- What's that?
Oh, you wanna learn about what content marketing is?
Well, I'm glad you're in this video then,
because today's video is all about
how content marketing works, what it is,
and guess what?
It's already happening right now.
That's right, this content is content marketing,
a little slight of hand.
So strap in.
We're going to get going.
Be sure to subscribe to the channel,
to get all the latest digital marketing tips and tricks.
What's up?
It's Jamal from HubSpot.
Content marketing is defined as
the process of creating, distributing, sharing,
and publishing content to reach your target audience
and increase brand awareness, sales,
engagement, and loyalty.
But what does that meaning mean?
What is the meaning of meaning? Any guesses?
No? All right.
In simple terms,
content marketing is making stuff
like blogs, social media, podcasts, video, apps,
memes, that draw customers to your brand
by informing them of something they already want to know.
It's part of a framework called inbound marketing,
where you create something that the audience seeks out,
as opposed to creating something
that you force on your audience.
You wanted to know about content marketing,
so you searched and found this video that HubSpot made
to teach you about content marketing.
So why would we do that?
Do we just not know how to sell a product?
Well, maybe watching this video is interesting enough
that you download the free content
marketing training workbook
we have linked in the description,
and maybe that ebook will inspire you to try out
HubSpot's free marketing hub software,
and maybe, just maybe, our free marketing software
will be so beneficial to your business that you sign up
for one of our subscriptions.
Now your brand is really growing, and that's the truth.
Another truth is that there are a lot of maybes
in that equation,
and it's also true that content marketing
takes a lot of work.
So what's the alternative?
The truth is that for most businesses,
the alternative is worse.
You see, before content marketing,
there was this thing called advertising,
otherwise known as outbound marketing.
Outbound marketing was the thing that interrupted
your audience, popping up in the middle of TV shows,
or while reading a magazine or scrolling a webpage.
Nobody really liked outbound marketing
because it was disruptive,
like that one kid in class who we thought
he was funny, but like,
it wasn't really working out for him.
And you're just like, hmm,
maybe you should just let the teacher
continue with what they're doing here.
You know what I'm saying, Jerry?
But it was the only way for brands
to reach potential customers.
And it was the only way for customers
to find out about a brand's products and services,
but they still had to remember those brands
when it came time to actually make a purchase.
And if you're anything like me, you forget everything.
Where am I?
So yeah, not a particularly efficient system.
Then came streaming and ad blockers
and the balkanization of media
into millions of individual channels.
Suddenly it became really, really hard
to deliver an outbound marketing message,
even one that was memorable.
Fortunately, the same tools that allow everyone
to choose their own media diet
also gave rise to highly personalized marketing messages
that would only pop up when the audience was looking for it.
This is called inbound marketing,
and content marketing is an essential piece
of that equation.
It's there when customers want it to be,
and invisible when they don't,
and when done right, inbound marketing
doesn't feel like marketing at all.
It feels like a seamless part of the customer's experience
in discovering your brand like this video
you're watching right now.
Want to see more examples of content marketing
to grow your business?
Let's go back to that list from earlier.
Blogs are a great content marketing platform for brands
because they're relatively easy to set up,
easy for the audience to discover via search
and have a long tail in terms of remaining viable
for future customers.
One of my favorite brand blogs is Barkpost
by pet supply company Bark.
The blog is full of the type of content that dog lovers
would love to search for.
There's doggy health and doggy travel and doggy training.
Wait a second.
You're not a dog.
Hey, get outta here.
I miss him.
Another easy to activate content marketing method
is social media, but because it seems so easy,
a lot of brands do it wrong.
Treating social like outbound marketing
that interrupts the user's experience when scrolling.
What's an example of good social media marketing?
How about the GE instawalk campaign
that invited select Instagram photographers
to visit one of their massive facilities
and photograph some of the mammoth machines
that make general electric
one of the most important engineering firms in the world.
There's no denying that these sorts of mechanical marvels
are really popular on Instagram.
So GE was able to educate their audience
about the brand without interrupting
the photographic experience users are seeking
when using the app.
Dedicated brand apps have become an increasingly popular
form of content marketing.
Now apps can be complicated and expensive
and you don't want to just replicate
the online shopping experience.
But if you can create something truly useful
for your audience,
then they could end up opening the app every day.
And you can't beat that sort of inbound brand exposure.
We looked at a lot of branded apps in the app store.
And of course the one that stood out
came from one of the best brands in the world.
The Nike training club app takes users
through daily fitness routines, nutrition tips,
and wellness habits prescribed by some of the top trainers
in the world.
It's the sort of app that demands repeated use
to get results.
In fact,
one of the best things about the app is that
they can remind users to open them several times a day.
And we welcome those sort of reminders.
You know what I'm saying?
A little dopamine with the notification,
you know what I'm talking about.
Now might be a good time to remind you
to hit that little bell icon next
to the subscribe button.
So you get that every time HubSpot posts a new video.
But back to Nike.
The app is constantly updated with
new fitness courses and content.
This demonstrates an important lesson
for all content marketing.
Yes, quality content can deliver an audience
long after it's been published,
but you need to post new content and update old content
consistently for it to be truly effective.
The island of abandoned blogs is the saddest place
on the internet.
So before you begin a content marketing project,
make sure you have the resources
to commit to it over the long term.
One of the most often abandoned forms
of content marketing is podcasting.
And this is too bad because it's one of the most effective
and exciting forms of content marketing out there.
Sometimes I like to block out the world for an hour and
listen to the umpqua bank podcast and get inspired
by the emotional stories of the entrepreneurs
who work with this community bank.
By the end,
I'm ready to move to Oregon and take out a loan.
It's that powerful.
All of the best content marketing impacts your audience
in a powerful way. So how do you get started?
Well, start by deciding what you want to accomplish
with your content marketing.
Are you looking for brand awareness,
or to stimulate customer loyalty,
set clear goals and KPIs that can be accomplished?
Next, decide which channels will allow you
to accomplish your goals.
Do you want to build your own blog,
or can you rely on social media platforms
that already exist?
Can you effectively tell your story using texts and photos,
or should you invest in creating videos?
Whatever you decide,
you then have to start creating the content
and publishing it at a regular frequency.
The exact pace of publishing can vary,
but remember that consistency is key.
You know, like baby bear's porridge,
you want your consistency to be just right.
And finally,
measure and analyze your results to maximize the return
you're going to get on your content marketing investment.
That doesn't mean refreshing your stats every hour,
but you do want to review the overall success
of your content marketing every month or every quarter.
To learn more about how to create and execute
your own content marketing strategy,
you can download our free content marketing workbook
that will take you step-by-step through the process.
You can also take the free content marketing certification
course available online at HubSpot academy.
Links to both are in the description below.
I can't wait to see the content that you come up with.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
me and Leon have some dog blogs to look at.
I'll catch you next time.
Huh, huh, yeah!
(laughing)
Peace out.
Now if you'll excuse me,
me and...
(laughing)
And now if you'll excuse me, me and...
(laughing)