Is Content Marketing The New Advertising?

When I ask people what they think marketers do or what is marketing, they almost always say that marketing is some form of advertising or promotion.

We all learned the '4 Ps' (Product, Promotion, Price and Place for those who don't remember.) So we know that there is more to marketing than just promotion. But even this traditional definition is under attack. Traditional advertising and branding are under attack.

In this recent post from Copyblogger, Frank Strong makes a great case for why content marketing is the new branding.

I agree with his case and would add that content marketing is the new advertising. I have even said that all marketing is content. And soon, content marketing will become all marketing if it hasn't already.

According to Frank, Branding is more than a logo or a tagline. Branding exists in the minds of consumers as a perception. And all the company assets support or extend existing notions or expectations. Great companies, then exceed these expectations with the experiences they deliver with their product of service.

Frank goes on to explain that 'the essence of a brand lies within its meaning. And words have meaning. Words matter.' You can see where he's going, right? It's the content that supports the brand promise. And it's not just your content. More importantly it is 'what other people say about you' that matters most.

Great content and engaging stories help your company's content get found and get shared. When great content is shared, commented on or liked, it is no longer your content alone. It is their content. And user-generated content is trusted more than advertising or promotion.

Echoing my recent talk on the battle for customer attention, Frank explains that 'Content is currency ' something we trade for our audience's attention. That currency becomes more valuable every time it's shared by someone other than ourselves.'

And so he implores us in marketing and business to focus on creating content worth sharing.

Thankfully, the folks at PRWeb, have created this guide to creating content based on a view of the level of customer engagement and the level of company effort to create. It says it is for small business but I think it's relevant for all businesses. So check it out. And tell me what you think:

• Is content marketing the new branding?
• Is content marketing the new advertising?
• Will marketing simply become synonymous with content marketing?

Let me know what you think in the comments below and follow the conversation on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Google+.

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