These days, content marketing is all the rage in digital marketing circles. But what is it exactly?

The Content Marketing Institute (yes, there is such a thing) defines it as:

“A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

Distribution is as crucial as creation, relevancy and consistency are key, and it’s important to focus just as much on retention as you do on acquisition.

Just as content marketing needed to be defined, there are misconceptions about it that need to be dispelled. Power up your strategy by understanding the reality behind five common content marketing myths.

Myth #1: It’s all about content creation
Reality #1: Start with content distribution

Content creation is meaningless if there’s no distribution plan. Spend at least 50% of your time on distribution. Don’t create content and then shoehorn it into available channels; instead, identify which channels are best for content, and then create content specifically for those channels.

Myth #2: Distribution = starting a blog
Reality #2: Distribution = all channels

Too often, people equate content marketing with starting a blog. Blogs are only one channel – one piece of the puzzle. All channels need to be considered; everything is content, not just your blog.

Think about all of the channels you have available to you, which audience you’ll reach via each and which types of content will most resonate with them. Divide your distribution channels into earned, shared, owned, and paid; most earned, owned and shared channels can also have a paid component.

Myth #3: Production value must be high
Reality #3: Scrappy works, too

The content you produce doesn’t need to be polished to be effective. In fact, scrappy can often come across as more authentic with your audience.

If you have a smartphone, the power is in your hands. Social channels are increasingly oriented towards mobile and a great deal of the content being shared is created using a mobile device. You’ve got the means to capture and share content like videos, photos, and text that will tell your story.

Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2017

Once you know that your audience is most likely to experience your content on a smartphone, here are three ways to be sure your content is optimised for mobile:

• Square images and videos rule: square = 78% more real estate than landscape
• Design for no sound
• Get right to it: the first 3 seconds are critical

Myth #4: All content must be created by you
Reality #4: Reuse & recycle

Are fans sharing on their own feeds? Of course they are! Consider re-sharing this user-generated content (UGC) on your own channels. UGC consists of photos, videos, testimonials, blog posts, tweets and snaps about your business by your fans, followers, and social influencers. This kind of content has the effect of building trust and personalising your business with your audience.

Effective UGC can generate 6.9 times more engagement than brand generated content on Facebook. Many big brands are doing it. You can do it too, but make sure you give credit where credit’s due – this blog will provide guidance on the dos and don’ts of using crowd-sourced content.

Myth #5: Pre-show, pre-show, pre-show!
Reality #5: Have a pre, during & post-event strategy

Content marketing is about building a relationship that turns your customers into an audience of fans and advocates.

Promoting upcoming events is important– yes, you want people to get excited about the show happening next weekend– but why should the conversation stop after they’ve purchased tickets? It shouldn’t. That would be like building up your nerve to finally asking someone out and when they say “yes” not bothering to show up for the date!

Make sure your plan includes capturing and distributing content during an event. Show your audience how great of a time they could be having if they were there. Celebrate your fans by sharing and responding to their social posts about their event experience.

Post-event content reminds your fans of the great time they had during your show, building affinity and goodwill, and making them more receptive to future communications from your business.

Whatever kind of events you produce, content is an important part of a promotion plan that will generate interest and momentum until the last ticket is sold, so make sure you are prepared by downloading our guide to a proactive communication plan.