Content marketing? Dead? No! (Well, yes and no, really.) The short answer to whether content marketing is dead is “no.” The longer answer is that it’s complicated. Depending on what you call certain things that you do to reach customers and how you market your business, you may or may not be using what is called content marketing. And you may be using content marketing as part of a larger plan, called influencer marketing. So while content marketing isn’t really dead and probably never will be, it’s no longer the premier way to reach people. Here’s what you need to know to make sense of all the changes.
Content Marketing Is Still Breathing
In truth, the concept of content marketing hasn’t gone away. It’s just mostly been absorbed by the aforementioned influencer marketing. Instead of being the only way to reach customers, it’s now just one of the ways to reach customers ‒ and it’s a part of the bigger picture, too. With content on websites and blogs, along with social media, email and other forms of reaching out to people electronically, influencer marketing is taking over. Why? It’s because customers want to buy from someone they can trust, and if they get recommendations from people they know, they feel better about their shopping choices.
Rumors of Its Death Are Greatly Exaggerated
If anyone tells you content marketing is dead, don’t believe them. Content will always be needed! Someone has to populate the internet with all those words, and you might as well contribute. But, while the rumors of the death of content marketing are exaggerated, the rumors that it’s changing and you need to keep up are much more realistic. You don’t want to get left behind as the way companies market grows and changes. Instead of asking yourself if content marketing is dead, ask yourself how it’s changing and what you can do to make sure you adapt the right way for the long term.
There Are Changes in the Marketing World
Marketing changes rapidly, and if you don’t stay aware of those changes, you’ll miss a lot of what your competitors are doing and your customers are asking for. Just putting content out on the internet isn’t enough anymore. People see it, provided it’s targeted to sites that they frequent, but if they don’t already trust your brand or business, they may be very skeptical of whether to buy from you. That’s why you need influencers to share your content, so your customers will see that the information is coming from a trusted source they can rely on and feel good about. Then they’re more likely to buy what you’re offering.
This Ain’t Your Father’s Content Marketing
With the need for influencers, you can see that content marketing isn’t dead, but it is changing. You still need great content, and it’s best to hire professionals who can provide that. But once you have the content, you also need people to tell others that the content (and the product or service and the company behind it) is a good choice. You want to have influencers email your content to others, post it on their social media accounts, and link to it on their websites. If they do that, people who trust them will also trust your company. You’ll get more business, but you still need to offer great content to make the chain work.
The Marketing of Content by Any Other Name…
Don’t let the idea that content marketing is dead fool you. You can find plenty of places where articles about the death of content marketing are being written and published. Rather than assume that means you don’t need to market your content anymore, take the time to understand that what they’re calling a death is really a change. Moving to influencer marketing will take time, effort and strategizing, all of which will be rewarded by a stronger customer base.
Make Sure You Understand the Value of Adaptation
Companies have to adapt and change in order to grow. Even if you’re used to doing things a certain way and you don’t want to make changes out of fear or for other reasons, being open to change is a vital part of success. Is content marketing dead? No. Is it different now? Most definitely yes. When you recognize that and work to adapt to it, your business will have a much higher chance of continuing to be successful. With influencers picking up the great content you’re putting out into the world, more people will see it, trust it, and come to you for the product or service you’re offering.
Michelle B writes web content, articles, blog posts, product descriptions, and more, and has created thousands of pieces of content for companies all over the world. She holds an associate’s degree in business management and a bachelor’s degree in legal administration.
