You’ve probably heard about content marketing and how it helps businesses grow online without spending a fortune. But, what is content marketing? How does it help a service provider or a product owner? How is it different from advertising? And, is content marketing better than paid ads or is it the other way round? In this blog post, we’ll talk about both growth strategies. We’ll compare the benefits of both, helping you choose the more powerful one (Or both). Let’s dive in.
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing refers to using content, such as blog posts, social media posts, emails, YouTube videos, and other forms of content to attract and engage a target audience. Over time, the content you post on online platforms builds your authority and attracts people to your business. There are a number of ways to attract leads with content marketing, including:
- Blog posts
- Infographics
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Ebooks
- And more
The idea is to provide helpful resources to your target audience so that they deem your company the authority on the topic.
What is Advertising?
According to Google, businesses generate an average of $8 for every $1 spent on Google Ads, indicating that online advertising can offer a high return on investment. Advertising refers to paying a platform to showcase your product or service to a targeted group of people. For instance, a digital marketing agency could run Google Ads to attract small business owners to their service pages. Or, an e-commerce store could run Meta Ads to stay top-of-mind of their target audience and build a brand.
Advertising can be expensive depending on your niche and target keywords, but it offers something content marketing can’t: Quick, high-quality traffic to your landing pages.
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Content Marketing vs. Advertising: The Differences
According to a report, content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3 times more leads. You don’t need to spend anything for content marketing to work unless you want to hire a content creator. Every social media platform lets you share content and build an audience for free. But, you need to be strategic about it and consistently post in-demand, helpful content to make it work.
Paid ads, on the other hand, require an upfront investment. For instance, to get people to visit your landing page from Google, you can pay Google every time someone clicks on your link.
Another difference would be the range of audience you can target in content marketing without having to spend anything. On the other hand, with advertising, you have to choose a group of people. Otherwise, your ad costs will increase drastically.
Advertising vs. Content Marketing: Which is More Powerful?
Content marketing and advertising are both effective and offer unique benefits. The right one depends on what you’re trying to achieve. For instance, if you want quick results and can afford to invest upfront, advertising might be a better way to go. On the flip side, if you can post content consistently and are after long-term results, content marketing is the right way to go. Let’s talk about the prominent qualities of both to help you pick one (Or both).
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Search Engine Optimization
One of the biggest advantages of content marketing is that it gives you long-term, consistent traffic from search engines. You can create a piece of content once and get a consistent stream of leads and customers for a long time. But, for that to happen, you need to make sure your website and content are SEO-friendly. So, if long-term growth and traffic are your goals, start a blog and create blog posts that offer value to your target audience.
Targeting
Did you know people who click on paid ads are 50% more likely to make a purchasing decision than those who click on organic search results? This is because paid ads let business owners target a specific group of people who’re either interested in their product or are actively looking for a solution. For instance, if you’re a local business offering landscaping services, you can reach homeowners and commercial property owners with a targeted Google or Facebook ad.
Time to Deliver Results
Probably the biggest advantage of using paid ad platforms like Google Ads is the speed at which they generate results. Since you’re paying for every click on your ad (In pay-per-click advertising), you get instant traffic to your landing pages. On the other hand, content marketing is a long-term game. Although it can result in a higher ROI, the strategy requires patience and consistency.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s address some frequently asked questions related to content marketing vs. advertising.
Why is Content Marketing so Powerful?
Content marketing is so powerful because it adds value in the form of valuable content and builds trust with your target audience.
Is Content Marketing the Same as Advertising?
No, content marketing refers to using content to attract, engage, and convert your target audience. Whereas, advertising is when you pay platforms like Google Ads to showcase your business to a targeted audience.
What is the Strongest Type of Advertising?
The strongest type of advertising will depend on your goal. As far as the quality of traffic is concerned, well-targeted Google Ads will probably be the strongest.
Conclusion
Content marketing and advertising are different sides of the same coin. The end goal is the same: you want to attract relevant people to your business, product, or service. Both strategies have unique benefits. Content marketing is a long-term strategy where you consistently publish high-value content to get relevant eyeballs. Advertising lets you attract prospects to your landing page or website almost instantly, but it requires an upfront investment.
Sources:
- https://www.peppercontent.io/blog/content-marketing-vs-advertising-which-one-is-more-effective/
- https://www.webfx.com/content-marketing/learn/is-content-marketing-more-effective-than-advertising/
- https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/google-ads-ppc-statistics
- https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/stats-invest-content-marketing
- https://www.webfx.com/digital-advertising/statistics/
