What's the difference between content marketing and inbound marketing? Aren't they the same thing? Don't they provide the same results? These are all valid questions.
When I was asked to explain the difference between the two, and couldn't, I delved into further research.
Here are the facts.
Content Marketing
Content marketing puts the importance on the piece of content itself. The content can be in the form of blogs, white papers, videos, e-learning, case studies, podcasts, print materials etc. The goal is to get the content on the platforms that potential customers are most likely to find it.
This is a broader form of marketing to consumers. The ideal result should create conversations about the product or services. Content marketing uses all available platforms and channels to convey the content.
Businesses practicing content marketing will use tactics such as strategic planning, content creation and generating fantastic content to target different buyer personas or audience personas at different stages in the buying cycle.
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing differs from content marketing because the focus is to create traffic and drive conversions to the companies website. Yes, the content is still extremely important, but it exists solely in the digital space.
Answering questions that the your business's buyer personas are asking is the key to awesome inbound marketing. Inbound marketers want to become trusted sources of knowledge that consistently provide helpful information. Doing this will result in lead generation and lead conversion.
Businesses that don't have a large budget for outbound marketing and advertising tend to use inbound marketing strategies to draw people to their website. Key tactics used for inbound marketing are SEO, social media, blogging, lead generation, lead nurturing, and email marketing.
Inbound marketing and content marketing are cousins in the world of marketing strategies. As long as you can consistently churn out awesome content for your buyer personas, you can master the realms of content and inbound marketing.
