Content marketing has become the buzz word for digital marketing in 2015 and is expected to make the largest advertising impact. However, many businesses are unclear on how to effectively utilize this relatively new advertising medium.

Many are failing by simply expecting readers to be interested in their messaging. The businesses successful in utilizing content marketing are those that offer true value for the target readers’ time.

3 Elements for a Successful Campaign

1. Publisher

Choosing the correct channel for your company’s communication is crucial for quality engagement. Identify a publisher that matches your target market, ensuring dollars are not wasted on readers who are not potential customers. Ask publishers about their readership demographics, traffic, and social media influence.

Many leading publishers are cultivating creative departments within their organizations to not only create content for themselves but also for their advertisers. Look for what best fits your needs.

2. Value

A new restaurant may share cool recipes to readers to create exposure for themselves. A golf shop may combat declining golf customers by creating content relating to golf etiquette for beginners and create customer lifetime value.

As a business, you need to think about how you can provide true value for your customers, establishing an emotional connection and loyalty. Monetary benefits don’t create this type of loyalty.

3. Call to action

Content marketing can be effective to build brand awareness, email acquisition, and social media following, which essentially builds customer lifetime value. Some content marketing can be more aggressive for immediate conversions. It really is a balance of offering value but not being too intrusive.

An experienced publisher will be able to help you craft a well-balanced campaign to build customer loyalty.

The significance of content marketing is set to increase over the coming years. There will be different forms of content and new platforms to promote it on, but the core concept will remain the same. Successful content marketing is about being clear about your objectives, creating memorable content and promoting it intelligently. Once you get these steps right, you’re on your way to establishing a cost effective advertising campaign for your business.