It is now time we understand the difference between content and format, and how professionals can use them to optimize their 360-degree marketing strategy. A lot of great professional agencies have the keys to creating a top-notch digital content strategy.

There are many times a lot of people have heard the phrase ‘content is King’ and after that, they often wonder what content is. Despite the ambiguity, small and medium businesses (SMBs) are present with an opportunity to gain visibility and authority in their market forte.

However, a lot of people will often not understand this properly and will often think that the answer to any problem a brand is having is its online presence. Hence, there is more to just this and now let us take a look at some of the best tips for how professionals and businesses alike can create a compelling strategy for their businesses leading to desired outcomes.

Content Marketing – What is it?

Content versus format

For long, people often thought about a website’s content as something which is written. But when marketers from a leading Digital Marketing Company were asked what makes exceptional website content, they said that a blog post, an e-book, microcopy or a long-form piece created exceptionally help make the cut.

When they were asked to get a bit more creative, they then revealed that infographics and an exceptional video are also good content formats. Answers can seem right to the average Joe, but the point is that they are all content formats, whether they are written, visually created, or in audio format.

In all honesty, content is the message (a story, facts, figures, practical information, or a theory). The format is the means professionals use to convey a message. If brands, businesses, and marketers fail to convey their needed message properly, no format will ever make it to stand out properly. How can marketers break down the distinction and relationship between them? The following might be able to help out:

The talk itself.
Either a live stream video, a recorded video, or just a video.
A presentation.
A series of articles.
A long-form piece adding more information, like linking related content or quotes from the talk.
An infographic synthesizing the data distributed in the chat.
A worthwhile e-book.
Any other format that makes sense.

People can also have content disseminated by companies with one primary format and other secondary formats. They can be created by working with others. One good example is Snow Fall from The New York Times, which is a classic example for combining different content formats for synchronized use.

So, what is the real meaning of content?

If the fact that content and format are not the same are recalled, then what exactly does the world mean by content? As has been mentioned, content is the message. In detail, it is basically specifying a piece of information.

Content is communication the ‘what’ of information. It can be in the form of a blog post, a video, a table, an infographic, a streaming video, a live chat, and the like. It means, everything present on the website is counted as content.

With content defined properly, comes afterward a question of what a content marketing strategy is. It does base itself on a number of infographics, blog posts, or videos to produce in hopes of engaging prospects and consumers.

Content marketing best practices dictate that content marketing strategies should answer the following questions while taking a well-defined strategy into account:

What type of content should a brand/business/organization communicate to the target audience throughout their customer journey as well as their respective stage of the funnel?
Depending on that part of the funnel the customers are in, what is the format or the combination of formats that is able to best serve the customers so businesses/brands/organizations can communicate their content and attract them?
What responds best to the target audience’s needs?
How can a brand/business/organization measure the content’s efficacy to ensure it is as effective as it gets?