
As a digital marketer, leveraging content marketing in your strategy is now essential. Marketing is impossible without great content. So, no matter what marketing tactic you use, content marketing should be part of the process. But what is it?
What is Digital Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a marketing approach focused on creating and distributing unique and valuable content to your audience. The aim is to attract and retain your target audience, ultimately, to encourage a customer to take action. This might be to complete a sale, to read a blog, or sign up to receive emails.
Why does it matter?
Engaging content can generate brand awareness, or convince a customer to take action. In some cases, this means driving revenue! Digital marketers across different industries use content marketing for five key reasons:
- Increased sales
- Cost savings
- Building relationships with customers and retaining them
- Generate industry authority
- Higher SERP rankings
In summary, content marketing is important because it answers audience questions while building trust. It’s something that should be your top priority as a Digital Marketer.
What does it involve?
Content marketing can involve any type of content you create to send out to your audience- this could be a blog article, eBook guides, email newsletters, social media posts, videos and more! To use it effectively, you’ll need to deliver the right content at each stage of the customer cycle. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry, we’ll help you.
Awareness: Content in this stage should focus on the top concerns of your audience. Writing about their pain points, challenges, and questions gives you the best chance of engaging with them.
Consideration: You should provide helpful information here, and demonstrate your value!
Closing: When the prospect is close to making a desired action, you should continue to drive home why you’re the best choice against your competitors.
How do I get started with digital content?
Firstly, you’ll want to define your target audience. Think about the ideal person you want to engage with your brand or business. Who are they? What are their interests? What are their behaviours or challenges you can address? Then, determine the most suitable format. Which stage of the cycle are you going to create content for? If they are looking for further information, perhaps create a handy guide with everything they need to know. Lastly, determine how you’ll distribute the content. Where is your audience likely to be? If they are young, perhaps social media. Once you know who your target audience is and the best formats for each stage, you can then create a short-term plan to get started!

Resources to help you.
In 2017, the Content Marketing Institute (CIM) released its first Content Marketing Framework, detailing how to go about creating digital content and putting these core principles into practice, if you’re interested, it can be found here. You can also check out this blog article on our website which provides a guide to help you create digital content. And no, you don’t need to be a graphic designer! This blog also provides practical guidance to specific elements of the Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship standard.
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