The way people perceive advertisements and traditional marketing has changed drastically in recent decades. There was once a time when people really felt that the advertisements on their television were informational, that a newspaper ad was a company trying to tell them something interesting about their product, or that a corporate website was there to be a center of all information about that company and its services. In many cases, this may still be true, but people in general have become very good at recognizing marketing tactics. They know when they are being sold, and they resent it, balk at it, and generally end up looking elsewhere.
This does not mean that people are not interested in a company’s products. Quite the contrary; with all the different ways of finding exactly what you want, especially when it comes to the Internet, the simple fact that a consumer has found a company at all shows that they are most likely interested. With technology advancing at such rapid rates in various niche areas, people are becoming accustomed to the idea that somewhere, someone has exactly what they need; they just need to figure out who it is and where to get it. But the last thing they want is to be sold.
Enter content marketing.
Articles on a company website that, instead of trying to convince the customer that theirs is better or that the competition’s is worse, simple inform the customer. Within that article are a few links to videos demonstrating how their product works, and how it will help them. Alongside are pictures of the product, packed with as much information as is readable. No sales pitches. No advertisements. Nothing that will make the customer feel like the company is trying to sell the product; only inform them about it.
This is what people are looking for, and some companies are providing it. Information, however, can be boring if presented in a mundane manner. Therefore, successful companies are presenting their information in a manner that is interesting and engaging. The ideal content will find itself copied and sent to friends and family simply because it is interesting or entertaining. No one sends a copy of a simple ad to everyone in the address book, even if that ad manages to get their attention and get them learning about the product. However, if the ad is extremely interesting or amusing, the consumer will happily show everyone else the content, likely while adding “I bought one!”
People relate to content.
Even better, people want to relate to content. Gone are the days where the goal should be to make a customer want something that they don’t. Modern marketers should instead focus on being the one that informs the customer in the most effective and engaging manner. This is content marketing, and its time has come.
