What is Content Marketing, How it Differs from Marketing and PR

You may be wondering what makes content marketing unique from other forms of marketing?
The rise in content marketing has been astronomical but has left some people scratching their heads trying to understand it. What’s the difference between content and traditional marketing? Where does branded content fit into marketing efforts?
There are various opinions on traditional advertising, branded content, and content marketing, which create a lot of misunderstandings on the topic.
Differences Between Content Marketing and Traditional Marketing
The primary difference between the two is that content marketing is based on permission and traditional marketing uses interruptions to get in front of potential clients.
Let us delve a little deeper into what we just said by elaborating more regarding permission and interruption techniques.
Content marketing is the process of creating content that users are looking for, which helps drive them to your website or social media post. This type of marketing proves authority and shows the customer that you care about their requirements before taking their money. It has become one of the most effective forms of marketing today.
Traditional marketing works on displaying advertisements in front of people at significant places of interest. While this form of marketing is effective, it is somewhat outdated because more people use Google these days for product search queries. That is not to say it does not work, but there is a time and place for this kind of marketing.
Generally, large corporations or franchises use traditional marketing for advertising their services or products. However, large companies are starting to realize the power of content marketing and have jumped on the bandwagon.
The Origins of Content Marketing
Way back to the late 19th century, the genesis of content marketing can be traced back to John Deere. It used its magazine, The Furrow, to create the first digital marketing program during that era.
Unlike catalogs or brochures, The Furrow was a full-blown education publication, unseen at that stage in history. Contributions from subject matter experts and journalists helped ranch owners farm better.
Although the primary goal of The Furrow was to provide valuable information to the farmer, it proved an excellent success and is still published today. That proves content marketing undoubtedly existed way before the online era today.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing involves creating materials, such as infographics, articles, videos, white papers, and blog posts to stimulate a company’s brand awareness.
Although content marketing tends to focus on online written content (mainly search engine optimization and blog posts), any attempt to provide your audience with valuable information may be considered content marketing.
What Is Traditional Marketing?
Traditional marketing has been used for a long time and can include various methods, such as the following:
- Billboards
- Prints ads
- Direct mail
- Radio advertising
- Television advertising
Conventional advertising or marketing is based on reaching out to people (rather than attracting prospective clients to you).
The advancements of modern technology have caused traditional marketing techniques to evolve.
Platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, now utilize ads from sponsored companies as a form of a traditional market. These videos are often considered outbound techniques and can be called a branch off of conventional marketing.
Content Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing
If content marketing existed for generations, what separates it from traditional marketing?
Some conventional marketing examples show the difference between traditional and content marketing is not always clear to see. A famous ad man named David Ogilvy once mentioned that adding value for the reader is the most effective way of selling products and capturing the audience’s attention.
This statement has never been more accurate and stands as a testament even in today’s most robust forms of content marketing. It shows similarity to our new-age form of content marketing produced on the internet. These old forms of content marketing even had a call to action at the end of the article.
Essentially these kinds of advertisements fulfill one of the credos of content marketing, supplying the viewer with value.
Conclusion: Who Is Right?
By this point, you may be thinking, which form of marketing is suitable for my business? Well, depending on the size of your company and the marketing budget available, you need to weigh up your options.
Each selection offers vast exposure if you are willing to work on your marketing strategy. Creating a content marketing plan is the first step to delivering consistent quality content to your audience. It can help gain the client’s trust and make your business an authoritative figure in a particular niche.
Author’s Biography
Donnie Strompf is a marketing professional who excels at developing meaningful relationships with his business associates and assures that each client achieves their goals and objectives from every content campaign published; because of this passion, he’s currently working as an outreach manager for https://evestar.com/.