Content marketing is nothing new. In fact, it has been around for decades. My first experience with content marketing came when I was a kid and my grandfather owned a bakery in Mount Ephraim, NJ, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.
He would get a stack of magazines in the mail every month from bakery supply companies. Each magazine was full of recipes and tips on how to run a profitable bakery. Tips included pricing strategies, displaying merchandise for increased sales, developing the right product mix, and customer service.
What was not included was sales and promotional information about the company and the products it sold. There was no hard sell. The companies wanted to help my grandfather be a better baker. They knew that he would appreciate their efforts and trust them. And that would lead to more sales for them.
That’s the principle behind content marketing. Provide your market with educational and valuable information that will help them achieve their goals. That will make them know you. That will make them like you. That will make them trust you. And that will make them more likely to do business with you.