In recent years there has been a definite move away from traditional marketing. This has been partly driven by the fact that television and print advertising has become increasingly expensive, and thus often lies outside the budget constraints of many companies. It is also because consumers now pay less and less attention to commercials and magazine spreads.

People now spend the majority of their time online and therefore it is in this arena where the most gains can be made in terms of reaching a wider audience. One of the most effective ways of doing this is through content marketing.

What Is Content Marketing?

When consumers are looking to purchase products and services they are initially looking for information and usually have a list of questions. Content marketing seeks to provide the answers to these questions and in the process to build trust in the expertise of the business.

Content marketing is not about selling, it is about communication with your reader and building a relationship. If consumers see that the content you offer them provides value, they are more likely to consider your business when the time is right for them to make a purchase.

Here are some awesome examples:

• http://www.exacttarget.com/blog/the-30-most-genius-content-marketing-examples-of-2014-so-far/
• http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/12/content-marketing-rocked-2014-examples/
• http://www.business2community.com/content-marketing/10-examples-great-content-marketing-0942616
• http://www.b2bmarketinginsider.com/content-marketing/20-amazing-examples-branded-content-marketing

Who Does Content Marketing Work For?

Content marketing can be used by any size firm, regardless as to whether you sell products or services. What is key is that you provide information highly relevant to your target market.

Let’s look at two strong examples of content marketing, or what is alternatively called power pages. The first is an accountancy glossary created by Arnold Hill and Co, an accountancy firm based in London. This glossary will be highly relevant to many of their potential clients, namely business owners who may be looking to gain a better understanding of finance and accountancy terms.

The second example is a guide to living in London which features on the website of the Tti School of English, which is based in Camden. Overseas students who wish to study in the capital will be seeking out local information and thus if they come across this content online it gives them an opportunity to learn more about the school.

However, creating valuable content is only one part of the equation. You also need to optimize it effectively so that you can rank in the search engines and get in front of as wide an audience as possible.

Optimizing Your Power Pages

Business Insider goes into further detail about the effectiveness of power pages and the long term rewards of building them. It also delves deeper into the full process of creating them but here we will just outline the five essential steps.

1. SEO Research

Keyword research is important in order that you build your content around what your audience is potentially searching for. Long-tailed keywords will help you to rank in those niches where competition is fierce.

Here are some great tools to help you with that:

• https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
• http://keywordtool.io/
• http://www.wordtracker.com/
• http://www.wordstream.com/keyword-research-tool

2. Create Your Content

Your content needs to be well written and SEO optimized to have the most chance of reaching your target audience. This means utilizing the keywords from step 1 strategically throughout your content so search engines can catalog it correctly.

3. Spreading the Word

Once you have created the content the next step is to publish it on your own website so that readers are drawn back to your site and in the process have the opportunity to learn more about what you offer. If the content is well optimized then it should start to be found organically in search. However, the search engines also set store by how popular it is and thus you also need to spread the word about what you are offering through social media marketing. It’s not a build it and they will come type of scenario. You have to leverage the content once you have it.

4. Get Your Readers involved

Search engines also love content that is well received so the more you can encourage your audience to comment, share and like your power page the more this will support its rise in ranking.

5. Check Your Analytics

The final piece of the puzzle is to regularly check your analytics to understand what is working well and what needs more attention. Always be willing to refine both your content and your marketing efforts. This will ensure you tap into the true potential power pages can offer your business.