Power of Marketing – CIM Northern Conference – 4
Using content marketing to generate new business leads
Amy Byard from UMPF gave an insightful talk about content marketing – an area of massive importance for marketers due to the benefits it can provide for visibility, particularly online. Although, as was pointed out by Amy, it isn’t just online where content marketing can be used with the oldest recognised application being a magazine called “The Furrow” which was first produced by the John Deere agricultural tractor maker in 1895 and remains the most read agriculture journal to this day.
A better know example for many people is the Michelin Guides, produced by the tyre maker Michelin to help motorists on their journeys, thus encouraging car use and, correspondingly, tyre use. The guides were introduced in 1900 when there were less than 3000 cars in France, but today sell worldwide.
Content marketing can take many forms, Amy mentioned:
- White papers
- Books
- Microsites
- Blogs
- Social posts
- Videos
- Games
- Infographics/interactive graphics
There are many reasons for using content marketing, the most common being:
- to establish expertise
- build online presence
- enhance SEO
- avoid sales pitches
- alter perceptions
- build trust
- capitalise word of mouth
- connect and engage with audience
- build a conversation funnel.
One of the examples Amy showed was a content marketing programme from Umpf for the “World’s first dog selfie mirror” – if you want to know more have a look here.
We cover content marketing in many of the CIM qualification modules, in particular at level 4 Certificate in Professional Marketing in the Integrated Communication and Digital Marketing modules and at level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing in the Strategic Marketing and Digital Strategy modules.
