Content Marketing Is NOT Advertising, Is it?

25 Sep, 2013

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Content marketing has always been looked at as something very different from advertising. But the fact is that it really is just another form of advertising that’s more interactive and engages more with the audiences than traditional advertising.

While advertising doesn’t “require” much engagement with the audience, it’s still content. The main difference between both is that content marketing uses the “pull” strategy where the actual consumer demand is assessed, and advertising is a “push” strategy where a forecast of the demand is considered.

Compare Content Marketing To Advertising

Advertising over the years has gone through many phases, right from the 1950s to the 2000s, you’ll see that initially it was information that directly fulfilled consumer needs. Later, the same message was creatively communicated. Today’s advertising is creative, ensures it’s not on-the-face and it includes a brand idea.

Whatever the type of advertising, it needs user participation to be considered successful. But with content marketing, we’ve added the “engagement” layer to the equation.

The reason many companies spend thousands in advertising dollars, but not much on content marketing is because they don’t consider it advertising.

We don’t call it advertising, but it is!

Is Content Marketing Looked Down Upon?

Content marketing has only gained popularity in the last few years. In a way, it has always been considered a difficult and unworthy proposition, when compared to creating ads. Most content marketing is free, and perhaps this is one of the reasons it is looked down upon. It’s true that the value of something is only appreciated when you spend your hard-earned money.

There is no denying the fact that results from content marketing take time, but then it comes with the advantage of significantly reducing the media spend associated with advertising.

Will Content Replace Advertising?

Even with all the advantages, content may never completely replace traditional adverising. If you’re already into advertising, we’re not going to suggest you drop that and concentrate your efforts only on content marketing. You should be looking at obtaining optimal impact and maximum success. This is possible with integrating content marketing into your advertising.

In tandem, both can express your intention perfectly and create brand awareness. Consumer preferences today put increased pressure on this area. There is need to ramp up your advertising efforts and create content for sophisticated channels like social media. With more and more social channels coming to the fore, many companies are becoming less reliant on advertising. They are keeping a close eye on emerging trends and incorporating content marketing alongside their traditional advertising methods.

The Principles Of Content Marketing

While there are differences between traditional advertising and content marketing, you’ll be happy to note that there are several consistencies. It’s these consistencies that can offer you the motivation to make content marketing a part of your advertising strategy.

A clear business objective.

A single important message to convey.

A target audience.

A great idea for the content.

A creative piece of text, just like you create good advertisements.

While all of the above factors have to be taken into consideration for both content creation and for an effective advertisement, you’re just conveying the message differently.

Many people fail at content marketing because they think just because they have a thousand words to say, they can write what they want. They feel there are no rules anymore to what they can write and can’t write.

That’s not correct. Whether it’s a 4-line ad or a single page ad, you’re going to hire an advertising agency or make sure your in-house advertising department comes up with something so exclusive and attractive that people are compelled to take action. It’s the same with content. It should be written in such a way that it appeals to the consumer. It should engage the reader in a conversation, slowly explaining your view point and leading the reader into a no-going-back situation where “action” becomes inevitable. And this is done by not being loud and not proclaiming that you’re advertising.

Going Solo With Content Marketing?

If you’ve never used any other form of advertising and you intend to stick to content marketing alone, there are more online marketers who do this than you can imagine. While it’s easy to imagine that most successful online marketers are using different platforms for advertising, that amazing fact is that there are many who do all their advertising only through content marketing.

You may not need to spend thousands of dollars, but you definitely need talent or a passion for the topic you’re writing about. Creative talent is essential to come up with engaging pieces of content, whether the content is in the form of articles, infographics, eBooks, social media posts or something else.

If you think a person who writes great advertisements can create engaging content, it doesn’t have to be that way. Creating long-form content without making it look like an advertisement calls for talent of an entirely different kind. Your stories should be dynamic, long-lasting, intriguing and they should have the capacity to earn the attention of readers. This may not be easy, but it’s not a mystery either.

If you’re a wonderfully creative writer and you know people love reading what you have to say, go ahead, take the pressure off and start writing. If not, find someone who is great at what they do. And that someone doesn’t have to be an expert at creating ads.

Yes, content writing is a form of advertising, but it takes a different kind of skill and talent to be able to write long stories while keeping the interest levels high, while engaging the reader in a conversation and while taking the reader deep into the story.

Content Marketing Conclusion

The web has changed the way advertising is done traditionally. The rooms of our advertising departments are no longer as predictable as they were. We can promote our businesses in many different ways, and not all involve huge money.

So, do you want to advertise your business through content marketing?