SECTION 1

Content Marketing Foundations:

Introduction to Content Marketing
Study Guide and Workbook

Section Overview
Content Marketing has been around for well over 100 years, but in the online world customers are
behaving in many new ways and they are consuming content of all kinds on all types of devices.
Content marketing is all about creating content that consumers will engage with and act upon. In this
introductory module, you’ll gain an understanding of how Content Marketing affects the decision-
making process. With a solid Content Marketing strategy, your customers’ buying decisions can happen
faster, and your reach can expand to new prospects.

Objectives and Learning Outcomes

After completing this module you should be able to do the following:
 Define Content Marketing and surrounding concepts
 Explain why content must be relevant and valuable
 Describe the overlap among Content Marketing, SEO, and Social Media Marketing
 Name the five traits of effective content marketers
 Explain the benefits of Content Marketing

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 Key Takeaways
Content Marketing Overview
 Michelin guide is one of the first examples of Content Marketing
o The guide offered valuable information
 Restaurant info
 Gas station and hotel locations
 How-to information
o The guide built the brand name of Michelin
 Content marketing – creating and distributing content
o Relevant and valuable
 Relevant: content is related to the audience’s needs and interests
 Valuable: content offers something worth reading/viewing/hearing
o Attract, acquire, and engage audience
o Clearly defined audience
o Drive profitable action
 Content marketing combines tactics of content development, SEO, and Social Media
 The Google Panda algorithm update changed how Google ranks web pages
o The Panda update placed an emphasis on the quality of content
 High quality content needs to relevant and valuable
 Content marketing is similar across all sizes and company types
o Similar traits across B2C businesses, B2B businesses, small businesses, and enterprises
 Effective content marketers have similar traits:
o Have a documented content strategy
o Have someone who oversees content marketing
o Use more tactics
o Use more Social Media channels
o Allocate more budget to content marketing
 With a content marketing program, prospects will be more informed about your business
o Either immediately or after some research
 Content marketing can help to shorten the sales cycle
o Prospects have information they need to move through the sales funnel

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 Vocabulary
After completing this module, you should be comfortable identifying and defining the following terms.
Research and fill in unfamiliar terms:

Content Marketing

Social Media Marketing

Search Engine Optimization

Key Concept Questions

After completing this module you should feel comfortable responding to various questions. How would
you answer the following:

What major change in the Google search algorithm influenced the rise of Content Marketing? What did
this change emphasize?

What other online marketing disciplines overlap with Content Marketing?

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Are there any major differences between Content Marketing at a small business from at a big
business? Explain.

List three things that separate effective content marketers from ineffective content marketers.

What two key traits does effective content need to have? Why is each of these traits important?

Sample Scenarios
After completing this module you should feel comfortable applying your knowledge to various real-
world scenarios. How would you respond or react to the following:

You work as the marketing manager for a small 15-person company. You’ve been trying to convince
your CEO to establish a Content Marketing program. Your manager understands the importance of
creating engaging content for marketing purposes, but she believes the task is too large to tackle. How
would you respond?

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Your manager doesn’t see the value in creating content when SEO tactics can drive traffic. Explain to
him how SEO and Content Marketing overlap, and why Content Marketing is now a key part to SEO.

One major known obstacle within your medium-sized company is that the sales cycle typically takes 6-
12 months. Explain to your manager how an investment in a Content Marketing program could change
this situation.

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