July 22, 2014

Out With the Old in With the New: Traditional Marketing vs. Content Marketing

Let’s face it; everybody loves a good rivalry. Coke vs. Pepsi, Leno vs. Letterman, Rangers vs. Bruins; there are innumerable historic rivalries.   But there’s a new dueling duo entering the ring that’s shaking up the marketing world. On one side is old-timer Traditional Marketing and on the other is newcomer Content Marketing. Who will come out as the winner? Is it even a fair fight?

Most would argue it’s not.

Traditional marketing, which includes everything from TV to radio to display ads, aggressively pushes generic messages at consumers in hopes that they will buy whatever is being advertised. For years, this tactic was surprisingly effective. However, in today’s digital world this “old-school” method has quickly given way to more customer-centric inbound marketing strategies, in particular content marketing.

Content marketing has become an industry heavy hitter. As companies continue to expand their digital presence, investments in custom content are growing and new strategies are being explored. In fact, according to Gartner’s “Digital Marketing Spending Survey,” content marketing will account for the second-largest share of digital marketing budgets in 2014.

So what makes content marketing the obvious winner in this epic battle of traditional vs. contemporary? Well, for starters, it yields results. According to the study “Content Marketing ROI” by Kapost and Eloqua, per dollar, content marketing produces three times more leads than traditional methods. What’s more content marketing helps:

1.Build relationships: Today’s consumer is looking for a brand he or she can connect with on a personal level. Whereas traditional marketing is disruptive and impersonal, content marketing helps build loyal, lasting relationships with consumers by creating custom content that directly addresses their biggest pain points and challenges.

2.Foster trust: Past research has shown that consumers distrust traditional marketing as it tends to be “spamy.” Content marketing helps develop a good rapport with consumers by seamlessly, naturally, and subtly providing relevant information to consumers that will help both guide and inform important decision-making. It’s all about story-telling rather than hard-selling.

3.Establish thought leadership: Consistently providing custom content that’s timely, relevant and informative is a great way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your respective space. Over time, customers will start to associate your brand with expertise and a name that represents quality.

4.Generate leads: In business, leads are a company’s lifeblood. Content marketing helps generate quality leads that turn into real revenue for your company. As the aforementioned research shows, content marketing produces three times more leads than traditional tactics—at a much lower cost.

While content marketing has its many advantages, businesses shouldn’t abandon traditional marketing completely. Rather, the most successful and withstanding companies will find a way for the two strategies to seamlessly work together to pack the most powerful punch.

To learn more about content marketing, check out our latest eBook “Why 9 Out of 10 Companies Use Content Marketing.” Click here to download.

                                                            




Edited by Brooke Neuman




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