What Exactly Is Content Marketing? (…and what it means for YOUR business)
Alright, if you’ve been on the internet for longer than five minutes then you’ve probably heard this new term buzzing around called “Content Marketing”.
So what exactly is it?
Well it depends on who you ask really. Some marketers will try to sell you this overly complicated formula to content marketing. But in reality content marketing is much simpler than that.
People tend to get hung up on definitions and get lost in the minutia. And believe me, I used to be one of them.
But let’s clear the air here.
Content Marketing is storytelling.
That’s it! Article over.
…..
Just kidding! But seriously, content marketing is simply telling your story to your audience.
If you’ve been in business for longer than a day then you probably know how to sell your product to a typical prospect. Whether over the phone, in person or in email, you know what phrases to use and what they are looking for and why your product or solution is the best.
So with content marketing you will simply sell to your customer through the medium of storytelling. Everyone LOVES a good story.
Humans have been hardwired for millennia to sit around a campfire and a freshly hunted meal and share stories. Stories are why people binge-watch Netflix series into the early morning hours when they should be getting some shut-eye.
Stories are what the media sell us when we turn on the news. Stories stir up our emotions and spurn us into action. Stories can create a sense of trust and a sense of participation.
If you look closely enough, you can find stories everywhere in your life.
So in order to succeed in content marketing you will simply tell your prospects your story. Not only you can include little pieces of your regular old sales pitch in this story.
This has the dual effect of getting people interested in your company (through the magic of good storytelling) and then subtly selling them your product before you even speak with them in person!
But the crux of the issue is the art of masterfully putting together a riveting story. I won’t be getting into this part today as it really is a learned skill. You probably won’t be able to tell a good story until you know the formula to creating one.
In any case, let us move on to an example.
Telling Your Story
As I’ve said before, if you want people to get interested in you and your product then you need to hook them in with an intriguing story plot.
For example, when I wanted to help people lose weight with a new diet method it was perfectly natural to share my story.
I shared with my readers how I used to look and feel before starting this healthier way of eating. I shared the struggles I went through and how I gave up twice before I finally succeeded.
People crave the emotional highs and lows of a good story. I shared with them why I felt my product would help them and how I couldn’t wait to see the changes in their own lives once they started taking action.
This created a sense of camaraderie.
Let’s look at the inverse.
What if I had simply told my prospects that if they bought and read my program that they would lose X number of pounds?
Disastrous!
There’s no intrigue there! I’m just another face in the sea of internet marketers trying to sell their latest diet eBook.
And that is what YOU are to 90% of your prospects. Everyone in the world is vying for your prospects time and attention.
HEY! YOU! LOOK AT ME! BUY MY PRODUCT!
That’s what your prospect is being bombarded with every day.
So instead of simply joining your competition and shouting at your prospect, consider creating and intriguing and compelling story to draw him in. Not only that, sprinkle your story with tidbits of information that will help him find what he is looking for.
He will be very likely to return the favor if you do.
Reciprocity
If you read any other parts of my blog you will notice that I am very fascinated by human psychology and persuasion.
Probably one of the biggest psychological principles that we can use in our marketing would be the Reciprocity Rule.
The reciprocity rule is one of the most basic and tested laws of social psychology.
In essence, it states that in almost every social situation we pay back what we have received from others.
That’s right, it says that if you give someone something (it could be anything really, as long as the thing has some sort of value) then they will almost ALWAYS try and return the favor somehow. The likelihood of them returning the favor goes up exponentially if you actually ask them for a favor directly.
“But I don’t know what to give to my prospects without giving away the secrets of my product!” You might ask me.
My answer would be to give your prospects as much as you possible can. And then some.
This rule is so powerful that it is 100% worth it to give you prospects so much information they might not even know what to do with it.
You can give them blog posts, free videos, eBooks, podcasts, audio interviews, strategy guides…the list goes on.
One psychological study showed that if a car salesman simply gave a prospect a bottle of water or a cup of coffee and some food then prospects were 50% more likely to buy a car from that salesman than if he hadn’t given them anything.
This rule is so deeply ingrained in the human conscience that your prospect can even know about the principle and it will still work on him.
So the next time you’re worried about giving away all your trade secrets just remember this rule. Give out of the goodness of your heart. Give to help your prospects find what they are looking for.
And then give them an opportunity to pay you back and they will do it.
Well that’s all I have for you today. There is certainly much more depth to these topics than I’ve covered today.
But I hope I’ve helped you learn more about content marketing and storytelling and if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below.
Best regards,
Zach Perrego
P.S. If you are looking for someone to tell your business’s story and get your clients hooked, then click here to learn more about my consulting services because I triggered the reciprocity rule in you just now.
P.P.S. I love meeting and speaking with my clients and readers in person, so let me know if you are located in the Denver Metro area in Colorado!
