Even if you’re just starting out in your business, you know that marketing yourself is part of the deal if you want to sell your products or services. You’ve probably had the importance of creating valuable content for your audience drilled into your head as well. But the part that may not be crystal clear is how churning out amazing content for free translates to marketing efforts that actually bring in clients. Well friend, let me explain…

What the heck is content marketing anyway?

As a copywriter and content marketing specialist, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that deer in the headlights look come over someone as I explain exactly what it is that I do in my business. My engineering, science-loving husband falls into this camp and as frustrating as it is to have to explain it to him “one more time,” I imagine it’s equally frustrating for him when he tries to explain the laws of physics to me. My eyes glaze over; I can’t help it. But if you’re a coach or creative entrepreneur, you’ve at least heard the term content marketing, even if the concept is a little confusing.

Simply put, content marketing is the creation and distribution of various forms of online content for your target audience. The content you create might be in the form of blog posts, videos, ebooks, free downloads, and the like, but the goal is always to educate your audience rather than specifically promote yourself.

What content should you focus on creating?

You may be wondering, should I create a checklist? Host a webinar? Develop a video series? It totally depends! The focus of your content should always be to solve a specific problem for your ideal client, so a couple of things to keep in mind when deciding what to create are 1) what type of content will best showcase your expertise and allow you to be of service; and 2) what type of content your audience would prefer to consume. Not sure what that is? Ask them!

What’s in it for you?

So, if the purpose of content marketing is to provide free resources to educate your audience in some way, how does it help you grow your business? It’s all about the big picture. I like to say, if traditional advertising is the one-night stand of marketing, content marketing is the long term relationship.

Creating valuable content with your ideal client in mind positions you as an expert in your field and builds trust and loyalty with your target audience…you know that know, like, and trust factor you hear so much about? Content marketing helps you develop that. And that means you’re the one who’s likely to get their business when they’re ready to invest in the kinds of things you have to offer.

I’d love to hear if this article cleared up any questions you might’ve had about content marketing. What types of content are you inspired to create to serve your audience?