"Content marketing" is the buzzword in marketing today. Unlike traditional marketing, it is not overtly about selling. Rather, it is about sharing relevant and useful information with customers and prospects to build trust and establish relationships. Because information is distributed through social media, blogs, email marketing, whitepapers and e-books, the cost generally is not prohibitive, allowing companies of all sizes to use it successfully.

There are three important reasons why you should make content marketing part of your marketing strategy in 2012:

1. Content marketing builds relationships. People like to do business with other people whom they know, like and trust. When you engage in content marketing, your community of followers comes to know, like and trust you through your postings. When you strategically build your community, you build relationships with individuals and companies that make good prospects for your products and services.
2. Content marketing establishes your expertise. To be successful, content marketing must be customer-centered. While the information you share is related to your industry, product and service, it should not be a sales pitch. As you continue to provide your followers with valuable information that is relevant and useful, you establish your expertise.
3. Content marketing removes the need for high pressure selling. Have you ever been trapped in a sales presentation during which the salesperson droned on and on about the virtues of his product or service without stopping to catch his breath? Most people flee from this torture at the first possible moment. Content marketing takes away the need for this high pressure selling because you have already established a relationship and your expertise.

To increase your content marketing success, follow these steps:

• Plan. Before you embark on a content marketing campaign, develop your goals, know your audience and understand what is important to them. Determine the best ways to deliver your content and how often you will share it. Finally, develop a system to respond to comments. In successful content marketing, you engage your community in two-way conversation rather than speaking at them.
• Develop your community strategically. Sharing content with a limited audience that will never do business with you is a waste of time and resources. Develop a community of followers who can ultimately become loyal fans and customers.
• Always share relevant information. Content marketing is not about your company. It is about sharing useful and relevant information that your community finds valuable. Do not use content marketing as a vehicle to promote your products or services. Cross that line once and you risk losing valuable followers.
• Write professionally. If you are sharing content to build your reputation as an expert, you must write professionally. Watch for spelling and grammatical errors. Proofread before you post. While your posts should reflect your “voice,” they should always be professional.

© 2011 Joan B. Marcus Communications LLC