Content marketing and traditional advertising are different strategies for achieving the same goal – communicating with a target group and influencing their buyer behavior. Both come with advantages and disadvantages, but much points to the fact that content marketing is in many cases more effective than traditional advertising.
The best results are often achieved when companies combine both strategies in an overall marketing plan, but here we look at why content marketing definitely is the tortoise that wins over the hare.
CHANGED BEHAVIOR
Today’s consumers are tired of advertising. We are increasingly avoiding advertising and simply not consuming traditional media as we once did. Content marketing is more subtle and provides the consumer with valuable and relevant content that is not perceived as disruptive.
Trust and commitment
Consumers are more likely to interact with companies they trust. According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing builds trust and engagement with the target audience in a way that traditional advertising can struggle to do. Something that is also confirmed by Semrush – close to 70% of marketers and business leaders planned to increase their content marketing budget in 2023, despite the downturn in the economy. By offering engaging (and well-written) articles, guides or entertaining content, companies position themselves as experts in their field and create a stronger relationship with their customers.
Read more about why it’s important to increase your marketing budget during a recession here.
Be patient!
It takes time before you see the effects of content marketing, but once the results start to appear, they are long-lasting and sustainable. This is because quality content continues to attract traffic and engagement over time. In comparison, traditional advertising often produces short-term results during the period when the campaign is active but its impact quickly declines when the campaign ends. In addition, the higher cost of traditional advertising production and media buying must be factored into the performance analysis.
Target group customization
Another advantage of content marketing is the ability to create tailored content that is aimed directly at a specific target group. Companies can deliver exactly the content their customers are most interested in, based on things like geographic location. This results in higher conversion rates and increased customer loyalty.
Sharing is caring
Another reason why content marketing has the potential to be more effective than traditional advertising is its sharing potential, as confirmed by Nielsen. Qualitative content has a greater chance of being shared, thus increasing reach.
Measurability and adaptation
Content marketing gives you better opportunities for measurement and continuous adaptation of the content to reach its strategic goals. Companies can continuously measure and adapt (often in real time) their content marketing efforts to achieve better results. This is more difficult to implement with traditional advertising, where it can be difficult to accurately measure set key figures.