Content marketing is hot!

Content marketing is the creation and distribution of relevant, valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a target audience, with the objective of driving customer action.

According to eMarketer, nearly half of companies now have a formal content strategy, up from 28% just last year.

And one of companies’ primary goals in taking advantage of content marketing is increasing leads.

Another attractive element of content marketing is the fact that it is relatively inexpensive. But inexpensive does not mean easy to implement.

Content marketing is consistently cited as one of the most difficult tactics for a company to pull off, even if it is one of the least expensive.

So, our opportunity is in the alignment that businesses are finding:

• The value of engaging content will fuel user adoption, loyalty, and conversions.
  
  
• It is relatively inexpensive.
  
  
• Yet, it is not easy to pull off and execute.

Since we are in the content business, this is an opportune time to drive home the fact we can be their source to help them execute by offering them content marketing services.

Through a partnership with content creator Ebyline, The Sacramento Bee can bring content marketing services to local businesses.

With Ebyline (rebranded BEE Byline), The Bee can provide access to more than 2,000 vetted journalists. The Bee will manage this virtual content team to provide our advertisers with professionally written articles and photos from a wide swath of business expertise.

The result is custom-crafted, cost-effective content for the business to use in their marketing efforts. The content is theirs.

The business can use the content wherever they wish. It might be part of a native ad in print, in-store displays, appear in digital, e-mails, blogs, or company newsletters to consumers.

The importance of content marketing is clear. Consumer education via content is a key conversation tactic in today’s crowded marketing landscape.

As more businesses allocate a portion of marketing budget to content marketing, it is an opportunity for The Bee to be the provider of such services.

While we won’t make huge sums of money directly from such efforts, we will stay engaged in helping a local business do business. And staying engaged provides the foundation for additional sales opportunities.

Here is an example of content marketing uses in print combined with a digital deal-saver offer: