Category Archives: Content Marketing

Comparing the Different Types of Marketing: Content, Social Media, Inbound and Online

It’s easy to become confused at all of the terms floating around the world of Internet marketing. You’ve probably heard of content marketing, social media marketing, inbound marketing and online marketing, to mention some of the most common terms.

Are these all the same? If not, what are the distinctions that make them different from one another? The fact is, these terms do overlap quite a bit. To make things more confusing, people often confuse them and use them interchangeably. Yet each of these has its own unique characteristics. To make this more clear, let’s take a brief look at what each of these terms really means.

Content, Social Media, Inbound and Online

Content Marketing

Content marketing refers to any strategy based on creating, publishing or distributing content in order to attract a wider audience. Content can be written material, images, videos, slideshows, social media posts or whatever new platforms become popular in the coming years.

Content Marketing

Content marketers may use their own content or be content curators -collectors of content from other sources that they re-use, provided they have the proper permission to do so.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is a term that’s used widely, and not always in the same way. Everyone agrees that Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+ are social media sites. However, many other kinds of sites can also fit this description, including social bookmarking sites like Digg and Reddit and even video sharing sites such as YouTube.

Even review sites like Yelp and answer sites like Yahoo! Answers have a strong social aspect. The point is, all of these sites and thousands of others can be used to promote a brand, product or company. Social media marketing entails building a following using tactics such as gaining friend, fans or followers on various sites and communicating with them by posting relevant content. Social media marketing can actually be considered a type of content marketing.

Inbound and Outbound Marketing

These two terms are a little less familiar than the others, at least to those not well versed in the world of internet marketing. Inbound and outbound marketing are usually contrasted with one another, which is why they are being considered together.

Outbound marketing is often portrayed as old style marketing that has its roots in the pre-internet age. This type of marketing is one-way rather than interactive. That is, it is a message sent directly from the advertiser or marketer to the consumer, viewer or reader. Examples of this include TV and radio commercials, newspaper ads, cold calling and direct mail. Certain types of Internet marketing are also outbound, such as most ads.

Inbound marketing is another term that is very close in meaning to content marketing, but with a slightly different emphasis. It can mean promoting your product or business using any type of content that is potentially viral and interactive. For example, with outbound marketing the viewer or reader cannot share or respond to an ad or commercial. Whereas it is possible to share, re-send, vote on or place a comment on an article, video, social media post or blog post.

Online Marketing

This is the broadest term of all, as it refers to any type of marketing conducted online. This can mean paid advertising, content marketing, social media marketing or marketing with articles, videos or email. Online marketing is often used interchangeably with internet marketing.

Conclusion: Learning the Terminology of the Online Marketing World

There are many terms and definitions in the world of internet marketing. Some of these overlap quite a bit, while others are more broad than others. When hearing such terms, it’s important to realize that not everyone uses them to mean exactly the same things.

For example, some people might consider video marketing separate from social media marketing, while others might group them together. As the Internet and marketing platforms continue to evolve, it’s likely that new terms will emerge. For those who want to stay on the cutting edge of these trends, it’s a good idea to keep up with the latest jargon of the industry.

Top Tips for Engaging Content on Your Site

Building and managing a successful website does not often happen overnight, and often requires months and even years of hard work and dedication. When you want to ensure your visitors and potential customers want to come back to your site for more in the future, there are a few engaging content tips to keep in mind, regardless of whether you plan to launch a personal blog or a corporate eCommerce store online.

Give Your Brand a Makeover

Consider giving your entire brand a makeover when you want to get more users engaged in the type of content you share. The more modern and visually-appealing your logo and brand is altogether, the easier it is to captivate an audience of consumers who may genuinely be interested in your services or merchandise.

Redesign Your Website

Website Redesign

It is also important to update and redesign any website you are promoting or working on. Having an updated website is a way for you to showcase your products, services, skills and content all in one central location. When you have an updated website, it is much easier to keep your users engaged and interested in reading more of the content you have published and shared to the site itself.

Research Content Frequently

If you want to stay relevant with your site, researching new trending keywords and stories that are within your industry or field is essential. Researching content frequently is a way for you to get a better idea on the type of information your users are searching for upon visiting your site or making a purchase. Understanding upcoming trends, current trends as well as key factors of your industry is a great way for you to generate new ideas and to find inspiration when you want to create and share new content for potential visitors and customers of yours. You can track keywords using free tools and mobile applications to stay on track with the latest trends in all industries, whether you are involved in blogging or providing clothing and local services.

Avoid Rehashing Old News

When your main focus and goal includes keeping your visitors engaged and interested in the content you publish, avoid rehashing old news or copying content from other websites to share. When you share old news, you are less likely to keep your visitors and potential customers coming back for more in the future.

Ask Your Visitors for Opinions and Comments

Engaging your users requires a bit of work on your behalf, especially if you truly want to get them actively involved with the content or information you post to your site, blog or even to various social media accounts you run. Ask your visitors questions or to share their comments regarding your latest updates, product releases or even an article you have recently written. The more frequently you converse with those who use your site regularly, the easier it becomes to keep them interested in what you have to say each time you update.

Utilize Social Media Regularly

Utilizing social media regularly is one of the most effective methods of sharing engaging content and keeping your visitors and users interested in what you have to say and offer. The more involved you become with your brand’s Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr accounts, the easier it is to build a captivated and engaged audience across different platforms. Building a solid following of thousands of users has never been easier than by implementing multiple social media networks simultaneously when sharing engaging content and updates.

social media

The more you understand how to engage your visitors, customers and potential clients online, the easier it becomes to communicate openly and effectively any time you are sharing new content or want to promote products and services you have to offer. Knowing how to provide engaging content on a consistent basis not only helps you to build visitor loyalty online, but it also helps you to outshine other potential competing sites.