, 80% report that they value content that helps them learn about a product, with 60% reporting that it also made them want to learn more (3). It helps reinforce the idea that you know what you’re talking about. It also helps you build consumer trust, and studies suggest that more than 80% of consumers consider trust as a factor in the decision to buy (4).

It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Content marketing is a long-term marketing strategy that is scalable. If you offer evergreen content that web surfers often look for, it will perform better in search engine optimization and drive organic traffic to your website. If a potential customer finds your content on one channel, it can help lead them to your other channels as well.

It promotes loyalty. Creative content marketing lets your target audiences get to know you, helping to build brand awareness and create a sphere of influence where you can develop brand loyalists who become repeat customers and refer others to you.

Getting Started with Content Marketing

Here’s an overview of the process to establish your content marketing strategy.

1. Set your goals. Create SMART (strategic, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timebound) objectives so you know what you are aiming for.
2. Know your audience. A marketing strategy that targets everyone ends up targeting no one at all. You have to know your audience to know what sort of content will capture their attention.
3. Determine what types of content you will employ. Choose the content that will appeal to the audience you identified.
4. Decide where your content will go. What is the best channel for your content and audience? You may have to try and compare a few before you find your sweet spot.
5. Create your content and distribute it. Construct a content calendar that will set you up to post consistently. Doing so will help your rank on search engines.
6. Measure your results. Analyze if you are meeting your objectives and adjust as needed.

Creative content marketing isn’t a quick fix for your marketing strategy (unless you get lucky and go viral!), but if you invest time and resources into it, it will be worth it. Do you have burning content marketing questions? Paradigm is your one-stop-shop to get them answered. We can also help map your strategy and put it into action. Our wraparound services offer you the expertise and skills you need to support your content marketing from start to finish – from marketing plans and messaging strategy to content creation and implementation. Please contact us today to get started.

(1) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/b2b-2023-research-final.pdf

(2) https://www.demandmetric.com/content/content-marketing-infographic

(3) https://www.webfx.com/content-marketing/learn/does-content-marketing-increase-sales/

(4) https://hbr.org/2022/06/3-ways-marketers-can-earn-and-keep-customer-trust