Creative content marketing is a hot topic, but what does it mean? Let’s explore what is creative content marketing.
Understanding Creative Content Marketing
Creative content marketing can be summed up in three words: creative, content-driven and marketing.
Creative
Because the goal of this type of campaign is to generate new ideas that will draw attention to your company or products;
Content-driven
Because creativity requires more than just an idea that’s been generated – it also needs well-developed messages with quality images and video;
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Marketing
Because without the proper promotion and distribution channels for these creative ideas, they will not reach their full potential.
That means that anyone who wants to be successful at creative content marketing must have all three components working together seamlessly.
In order to understand creative content marketing, it is important to first look at the traditional model of marketing. This type of marketing involves creating a high-quality product or service that not only answers an urgent need in the marketplace but can also be sold for profit.
Companies who use this approach believe that when you create quality products and services and then promote them with a dedicated sales force, the desired results will occur.
What Is Creative Content Marketing?
Creative content marketing is an offshoot of traditional marketing that doesn’t necessarily focus on building and distributing products or generating revenue in the traditional sense. Instead, it focuses on building up online reputation by improving brand image and engagement with target demographics, which in turn is intended to translate into higher revenues down the road.
So creative content marketing is somewhat more fluid than traditional marketing because it doesn’t necessarily revolve around product-centered campaigns – instead, it engages audiences through a variety of media channels (such as social media and video blogs) and builds brand awareness with consumers in order to enhance the company’s reputation and increase future sales.
This is why some people are calling creative content marketing “modern-day buzz marketing.”
Creative content marketing can be used for a variety of purposes across many industries, including to:
- Generate new ideas that help companies stand out in their market.
- Create inventive ad campaigns that reach consumers in a more personalized way than traditional advertising.
- Increase brand awareness for B2B companies who rely on businesses as their target demographic.
- Build credibility with your audience by showcasing expertise, knowledge, and personality through compelling content.
Creative content marketing is also a good option for startups because it allows marketing professionals to share their passion and develop creative ideas that match their company’s personality.
The downside of the traditional marketing approach is that many companies are forced to choose between a targeted campaign or investing in expensive advertising. But what if you had the option of building your reputation as well as spreading awareness for your products? It would certainly be an attractive proposition, but the truth is that most marketers are simply too constrained by time or budget to achieve both objectives.
Creative content marketing came about as a way to help marketers take advantage of modern technology in order to promote their products without having to compromise on quality.
The term “creative” may seem self-explanatory – after all, it’s the “creative” piece.
Creative Content Marketing vs. Content Marketing
The difference between creative content marketing and content marketing is that the former focuses on creativity whereas the latter focuses on the content.
Creative content marketing includes creativity, good design, and quality video footage in order to promote an item such as a product or a service.
Content marketing looks at generating and distributing information in order to gain brand awareness.
The advantage of creative content marketing is that it reaches consumers more personally than traditional advertising which relies on media formats such as print, television, and radio.
Content marketing has also become saturated with promotional messages from many companies, but creative content marketing appears more natural because it centers around storytelling. Content marketing relies on producing a lot of information with little commitment, but with creative content marketing companies can demonstrate their expertise through personalized, engaging pieces of content.
Tips on Creating Creative Content Marketing
Creative content marketing is a technique that can be used to attract and retain customers. It’s about harnessing the power of creativity, using it to engage with your clients in new ways. Creative content marketing can take many forms: from producing original videos or music to staging events or competitions, to sponsoring creative projects.
The goal is always the same: to make your business stand out from the competition and grow by attracting more people who will become customers for life.
The following are some tips for those of you considering implementing this strategy into your company’s marketing plan:
- Identify an area where you know you have expertise – something that sets your company apart from others in its field. Then find a way of using this unique skill to attract customers who are looking for your type of product or service.
- Create content that will be useful to your potential clients, not just promotional material in disguise. Look at what other businesses in your sector are doing and try something new – making a video or presentation on the topic (perhaps one you’ve already addressed in public speaking), for example, or writing an article, giving your input at a conference, or showcasing new products.
- Take some time to discuss creative content marketing with people outside the company. Find out what they do and don’t like about your current approach, and look for areas that can be improved through this kind of strategy.
- Make the final product easy to consume in all of the most popular formats (text, audio, video) so that it will be accessible to everyone with Internet access. They should also be able to share it socially.
- Always keep your future customers in mind. That means creating more than just one promotion, but also placing it in areas where people will see it regularly (your website, YouTube channel, and blogs, for example). You don’t have to make the same video or article publishable multiple times: instead, give your clients options of a product that meets their needs without breaking your budget.
- Don’t underestimate the value of creative content marketing. The purpose isn’t to make an instant hit, but to start a long-term relationship with your clients.
- Keep track and analyze what you’re doing: how high are people’s responses? What medium brings them back? Where do they come from?
- Try another approach and see how it performs – then implement your findings in the future.
- Make sure that you have sufficient resources to create and maintain a solid foundation upon which you can build. If budgets are tight, focus on one-off promotions; if they’re more flexible, see about doing something bigger (such as sponsoring a local ballet or event).
Conclusion
The goal of creative content marketing is to build long-term relationships with your customers by attracting them in the first place. If you don’t believe that it can be done, then think again! One way to start is by identifying an area where you know you have expertise – something that sets your company apart from others in its field. Then find a way of using this unique skill to attract customers who are looking for your type of product or service.