How content marketing works
- Know your audience: the problems, questions and objections of the people you want to reach.
- Plan topics: use keyword research and the questions your sales and support teams hear.
- Create content that is better than what exists: clearer, more practical, with real expertise and examples.
- Distribute it: through search, email, social media and partners.
- Measure and update: track traffic, leads and sales, and refresh what performs.
Content marketing and SEO
The two work together. SEO helps content get found in search, and content gives SEO pages worth ranking and linking to. A focused set of pages that covers one topic in depth, built around cornerstone content and topic clusters, usually does far better than many thin posts on unrelated subjects.
Common formats
- Blog posts, how-to guides and checklists
- Case studies and customer stories
- Videos, webinars and podcasts
- Free tools, calculators and templates
- Email newsletters
Content marketing example
An accountant who works with online shops publishes a guide: “VAT rules for selling to customers in other EU countries”. The guide is clear, current and written by a named expert. It brings search visitors, is linked from the firm’s newsletter and is used in sales conversations. Some readers book a call, and others subscribe and return later when they need an accountant.
A content marketing plan in five steps
- Choose two or three topics where you have real expertise and customers have real questions.
- Check what already ranks and decide how yours will be more useful.
- Create a calendar that you can keep to.
- Promote each piece through email, social media and partners, and link it to related pages on your site.
- Review results every quarter and update the pieces that perform.
Content marketing mistakes
- Publishing a lot of content that nobody asked for.
- Measuring only page views, not leads and sales.
- Skipping distribution and hoping search will do everything.
- Letting old content go out of date.
Content marketing FAQs
How long does it take to work?
Search-based content usually takes months to build up, so plan for the long term. Read our guide to content marketing services and the glossary entries on blogs and inbound marketing.
What types of content work best?
The ones that answer your customers’ questions in the format they prefer: guides, videos, tools, case studies or newsletters. See white papers.