How to Explain Content Marketing

There are many different types of businesses out there. Yours may be among the unique businesses that exist but it is still not the only business that offers what you offer. However, there are business people who don’t get content marketing and don’t think that they need to use it in their business.

The importance of content marketing for all businesses

Content marketing is extremely important for all business owners and all businesses. However, there are many people who just don’t understand why it is so important and how it can help to bring any and all businesses to the next level more quickly and more easily than those businesses would be elevated otherwise. If you are interacting with someone (whether it is in person or online), the icebreaker will be for you to ask the other person what they do and you would expect that the other person will ask you the same question. It seems like a simple enough question that deserves a simple enough answer.

However, it may not always be as simple as you imagine. If you happened to be faced with a business person who basically has nothing to do with content marketing, your objective will be to explain the importance of content marketing to that person even though you are well aware that he or she doesn’t see the need for it and doesn’t have an understanding of why it is important for their business. That is the challenge. Now, there is no reason to get nervous at this point. You can do it and do it well and effectively! If you are in this type of situation; however, it is important to proceed carefully. You don’t want to bowl the other person over with too much jargony information. In fact, you don’t want to overwhelm the other person with too much information period!

As a person who has been working with content marketing and completely understands why it is important for business, that means that you also understand exactly how the content should be approached in each situation.

Of course, that will require some effort but it is far from impossible to achieve. Okay, now that you are faced with the challenge of educating the person who doesn’t understand the need for content marketing for business, it is very important that you choose your approach with the person carefully. 

• Offer a clear, concise explanation of what content marketing is to you: If you can remember a short but effective concept to share with the other person, you will probably get a positive reaction and it can be the conversation starter that you have been looking for. If you do it correctly, the other person will be interested enough in your and your business to pursue the conversation a little more. How the discussion progresses will indicate where you go next with the other person. In your quest to get the person to understand what content marketing is and why it is important, you can either tell that person what it is or you can tell that person what it is not. Either way, it will be a valuable conversation. 

• Give a clear example of content marketing: Once you have managed to offer a clear, concise explanation of content marketing, it is a really good idea to offer the person an example. If you can provide the other person with a good example, which will allow them to relate to what you are expressing, they will acquire a deeper understanding (including being able to visualize it, hopefully). If they understand it, they will also get why it is necessary. A case study will work for you if you can drum one up. You may be surprised at how well the other person will remember your example and think of you the next time they need whatever it is that you were discussing. 

• Give the person your 30- or 60-second elevator pitch: Just in case you are not sure exactly what an elevator pitch is, it is a short verbal (or written)  communication of who you are, what you do, and what you need. In this case, of course, you will include content marketing in your pitch. You will briefly but effectively explain why you use content marketing and why you believe in it. Make sure that you have an emotional spin to it. That is exactly how the other person will be able to relate to what you are saying (and remember you for a long time to come). 

• Tell your story and include the importance of content marketing: In any and all given situations, you are trying to establish a relationship with the other person. In order to do that, you must relate to the other person as one human being to another. To accomplish that, you must tell them your story. It is a story that will connect with him or her on a human level and the experiences that you will be expressing will be experiences that the other person had in one form or another. 

Conclusion

Content marketing is a simple concept and it is not a tough sell to convince a business person who doesn’t think that content marketing is necessary to understand how necessary it actually is. There are some basic human aspects of content marketing that will appeal to the other person, such as the content helping other people in some way. It will expand the other person’s knowledge base and it will improve the way that they run their business. Content marketing is necessary for everyone who owns a business and everyone who works. Content is still king and will always be king!

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