Content marketing

While the phrase ‘content is king’ has been referenced for some time, it is only in the recent few years that Content Marketing Strategy has been solidified into a discipline of its own. Defining content marketing strategy can be tricky, however, with some practitioners focusing more on the role it plays in information architecture and others believing that it should be considered on a campaign-by-campaign basis. This chapter looks at content marketing strategy from a holistic perspective, as a process that includes an understanding of all the content your brand is creating, those for whom it is intended, and to what purpose. There is a need to understand the brand and consumer context and match these to the best route to the customer (in terms of tactics). Ultimately this supports the design of communication that impacts people enough to make them want to share the content.

In this chapter, you will learn:

• To understand the role of content marketing strategy within your marketing plan
• To be familiar with the steps involved in developing your content marketing strategy
• To recognize some models for understanding how types of content are absorbed or experienced by your target audience.

Copywriting

Online copy is a hardworking multi-tasker. It must provide information to visitors, engage with them, convince them to take the desired action and, all the while, convey brand ethos. It also has to provide context and relevance to search engines. It needs to achieve all this without making it look as if the author is trying too hard.

You will see in this chapter that writing for digital is different from writing for more traditional media. Because of the sheer volume of information on the Internet, quality content is king – many people argue that it is one of the most significant determinants of the success of your online campaigns. Considering it is one of the most direct lines of communication with your consumers, this is not surprising. Therefore, you will see many links between this chapter and the chapter on Content Marketing Strategy.

Online copywriting involves everything from the text on a website to the subject line of an email, and all things in between. From PR articles of 800 words to four-line search adverts, if it’s being read on a screen, it’s an online copy. Writing for digital does not mean the traditional rules of writing need to be abandoned. By and large, the foundations remain.

In this chapter, you will learn:

• The principles of writing for your web audience
• Which types of web copy are available to you
• The basics of HTML for formatting online text
• How to write for search engine optimization (SEO), focusing specifically on keywords
• The best practices for successful online copywriting