Using content to promote your brand

Bill Gates said that ‘content is king’ back in 1996, and it still is today in 2013. Businesses are using content marketing to promote their brand in a plethora of ways. Where marketing used to consist of print, tv and advertising, the internet has made it possible for anyone with a computer and the willingness to write, the opportunity to present themselves an expert in their field and to increase search engine ranking.

There are now literally millions of people blogging each day on topics ranging from knitting to quantum mechanics to tree hugging and business owners are seizing the opportunity. Blogging is not only a way to get your message out there but it’s free, easy and fast- a blogging website can physically be setup in less than 10 minutes!

As with everything in business, you’ll need a strategy and writing is no different – you’ll need a content strategy. Wikipedia describes content strategy as “… the practice of planning the content creation, delivery, and governance. A repeatable system that defines the entire editorial content development process… ” A good content strategy begins with the brand – how can you use content to promote your brand? When a business understands its brand and has a well-defined marketing message, content creation becomes simpler. Remember though – your content should be interesting, memorable and inviting to your audience. You want your audience to want to engage and learn more about your brand.

You’ll first need a plan – what is it that you’re trying to achieve? What are your objectives? You’ll then need to allocate resources, determine your desired audience and reach, portion your content into bite sized articles, and then decide which media forum that you’ll use to post your content to ultimately promote your brand most effectively.

The channels that can be used providenumerous opportunities; business owners are using content marketing to promote their brand through social media, blogging, websites, article writing and submission, producing white papers, etc. Millions of people are using social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Delicious and Stumbleupon to both look for new content and to promote their brand.The exciting thing about content marketing and using social media is that you can engage and interact with your existing and potential customers. Customers can now comment on your content, rate it, Like it on Facebook or they can share it with friends. Not to take advantage could prove costly.