You know what bothers me? Reading articles about content marketing that say things like “content marketing is marketing with content.”

Say what? 

That’s like defining “coffee” as “the liquid form of coffee beans.” We’re not really saying anything.

Here’s my hot take: Content marketing isn’t about blogs, social media, or email marketing. It’s much more human, and much more basic.

And when you understand this, you’ll find it easier than ever to come up with new and exciting ideas to market your business. Let’s get into it.

Content Marketing is About Giving Value First

‘Marketing is a slippery word that’s really hard to define. But I think we all know what “sales” is. 

Sales is saying, “Hey, buy this product! Here’s the button to click. Sign here. Pay here.”

Content marketing says, “I’m going to give you this value first. I’m going to help you, by giving you some information or experience or some thing that you can use right now to get some kind of benefit.

“And by the way, I have this awesome product or service that you might find valuable. But as a thank you for giving me your attention, I’m going to give you some free or lower-cost value before I ask you to buy my product.”

It’s all about building trust. Building trust by giving something before asking for something.

That’s it! That’s why my personal definition of “content” is very, very wide.

“Content” Can Be Anything

Content isn’t limited to blog posts, tweets, and short-form videos. 

“Content” for your business could be an event, a seminar, a book, a free sample, a demonstration, or yes, it could be a blog post, tweet, or TikTok.

It could be a booth for your business at a free conference where  you answer people’s questions. It could be asking people funny questions on the street. Or some kind of entertaining PR stunt. You don’t even have to film it. 

It could be a box of free cookies, for goodness’ sake!

The point is that you provided something good that helped or positively affected people, and it gave you a chance to let them know about your business.

So here’s my advice:

Forget About Tactics & Do This Instead

Don’t worry about concocting the perfect strategy with the latest SEO tactics, a full-blown email marketing system, and highly polished TikTok videos.

Take a step back and look at the full picture.

What kind of people do you want to attract more of, now? Do you need to get the word out about your business to more new customers? Do you need to encourage current customers to buy more or continue buying from you? Or do you need to help some of your leads buy for the first time?

Think about that specific segment of people that you want to reach right now, and think of their needs.

Now, how can you help them start to meet those needs before they buy your product? What would be a fun way to meet them where they are and give them some free value in a way that aligns with your product or service?

Are you starting to feel the possibilities? ?