{"id":4757,"date":"2019-10-01T05:16:42","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T05:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/?p=4757"},"modified":"2024-09-14T13:19:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T11:19:55","slug":"guide-to-content-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/content-marketing-blog\/guide-to-content-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"The guide to content marketing that everyone needs"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_3-1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-image align_center\"><div class=\"w-image-h\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"479\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_ContentMarketing13-e1569854463644.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"DSM Digital School of Marketing - content marketing\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_ContentMarketing13-e1569854463644.jpg 680w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_ContentMarketing13-e1569854463644-600x423.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_ContentMarketing13-e1569854463644-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DSM_Infographic_ContentMarketing13-e1569854463644-284x200.jpg 284w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p>The term <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-copywriting-and-content-marketing-course\/\">\u2018<strong>content marketing<\/strong>\u2019<\/a> is the new buzzword in <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\"><strong>digital marketing<\/strong><\/a>. Everyone knows that it\u2019s more effective that most forms of digital marketing \u2013 such as banner adverts \u2013 however, what is it really? How is it done?<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Content marketing is not copywriting<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>First up, there\u2019s a common misconception that copywriting forms the basis of content marketing. In other words, that copywriters produce the articles that are used in content marketing.<\/p>\n<p>However, copywriters only produce content for marketing material such as adverts and sales letters. Think about the copywriter as a salesman but instead of them sitting in front of a client and selling them their products, the way that they sell their products is through the copy that they write.<\/p>\n<p>Digital <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/what-digital-copywriters-must-know-about-creating-headlines\/\"><strong>copywriters<\/strong><\/a> are very similar to traditional copywriters \u2013 just in the same way that digital marketers have an undeniable similarity to traditional marketers. However, there are marked differences between online and offline copywriters. As Maria Veloso says in <em>Web Copy That Sells: The Revolutionary Formula for Creating Killer Copy Every Time:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026 [digital] copywriting is distinctly different from any other kind of advertising copy and offline marketing communications.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>So, what is content marketing then?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h4><strong>Content marketing is about telling stories<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Modern day consumers want more than just information. Individuals of this generation are accustomed to having easy access to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>News,<\/li>\n<li>Ideas,<\/li>\n<li>Information, as well as<\/li>\n<li>Knowledge<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They are well versed in the tricks that <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/\">digital marketers<\/a><\/strong> employ. These consumers cannot stand annoying marketing. The more advertising lines they see in a piece of copy, the quicker they stop reading it. This means that storytelling is a great idea for any digital marketing campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Why do we say this?<\/p>\n<p>People adore stories. They are excited to read about what is similar to something that they\u2019ve experienced. Storytelling can be a very useful tool for content creators. This is because stories can influence people\u2019s emotions and get those precious likes and shares.<\/p>\n<p>As the name suggests, \u2018content marketing\u2019 is about using content in order to market your business. Where it has the advantage over other forms of digital marketing is that content marketing provides much more space in order to convey the business\u2019 marketing message to the customer as opposed to a small banner advertisement or advertorial.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t think that only articles qualify as part of content marketing. This type of marketing can also take the form of infographics, videos and podcasts. In fact, the great thing is that you can use the blog post that you create as the basis for the other forms of content. This means that you content gets longer legs and you can repurpose it. This means that the money you\u2019ve spent on your initial content generation goes further.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Vimeo video player\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/285103327?autoplay=0&loop=0&autopause=0&color=00adef&portrait=0&byline=1&title=1&controls=1&muted=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h2><strong>How to write a phenomenal story for your content marketing<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Personalise<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>People don\u2019t enjoy reading copy which is abstract. This means that when telling a story, do so from your own point of view or, alternatively, another person\u2019s. This will make it more likely for these types of stories to bring about empathy in your readers.<\/p>\n<p>Design the storyteller to look as similar to your clients as you can. Give them the same problems and worries. This tactic would be perfect for a digital marketing campaign where the main character:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Talks about the product or service, as well as<\/li>\n<li>Answers the questions that people may have.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Add emotion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Longing, humour, admiration or even fear. Tell a story which elicits an emotional reaction in your audience.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Offer a scenario that solves a<\/strong><strong> chal<\/strong><strong>lenge<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Take people\u2019s fears, doubts as well as insecurities and demonstrate to them how your product can deal with the problems that they are facing. People usually trust such ads with testimonials from professionals.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>SEO copywriting<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The content that you generate must be SEO optimised. This means that the person generating the pieces for a company\u2019s content marketing must be given the list of keywords that a website is wanting to rank for and must weave these naturally into the copy.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that Google ranks websites highly which mention a particular keyword multiple times. The most natural way that this can be done is by putting together a blog on your website so that multiple articles can be generated on the site and that the keywords that you want to rank for can be inserted naturally into the text.<\/p>\n<p>If you stuff your text full of keywords \u2013 in others, every sentence has the same keyword that you\u2019re trying to rank for \u2013 Google will see this and will penalise your site for doing this. This technique is classified as a Black Hat SEO Technique.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that first of all, you\u2019re writing for your readers. Put yourself if their shoes: if you read a paragraph that has a certain term repeated, ad nauseum, you\u2019ll more than likely be turned off reading the particular piece. So if you don\u2019t like it, what makes you think that your readers will enjoy it? Insert your keywords into the text when it\u2019s appropriate. If you can insert more \u2013 without anything sounding like gibberish, that\u2019s great \u2013 but if you only manage one or two insertions, this is ok too.<\/p>\n<p>Content marketing isn\u2019t as complicated as it sounds. It gets much easier when you break it down into its components, examine each one and see what needs to be done. When you do this and master the concept of using content to market your business, you\u2019ll see your marketing ROI grow exponentially.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/contact-us\/\">Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-copywriting-and-content-marketing-course\/\">Check out<\/a> <\/strong>the Digital School of Marketing\u2019s Digital Copywriting and Content Marketing Course to learn more about content marketing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-copywriting-and-content-marketing-course\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-756 size-shop_single\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSM_Footer01-600x96.jpg\" alt=\"DSM Digital school of marketing - Copywriting and content marketing course registration\" width=\"600\" height=\"96\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_justify\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_2\" href=\"#enquiry\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Enquire Today<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Blog Categories<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/blog\/content-marketing\/\">Content Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/digital-marketing\/\">Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/cyber-security-blog\/\">Cyber Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/graphic-design-blog\/\">Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/blog\/public-relations\/\">Public Relations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/blog\/seo\/\">SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/social-media-marketing\/\">Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/web-design-blog\/\">Web Design<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">You might also like<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"w-html\"><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/social-media-marketing-blog\/zero-moment-of-truth-benefit-social-media-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Use the Zero Moment of Truth to Benefit your Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/your-complete-guide-to-ppc-marketing-basic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Your Complete Guide to PPC Marketing Basics. Find out more.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/you-can-convey-a-lot-of-meaning-with-just-one-graphic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">You Can Convey a Lot Of Meaning With Just One Graphic<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/would-you-make-a-great-marketing-manager\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Would you make a great marketing manager?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-with-bona-magazine-and-the-digital-school-of-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win with Bona Magazine and the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-a-digital-marketing-course-valued-at-r12-000\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win a Digital Marketing Course Valued at  R12 000<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Top Selling COurses<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-digital-marketing-course\/\">Advanced Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/courses\/social-media-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Social media marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-brand-management-course\/\">Brand Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/courses\/graphic-design-course\/\">Basic Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-6\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-graphic-design-course\/\">Advanced Graphic design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-7\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-certificate-of-advertising\/\">National Certificate of Advertising<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-8\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-diploma-of-copywriting-course\/\">National Diploma of Copyrighting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Youtube video player\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wdeED9vWMmE?autoplay=0&controls=1&origin=https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za&loop=0&mute=0\" allowfullscreen=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-4757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content-marketing-blog","tag-content"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}