How does content marketing work? From defining audiences to measuring results

The dissemination of useful, relevant content has been going on for a long time now. Tractor manufacturer John Deere published the very first customer journal back in 1895. Today The Furrow has a print run of 1.5 million copies and now it’s available in a tablet version as well. Already in 1900 tyre manufacturer Michelin launched its famous series of travel guides with tips on good restaurants and places to stay.

Until the beginning of the 2000s, customer media and personnel journals, and by extension websites and intranets, were the ideal channels for companies to convey content to their target groups. But that picture changed radically with the arrival of the mobile internet and the web 2.0. To mention just a few elements:

• where earlier there was one-way communication, there is now dialogue and interaction.
• instead of a handful of channels, we now have a huge number of channels that are pumping out content 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• what a brand says remains important, but what is said about a brand is even more important.

Customers, employees, etc. are looking for high-quality and relevant information that helps, entertains, informs them … and that’s what content marketing stands for. It includes all kinds of useful information that helps your target group and at the same time supports your business objectives.
This information can assume many forms: blog articles, e-books, videos, presentations, tutorials, infographics … Content marketing doesn't primarily exist to praise products, but to demonstrate how companies can fulfil the concrete needs of their – potential – customers.

Naturally, this content must incite them to take action, otherwise it isn't marketing, just content.

This article was originally published in Custo Magazine.