How can I learn about content marketing if I can’t even understand what I’m reading? If you’re like many people, this may be one of the first questions you ask, especially if you run into a conglomeration of letters that make you think a can of alphabet soup was spilled. And, many times, if you do find a definition for a content marketing term or word, it’s almost as hard to understand as the word itself was.
This glossary is going to be different. It’s going to present some of the most common marketing terms, but with a definition that’s written in plain English. You’re not going to feel as though you’re being “talked down to,” however. Rather, it is hoped that you’ll use the terms as a way of utilizing your content authoring tools better, which will allow you to design and maintain a website that will attract more users.
The following are types of marketing in which you could employ quality content.
Affiliate Marketing – Many times people will display or allow to be displayed other companies’ products or services on your website. The products or services may be similar to some of yours, or they may be different, but both you and the company involved in an affiliate marketing agreement can benefit from the increased traffic to both sites.
Direct Marketing – Many companies still rely on the responses they get from sending catalogs, postcards, fliers, or other forms of correspondence directly to customers through the U. S. Postal Service, or by contacting people via telephone. They do this for one of two main reasons: either to give consumers an opportunity to order goods or take advantage of their services, or to advertise goods and services. Doing any of this, rather than using the Internet or other computer sources is known as direct marketing.
Trend Tracking — When you take advantage of internet software or other methods of determining what topics, products, services, or other things are being searched for on a very frequent basis, you’re trend tracking. Once you’ve determined what people are searching for, you can use this information along with your other content authoring tools to continue making improvements and changes to your website. By doing this, you can be assured that traffic will continue to “flow” to your website, possibly resulting in an increase in sales of your products or services.
Niche Marketing — Niche Marketing is a form of marketing that is designed to reach only a certain audience. For example, if you provide medical transcription services, you would target your advertising to hospitals, doctors, medical clinics, and similar places. If you provide legal transcription services, your target audience would be law offices, law enforcement agencies, and judicial organizations, just to give a few examples.
Social Media – One of the fastest growing trends on the Internet, and subsequently one that is becoming a more attractive venue for content marketing. The social media includes websites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.
Now that you have an idea of what some content marketing terms mean, you can use them to your advantage in your business. You can decide how you are going to market and advertise your goods or services, as well as which venues, such as social media, you will use. All of these can help you improve your business.
Jessica M. is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch.
