Content Marketing’s Many Moving Parts (And the Master Technicians Who Keep Them Working Smoothly)

Can you think of a message, webinar invitation, white paper or eBook download offer that really hooked you?

Were you curious? Did you want to keep reading?  Share, discuss and save it?  Did you finally decide to buy?  If so, that’s powerful content marketing in action. There are lots of definitions for content marketing, but in essence it is a stream of useful information delivered to prospective and existing customers on an ongoing basis.

Consumers and business buyers want to be educated and they want a conversation rather than a one-way sales pitch. Here’s where content marketing really shines. It’s worth taking a moment to think about how many skills it takes to help produce that great content.

Direct response marketing—these folks understand the prospect’s language, they know about powerful offers, and they know how to close.  Granted, in content marketing, the best kind of promotional content actually appears to be the least “promotional,” however, the pros can weave compelling, yet subtle, calls to action into every bit of content they write.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)—search engine algorithms are always being revised and the latest trend is toward ranking the freshest and most relevant content highest… there’s an art and a science to incorporating keywords within your content.

Journalism—gathering information, interviewing, telling stories in an engaging way, writing in a no-frills style with lots of solid facts and figures for a specific audience—and doing it all on tight deadlines—can keep your content stream flowing and fresh.

Public Relations—knowing how to pitch story ideas to reporters and editors can result in valuable coverage in relevant publications, both online and off–and if your company is ever caught on the wrong side of a news story, PR pros can help you navigate the best course to safety.

Video Wizards—not all content is written; interesting video with some jazzy production value is hard to beat…and video clips should be updated regularly.

Social Media Mavens—there’s a right way and an annoying way to distribute content via social media; knowing the difference is huge.

Writers of all stripes—writing is fundamental and poor writing that is full of platitudes, clichés, spelling mistakes, grammar errors and the rest can seriously undermine your company’s credibility.

What’s your experience with any of these specialists been like? Do you handle these tasks internally or turn to agencies or freelancers?  Are you satisfied with what you’ve produced so far?  We’re always interested in hearing from you.  As we’ve seen, producing great content is a complex collaboration.

And if you’d like a comprehensive guide to content marketing, download the free eBook courtesy of Right Source Marketing.

About Right Source:

The Marketing Trenches blog provides thought leadership from actual marketing practitioners, not from professional thought leaders. Designed to help business leaders make more educated marketing decisions, our insights come directly from our experience in the trenches. You can find more from Right Source on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.