Marketing Fundamentals

Module 6: Content Marketing

Learning Objectives

• Understand why content matters
• Identify content types and purposes
• Create valuable content for audiences
• Develop content distribution strategy
• Apply storytelling principles

Key Concepts

Why Content Marketing Works Instead of interrupting what people are interested in, you become what they're interested in. Builds trust, demonstrates expertise, supports customer journey, improves SEO, compounds over time.

Content Types and Purposes

Blog Posts: SEO-friendly, detailed explanations, establishing expertise

• How-to guides, list articles, thought leadership, case studies, problem-solving

Video: Demonstrations, building connection, high engagement

• Tutorials, product demos, interviews, webinars, social clips, testimonials

Podcasts: Deep relationships, longer discussions, multitask-friendly

Infographics: Complex information made digestible, highly shareable

Ebooks/Guides: Lead generation, comprehensive expertise, in-depth value

Webinars: Education, lead generation, interactive engagement

Email Newsletters: Regular contact, traffic driving, direct communication

Social Content: Community building, daily engagement, brand personality

Interactive Content: Quizzes, calculators, tools, configurators

Case Studies: Proven success, objection handling, sales support

Creating Valuable Content

Finding Ideas:

• Customer questions and objections
• Keyword research
• Competitor content gaps
• Industry conversations
• Your expertise
• Current events
• Content pillars

Quality Content Principles:

• Start with clear purpose
• Focus on one idea
• Make it scannable
• Write clearly and simply
• Tell stories
• Provide depth
• Edit ruthlessly
• Add unique value

Video Best Practices:

• Hook immediately
• Be authentic
• Pace appropriately
• Add visual interest
• Include captions

Content Distribution

Owned Channels: Website, email list, social media

Earned Channels: Social sharing, backlinks, media coverage

Paid Channels: Social ads, native advertising, influencer partnerships

Content Repurposing: One piece becomes blog post, social posts, infographic, video, email, podcast, presentation

Storytelling in Marketing

Why Stories Work: Emotional connection, relatability, simplification, memorability, engagement

Story Structure:

• Setup: Introduce protagonist and situation
• Conflict: Present problem creating tension
• Resolution: Show how problem was overcome

The Hero's Journey: Customer is hero, brand is guide helping them succeed

Story Types:

• Customer success stories
• Origin stories
• Behind-the-scenes
• Value stories in action
• Educational scenarios

Storytelling Elements: Specificity, conflict, emotion, sensory details, show don't tell

Content Planning Content calendar benefits: consistency, strategic timing, prevents scrambling, enables planning

Batch similar tasks for efficiency

Quality first, then increase quantity

Measuring Success Track: Traffic, engagement, SEO metrics, lead generation, business impact

Analyze patterns in high-performing content

Exercise

Create actual content: choose audience, identify problem/question, select format, create outline, produce content, edit, plan distribution, define success metrics.