Digital content in general, and social media content in particular, is fast becoming our primary source of obtaining and sharing information.

For context, the average adult in the US spent just over 7 hours per day In 2021 on digital media, a number predicted to rise to almost 8 hours by 2025. Around the world, an estimated 4.9 billion people use social media, which is expected to jump to 5.85 billion users by 2027. That’s more than half the world population, spending over 2 hours on social media everyday. 

In other words, content is pretty important. But what is it? In this article we will explore what “content” means. This can give deeper insight into the nature of content marketing, and how it compares to related notions, such as advertising.

Different Meanings Of “Content”

“Content”, as a noun, comes from the Latin word contentum. It means that which is held or contained within, or something that fills up a container. Shift the accent to the second syllable, and you’ve got an adjective/verb stemming from the old French contenter, in which case it refers to being satisfied or being at ease with present circumstances. "The content in the email was confidential” uses “content” in the first sense, whereas “I am content with my life” uses “content” in the second.  

The noun form of “content” is the one which morphed into its current popular usage. The internet is a vast network of spaces, populated by digital content. But the adjective/verb form is far from irrelevant. Content should satisfy; it should leave the reader content.

Most of us have a good rough-and-ready idea of what content is: we speak of free content, content creators, kids content, etc. Digging deeper, notice that there are certain special features for output to classify as “content” in the contemporary sense.

For digital material to be content, it needs to be personalized and customized. It is meant to engage, inform, educate, even amuse and entertain. Content demands an understanding of its audience and their real life situations.

Above all, content is meant to be viewed and consumed, whether by the public, consumers, or some other target audience. This is why the software code underlying a user interface isn’t content: it isn’t crafted to be consumed. Similarly, platforms such as Youtube and Facebook are not themselves content, though they certainly host content.

Technically, content is not only digital - check the iconic journal The Furrow started by John Deere in 1895.

What is "Content Marketing" ?

Content marketing is a marriage of the social with the commercial. As mentioned earlier, content is personalized and customized information. Strategically shaping this information with business in mind is content marketing. That is to say, content marketing is marketing through content. 

Content marketing can serve several important functions and commercial purposes. Marketing veteran Jessica Ainsworth sums up these purposes as follows:

• Increasing brand visibility.

• Generating traffic to your website.

• Showcasing your business.

• Building brand awareness and brand recognition.

• Building trust and loyalty by developing lasting relationships with customers.

• Providing an avenue for current and potential customers to interact and engage.

• Providing substantial and valuable information to past, present and future customers.

• Establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry with consistent and up-to-date content creation.

Content marketing can also uncover lucrative new avenues. Michelin guides serve as a prime example in this case: a tire company employed a thoughtful content strategy and ended up creating the gold standard in global restaurant ratings.

Initially, the idea of a small red guide was conceived by Michelin to help travelers on their road trips, indirectly boosting car and tire sales. The guide came at zero cost for motorists and contained handy information like maps, fuel stations and details on how to change a tire and so on. Through consistent content creation spread over decades, it evolved into its current form. The moral is clear: a consistent and creative content marketing strategy can work wonders.

Content Marketing Vs Advertising

Content marketing and advertising, while close cousins, have important differences. These lie in different approaches in addressing consumer concerns.

An analogy may help. Let’s say you and a friend are going for a hike. Advertising is like telling your friend about specific sights and dangers along the route, to directly influence the path you take. Content marketing is like prepping your friend ahead of time with general hiking knowledge, such as what to avoid and what to keep an eye out for. While less specific, the indirect route is often just as effective in influencing the path taken. Content marketing primes customers by providing useful information, rather than recommending specific courses of action.

This indirect approach means that content marketing usually employs a wider range of methods. A consumer who passes on a one minute advertisement for a blender, finding it intrusive or boring, may end up watching a 30 minute cooking show. If that show then inspires them to look for some new kitchenware, the content did its job.

Advertising is crisp, oriented to introduce, inform, acquaint, promote and ultimately nudge the consumer towards a product or brand. Content marketing is about meeting consumers where they’re at, and it accomplishes this by addressing consumer concerns and providing pertinent, substantial and valuable information. It draws in and retains consumers by making a positive impact on their life. Over time, this builds trust, and eventually brand loyalty.

In short: advertising impels, content-marketing attracts.

Types of Content :

Content marketing experts identify hundreds of content types. It helps to break them down both medium, format, and goal.

Medium. Different mediums include the written word, still images, videos, and auditory content. When selecting the medium, you can strategically choose which sensory or psychological faculties you want the consumer to use. Images grab their eye, but with a bit of creativity, an image of a tasty burrito can evoke a sense of taste as well. And of course, images can inform, as well as evoke. A detailed picture and a bit of text can capture a helpful fact in a pithy infographic.

Format. The format of your content is the way it is structured. Content can use a single medium, like an written article, or use multi-media, like social media posts which pair an image with words. Particularly common formats for written content include:

• Articles

• Interviews

• Newsletters

• Lists

• Wikis

• Infographics

Goal: This is the most important piece: content is there for a purpose, and you should choose the medium and format which helps you achieve it. A written article could serve any number of goals. It could be a case study, a whitepaper, a press release, or an explainer article, for instance.

The content creators task is to walk a mile in the consumers shoes. Once the consumer's needs & preferences are identified clearly, you can pinpoint the goal which you want your content marketing strategy to achieve. Content can then be delivered to them through a medium and format suited to the task.

So What’s the Ideal Content ?

When it comes to content marketing, content should encourage and facilitate audience engagement. Once you’ve got customer attention, this will increase traffic to your website, and supercharge brand visibility, awareness, and recognition. Familiarity leads to trust, which in time can lead to brand loyalty.

Content should be substantial, and should also satisfy consumers. Ideal content is one that leads to the audience/customers being content. In this sense, both meanings of the word content become relevant for the creators and serve as a reminder of the fundamentals of content creation.