Planning an effective marketing strategy for any business requires the right combination of advertising and content marketing. Both marketing strategies provide specific advantages and disadvantages, so using the traditional marketing approach with modern online strategies provides an opportunity to bring in new customers and encourage existing customers to return to a company's website in the future. The best marketing strategy uses the strength of both marketing solutions to obtain and retain clients for a growing business.
What is Content Marketing?
According to Forbes, content marketing is a strategy that focuses on creating content or information that educates, explains or assists individuals. The information provided in the content is then distributed to different sources, like a company blog, social media pages or similar online sources so that it reaches a larger audience and encourages potential clients to visit a company webpage when they look for specific data.
By using a content marketing strategy, businesses encourage visitors to purchase products without actively selling the product. Instead, the company provides useful information that attracts clients by helping them accomplish a specific task.
Advantages of Content Marketing
The primary advantages of content marketing depend on the goals of the company. In general, the marketing strategy helps attract clients by giving them information they want and actively seek, but it also provides greater benefits for a growing business.
Benefits associated with content marketing include:
- Giving clients valuable information that helps them reach their goals
- Making a company easier to find through online sources
- Greater return on investment
- Keeping up with changing values and interests from clients
- Improving the company reputation and brand awareness
The Harvard Business Review reports that roughly 70 percent of individuals prefer to find out about companies and their products through online content rather than through traditional advertising sources. By generating a greater amount of content, a company reaches a larger audience and provides useful information that helps potential customers make decisions about the products they want to purchase and use.
What is Advertising?
Advertising refers to any strategy that attempts to raise brand awareness through different media sources. For example, commercials on the radio or a television network fall under the category of traditional advertising.
Companies use advertising to raise awareness and excitement for a product, but it has specific limitations regarding the amount of information a potential client obtains about the product. Advertisements provide a set amount of information based on the space or time limit set by the type of ad. It plays a role in the overall marketing strategy, but it does not provide the advantages and benefits as content marketing strategies.
Advertising Pros and Cons
Advertising a product offers some benefits, such as raising awareness about a brand name or a specific product, but it does not provide the same benefits as content marketing. In traditional marketing, the primary benefit stems from the ability to reach a wide audience. Content marketing does not necessarily reach all age groups, particularly if certain target audiences have a lower rate of online presence when compared to other demographics.
The downsides of traditional advertising include:
- A lower return on investment
- A higher overall cost
- Limited information that helps clients make decisions
- Limited brand awareness
Reaching the most potential clients requires a marketing approach that uses the best aspects of advertising and content marketing. By combining different marketing strategies, a company reaches a wide range of individuals and builds up brand awareness.
Every business benefits from a well-rounded marketing strategy. In general, content marketing stands out because it encourages clients to return to the company's website or social media pages for additional information and new products. By using a combination of strategies, a company gains a higher return on investment.
