The choice of content marketing as a communication strategy by brands is definitely a good thing.

Content makes the audience more satisfied with the brand, because it has met part of their needs. In fact, content marketing is a long-term investment in attracting the attention of potential customers to increase their brand communication in the future and even enter the club of fans and loyalists.

However, in dealing with some industry managers and content activists, it can be seen that there are misconceptions about this, and some of these ambiguities and appropriate answers are given below.

Myth 1: Content marketing is only suitable for brands with limited advertising budgets

Launching a content program is less expensive than media advertising. This is why some executives believe that content is suitable for small businesses that do not have the power to appear on mass media such as television and billboards.

They see content as a substitute for costly media advertising for small businesses. Today, we see that content marketing is used by the world's top brands all over the world. Also in Iran, well-known brands such as Digikala have prepared suitable programs for their audiences.

These brands do not have limited advertising budgets or are considered small businesses, but they are the pioneers of content in the country. Content marketing solutions are as applicable (and mandatory) to industry giants as they are to a local bookstore.

Myth 2: Content marketing is a short-term advertising campaign

For several years now, the use of the word campaign has become common among the advertising and communications community. An advertising campaign is a comprehensive and integrated program that has a specific purpose and budget and while using a specific media portfolio, it conveys a single and integrated message to the target audience at a specific time.

Although it is possible to design and implement medium and long term campaigns, most of them run in the short term. A review of recent brands' campaigns also confirms this, with the original message eventually remaining in the media for a month or two and then being replaced by another.

Unfortunately, it can sometimes be seen that the short-term nature of the campaign extends to the content, to the point that executives see the content program as a short-term campaign that is supposed to quickly solve their sales and branding problems and do some magic.

Myth 3: Content marketing is only suitable for businesses dealing with the end consumer

Most successful examples in the field of content are related to businesses that deal with the end consumer. This has led to the notion that content-driven applications are more closely associated with corporate, customer, or B2C businesses and have little application in corporate, corporate, or B2B industries. Conversely, content marketing works better in corporate-to-corporate businesses. The reason for this can be attributed to the lack of popularity of media advertising in the B2B industry.

For example, appearing in a TV commercial for a textile accessory maker does not make much sense. Instead, it is better to introduce your business to the real target audience by launching a content program, and addressing the managers of the textile and related industries.

Content marketing usage statistics among B2B businesses confirm this. Eighty-eight percent of B2B business owners in the United States say they use content marketing, according to the CMI. Maybe I should repeat: 88%! This number has a lot to say.

Myth 4: Content marketing is the opposite of advertising

According to some executives, content marketing is the opposite of traditional advertising. They have demarcated the content in a way that contrasts with traditional advertising. Of course, the resources available in the field of content marketing training are not innocent, and I have personally seen in many sources that in order to introduce and promote content, advertisements are generally invalid and abandoned and considered unscientific and ineffective.

Of course, there is no doubt about the ineffectiveness of some traditional advertising methods and methods, and some advertising campaigns, despite spending huge budgets, have no effect other than throwing away brand owner capital, but it is not fair to consider all types of advertising ineffective.

We all know that a large part of the media purchase budget is wasted due to the ignorance of advertisements by the audience, but advertising in many industries is inevitable and the only way to survive in competition. If advertising were obsolete, brands like Verizon, Ford, General Motors, and American Express, all of which have significant advertising budgets, would certainly abandon advertising forever, but not only does this not happen, but because of the increasing competition, advertising budgets They often increase from year to year.

The important thing is that the ads are properly planned and executed; Scientific, accurate and effective advertising. Launching content programs is not in conflict with advertising, and if the principle of integrity is observed, it will also lead to an increase, which will ultimately lead to brand excellence.

Myth 5: Content marketing only happens online

We have made a big mistake if we limit content marketing to the Internet and cyberspace. Today, we see that online platforms have become the main channels of content dissemination. Websites and blogs, social networks, messengers and video publishing websites are powerful channels for publishing content.

Continued use of these media has caused offline media to be forgotten, while in many cases they can be very effective. In content marketing, you can plan to publish some of the content produced offline. This issue is important from two perspectives:

1. Access to audiences who have less access to or interest in online space.

2. A different performance from the others, which will eventually lead to brand differentiation.