What Is Content Marketing & Do You Actually Need It?

If cold calling rocks your socks off, if sales emails are your secret sauce, and if you’ve mastered the art of persuasion with the mere sound of your voice, then no, you don’t need content marketing.

Maybe you’re just that good. Maybe what you’re selling is just that incredible.

But over here in the real world, it’s just not that easy. No, we’re not struggling to make ends meet. We’re successfully putting food on the table. But if we get really honest with ourselves, things may have gotten a little stagnant.

Selling our services in a world where everyone’s shouting over each other, where people have gotten bored of the same old messages, where decision makers have learned to tune us out is a world that’s exponentially harder to thrive in.

The frustrating part is, we know we have something to offer. We have something to say. We’ve learned a lot in our time building business, meeting new people, and adapting to the evolving marketplace. How do we share that insight when nobody’s willing to listen?

That is where content marketing comes in. Successful content marketing says something valuable, something very specific and insightful, tailored to the people you want to hear it. It’s personal, it asks the right questions, it empathizes with shared pains, it delivers answers and theories and tactics.

Content marketing does not sell. But it is a tool to establish your credibility, build brand awareness, and engage your customers.  And in today’s business world, these are the things that will sell your company.

An important thing to note, obvious though it may be: writing is hard. Putting your expertise onto paper in a way that makes people want to read it takes real practice. Not to mention, doing it once is not enough. And just hitting the publish button on your website is not enough either.

It takes consistency, and it takes strategy.

For me, content marketing is my favorite thing. I could literally spend hours reading the blogs and articles from my favorite companies… right before I call them up or visit their online shop. And that’s when the hours I spent reading their content marketing turns into dollars I spend on their services and products.

No, you don’t need content marketing if you’re happy (content, if you will) with the results you’re getting from more traditional methods. But how long will those traditional methods keep drawing in new customers? I don’t have the answer to that. Let me know when you do.