Content marketing! We know you’ve heard about it — but how do you do it? And why is it important?
Content marketing is sharing valuable content with your readers alongside a sponsorship. It can be a beneficial tool when working with brands on your blog — and here’s why:
What does the brand get out of it? The goal of a brand using content marketing is to tap into prospective customers and turn them into repeat buyers. By having their brand featured within or alongside content that attracts a certain audience — most likely a specific demographic they are attempting to reach — they are gaining the customer’s trust. Ultimately, the brand hopes that, like a loyal reader, the loyal customer return to the brand over and over again.
What does the blogger get out of it? For the blogger, content marketing provides a way of working with brands and monetization that doesn’t scream “THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT!” like a banner might. You’re still providing your readers with content that is “read worthy” that you wrote — and as long as you announce the post is sponsored or affiliated with a brand (as the FTC guidelines states), it’s kosher.
What does the reader get out of it? With content marketing, the reader sticks around and actually reads the sponsored post because, unlike a typical advertisement, they gain something out of it. They are still entertained and informed, theoretically.
To give you a visual of how content marketing can work, see a few stellar examples we found below:
1. Oh Joy teamed up with HomeMint to make a video version of her “This & That” written column. The reader gets tips on design, decoration, and fashion in a cute, fun video format. HomeMint benefits since she uses some of their products to illustrate her point.
2. DesignLoveFest paired up with eBay and used content marketing through outfit posts. The outfits she chose match her overall aesthetic and style, and the post is written in her own words. EBay’s sponsorship is announced, along with it’s logo, at the bottom.
3. The Glamourai joined forces with Flirt! cosmetics to compose a post about “back to school beauty.” The model in the photos is the winner of a previous contest that was put together also with Flirt!. Here, the readers are still getting tips from the blogger about how to style looks and make up, but she uses Flirt! products to give instruction.
Have you used content marketing on your blog or considered it? How did it go for you?
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
I love it. I’ve been trying to do that kind of thing for awhile now. I think I need to study up a litte bit more on it, however.