NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIGITAL MARKETING
                     componentss of Social Media
Marketing and their
fundamentals
• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media Platforms
•content marketing
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CONTENTS 
Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 03
Search Engine Optimization…………………………………………………03-07
Social Media Marketing……………………………………………………….08-13
Content marketing……………………………………………………………….14-19
INTRODUCTION
The development of online entertainment is only uncommon and in barely 8 years Facebook
has gone from a little site set up by 4 Harvard understudies to the most often utilized site on
the  planet.  In  equal,  Twitter  has  developed  from  a  method  for  correspondence  for
representatives  working inside a unit  projecting organization back  in  2006,  to producing
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more than 50 million tweets each and every day in 2012. As of late, virtual entertainment
made huge news when it outperformed email with regard to the number one web-based
action.
Online Entertainment Advertising is tied in with perceiving that your current clients are your
best resources and innovation currently  empowers us to impact  customer conduct both
when  the  deal.  With  minimal  expense  and  simple  to-utilize  apparatuses  like  online
entertainment and email, one no longer needs to trust that clients return and carry their
companions with them. Presently we can contact our current.
clients to remind them to return and make verbal exchanges as simple as tapping the offer,
like, or tweet buttons.
Here let us put the energy into understanding Online Entertainment, and how it works.
What  are  its  parts,  its  basics?  The  way  things  are  associated  with  conventional
showcasing ways? What does the future advertising master's find in this possibility of
promoting??
Let’s focus on three components of Social Media Marketing and their fundamentals
• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media Platforms
•content marketing
Search engine optimization
Presentation
The Internet has a huge number of sites. How do customers track down the site of a required
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organization? They basically Google It! This truth underlines the significance of web search
tool advertising/Advancement.
Website optimization Definition
Website streamlining (Search engine optimization) is the most common way of working on
the volume and nature of traffic to a site from web indexes through "normal" ("natural" or
"algorithmic") query items. Typically, the previous a site is introduced in the list items or the
higher  its  "positions",  the  more  searchers  will  visit  that  site.  Website  optimization  can
likewise  target  various  types  of  searches,  including  picture  search,  nearby  pursuit,  also,
industry-explicit vertical web crawlers.
Search  engine  optimization isn't  really  a  fitting  system  for  each  site  and  other  Web
advertising
techniques  can  be  significantly  more  powerful,  contingent  upon  the  site  administrator's
objectives. An effective Web promoting effort might drive natural indexed lists to pages, yet
it  additionally  may  include  the  utilization  of  paid  publicizing  on  web  search  tools  and
different pages, assembling top-notch website pages to connect with and convince, resolving
specialized issues that might hold web search tools back from slithering and ordering those
locales,  setting  up  investigation  projects  to  empower  site  proprietors  to  quantify  their
triumphs, and further developing a site's change rate.
SEM Definition
Web index Showcasing, or SEM, is a type of Web Advertising that tries to advance sites
by  expanding  their  permeability  in  the  Web  crawler  results  pages  (SERPs)  and  has  a
demonstrated return on initial capital investment (Profit from Speculation). As indicated by
the  Web  crawler  Showcasing  Experts  Association,  SEM  techniques  include  Site
improvement (or Website optimization), paid position, and paid consideration.
Different sources, including the New York Times, characterize SEM as the act of purchasing
paid search postings, not the same as Web optimization which tries to acquire better free
pursuit postings.
Industry Standards 
The search industry is always changing, updating, and re-inventing itself,  and as industry
standards  and  trends  change,  evaluation  criteria  must  be  updated  to  get  the  best  overall
information possible.  The goal is  to provide reports that will  allow you to see Meta and
keyword data so that the information about your website to begin evaluating your SEO needs
is there. It’s important to learn as much about SEO as possible and apply it, therefore, we are
providing basic information to act as a launch point for those who want to pursue it further.
Much SEO data is open to debate and opinion, even among respected experts in the field;
therefore, we will  take a safe,  moderate,  and general approach to give our users the best
possible overview for use over the greatest number of applications. 
SEO vs. SEM 
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Search engine marketing involves click costs. Search engine optimization works through free
traffic. Those two facts are the basis of a popular myth: that it’s easier to get good ROI
through SEO than it is to get the same ROI through SEM. In SEM, you decide on the landing
page your visitors see. In SEO, a search engine spider decides on the landing page visitors
see. That’s a difference in control, and that difference makes all the difference. 
3 Tags
 Next, we talk about 3 different tags. The Title tag, the Description tag, and the Keyword tag.
These ‘tags’ are housed in the source code and if you right-click on any website and ‘view
source’ you will see these tags towards the top of the document. 
Title Tags 
Title tags are what the user will see at the top of the browser window above the (File Edit
View, etc). For example, go to www.rimrockauto.com and you will see Rimrock Auto Group
| New and Used Cars in Billings Montana. Search engines will grab any or all of those words
and index them. When a person types in ‘New Cars Billings’ a search engine will know that
rimrockauto.com has those words indexed and it will catapult your search engine rankings
toward the top based on relevance. Relevance meaning: all of those words were in the title
tag. This is overly generalized, but a nice illustration. 
Title  tags  are  currently  considered  the  most  important  Meta  tag  from  a  search  engine
perspective, the Title tag is a MUST. Getting it right can take a little time and research, but it
is worth the effort. And, as with all Meta tags, place the most important keywords at the start
and the lesser ones at the end of the tag. Recommended length varies by search engine and
directory.  The  average  accepted  length  is  about  70  characters  (this  includes  letters  and
spaces). One major engine considers 60 the right length, where several of the other major
players prefer 70 characters. Some larger and more moderate size engines and directories
allow up to 130 characters. What if your tag is too long? Most engines will simply truncate
(or chop off) whatever characters go over their limits, which is why it is very important to
place the best keywords at the front of the tag. If you submit your site to a large variety of
search  indexes  and  engines,  remember  that  anything  over  60-  70  characters  could  be
removed, and plan accordingly. Best way to start? Figure out the best keywords for your Web
page. Go through and list search terms you would like new visitors to use to find your page,
check the search popularity of the words/terms and look at your competitor's sites and see
what their tags say, and how they rank in the search engines. This will help you build a short
list of highly relevant keywords and search phrases. Once you have the list, prioritize them by
importance, whether it is your importance or by search popularity is up to you. Use the very
best ones in your title tag. You no longer need to include your website name or domain in a
title  tag,  unless  you have a  highly recognizable name or  domain.  You want  to  focus on
describing the page and its products in your Title tag. Write it like a title, with each word
capitalized,  but  do  not  write  the  title  in  all  caps.  It  is  also  not  recommended  to  use
punctuation in the Title tag.
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Description Tags 
Not considered as important as it used to be, the description tag still has a valid purpose.
Even though it has less value to a spider or "boot" driven search engine these days, it is still
highly  useful  for  search  directories  and  various  online  listings.  Think  of  it  as  a  short,
keyword-rich  "classified  ad"  In  just  a  few words  you want  to  convey  your  Web  page's
message and do it  with as many rich keywords as possible.  Write it  in a basic sentence
structure,  beginning  with  a  capital  letter  and  ending  with  a  period.  (A  couple  of  short
sentences are fine, too, as long as the character count stays good.)
Recommended length varies by search engine and directory. The average accepted length is
about 200 characters (this includes letters and spaces). One major engine considers 170 the
right length, where several of the other major players prefer 200 characters. Some larger and
more moderate size engines and directories allow up to 250 characters, with one having no
limits.  Keep in mind that  there are a growing number of search engines that do not  use
Description tags, and it is mostly valued by search indexes and directories.
Keyword Tags 
Currently considered less important than the Title and Description Meta tags, it is debated
whether Keyword tags are of much use at all anymore. However, right now it does not hurt to
have them, and there are still some engines and directories that do take them into account to
some  degree.  Recommended  length  varies  by  search  engine  and  directory.  The  average
accepted length is approximately 800 - 900 characters (this includes letters and spaces). Some
allow 1000 characters, whereas others prefer under 800. It is best to use the right keywords,
not overuse them, and stay relevant for the page. If only two or three words fit that guideline,
then use them. Do not worry about trying to fill the Keywords tag to make it longer. The key
is relevance, not length. You do not want to waste any opportunity to use relevant keywords,
but if you do not need the space, you will not be penalized for it.
What is the best way to format this tag? There are two accepted ways to format the keywords.
They both agree to separate each keyword and keyword phrase with a comma. Where they
differ is, some advocate using a comma and space (keyword, word, word2), and others prefer
commas and no spaces (keyword, word, word2). Either format is accepted by the majority of
search engines that use Keyword tags. Why are Keyword tags losing their value? Search
engines  are  always  adjusting  and  changing  their  algorithms,  methodology,  and  criteria,
always seeking to improve search technology and eliminate unfair ranking and cheating. The
current  trend is  leaning away from a  Keywords Meta tag  and putting a  higher  value  on
keywords used in the copywriting of a Web page's textual content. The desire of the search
industry is to bring a closer match to what the site visitor sees and what a search engine uses
to rank a site, all in the goal of making the search experience more precise for the Internet
user.
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White hat versus black hat
SEO techniques  are  classified by some into two broad categories:  techniques  that  search
engines recommend as part of good design, and those techniques that search engines do not
approve of an attempt to minimize the effect of, referred to as spamdexing. Some industry
commentators  classify  these  methods,  and  the  practitioners  who  employ  them,  as  either
white-hat SEO, or black-hat SEO. White hats tend to produce results that last a long time,
whereas  black  hats  anticipate  that  their  sites  will  eventually  be  banned  once  the  search
engines discover what they are doing. An SEO tactic, technique, or method is considered a
white hat if it conforms to the search engines' guidelines and involves no deception. As the
search engine guidelines are not written as a series of rules or commandments, this is an
important distinction to note. White hat SEO is not just about following guidelines, but is
about ensuring that the content a search engine indexes and subsequently ranks is the same
content a user will see.
White hat advice is generally summed up as creating content for users, not for search engines,
and then making that content easily accessible to the spiders, rather than attempting to game
the algorithm. White hat SEO is in many ways similar to web development that promotes
accessibility, although the two are not identical.
Black hat SEO attempts to improve rankings in ways that are disapproved of by the search
engines, or involve deception. One black hat technique uses text that is hidden, either as text
colored similar to the background, in a region invisible to the user like an invisible div, or
positioned off-screen. Another method gives a different page depending on whether the page
is being requested by a human visitor or a search engine, a technique known as cloaking.
Search engines may penalize sites they discover using black hat methods, either by reducing
their rankings or eliminating their listings from their databases altogether. Such penalties can
be applied either automatically by the search engines' algorithms, or by a manual site review.
One infamous example was the February 2006 Google removal of both BMW Germany and
Ricoh  Germany  for  the  use  of  deceptive  practices.  Both  companies,  however,  quickly
apologized, fixed the offending pages, and were restored to Google's list.
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Social Media Marketing
INTRODUCTION
Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention through 
social media sites.
Social  media marketing  programs usually  center  on efforts  to  create  content  that  attracts
attention  and  encourages  readers  to  share  it  with  their  social  networks.  The  resulting
electronic word of mouth (eWoM) refers to any statement consumers share via the Internet
(e.g.,  websites,  social  networks,  instant  messages,  news  feeds)  about  an  event,  product,
service, brand, or company. When the underlying message spreads from user to user and
presumably  resonates  because  it  appears  to  come  from  a  trusted,  third-party  source,  as
opposed to the brand or company itself,  this form of marketing results in ‘earned media’
rather than ‘paid media’.
Social  networking  websites  and  blogs2  social  networking  websites  allow  individuals  to
interact  with  one  another  and  build  relationships.  When  companies  join  social  channels,
consumers can interact with them. That interaction feels personal to users because of their
previous experiences with social networking site interactions
Social  networking  sites  and  blogs  allow  individual  followers  to  “retweet”  or  “repost”
comments made by the product being promoted. By repeating the message, all of the users’
connections are able to see the message, therefore reaching more people. Social networking
sites act as word of mouth. Because the information about the product is being put out there
and is getting repeated, more traffic is brought to the product/company.
In  2009,  bloggers  had  an  enormous  impact  on  fashion,  affecting  everything  from  print
publishing to  how brands market  themselves  online.  There are  thousands of  style-related
blogs  on  the  web  these  days,  and  those  dedicated  to  their  craft  have  earned  industry
recognition. A number of unknowns earned recognition from Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry,
Alexander McQueen, and leading publications such as Vogue. They participated in fashion
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design collection collaborations  and received front-row, international  Fashion Week seats
next to some of the most notable figures in the couture world. A recent Financial  Times
article notes that being a style blogger is a perfectly respectable career for someone in the
fashion  industry.  The  social  web  has  removed  the  gatekeepers  of  an  industry  that  was
notoriously hard to penetrate and build a name in. These sites have succeeded because of the
quality of their content. While each is unique, they’ve built a cult following around their
areas of expertise and passion.
Through  social  networking  sites,  companies  can  interact  with  individual  followers.  This
personal interaction can infuse a feeling of loyalty into followers and potential customers.
Also, by choosing whom to follow on these sites, products can reach a very narrow target
audience.  Social  networking sites  also  include  a  vast  amount  of  information  about  what
products and services prospective clients might be interested in.  Through the use of new
Semantic Analysis technologies, marketers can detect buying signals, such as content shared
by people and questions posted online. Understanding buying signals can help salespeople
target relevant prospects and marketers run micro-targeted campaigns.
Mobile phones 
Mobile phone usage has also become beneficial for social media marketing. Today, many cell
phones have social networking capabilities: individuals are notified of any happenings on
social networking sites through their cell phones, in real-time. This constant connection to
social  networking sites means products and companies can constantly remind and update
followers about their capabilities, uses, importance, etc. Because cell phones are connected to
social networking sites, advertisements are always in sight. Also, many companies are now
putting QR codes  along with products  for  individuals  to  access  the  company website  or
online services with their smartphones.
Local businesses 
Small businesses also use social networking sites as a promotional technique. Businesses can
follow individuals’ social networking site uses in the local area and advertise specials and
deals. These can be exclusive and in the form of “get a free drink with a copy of this tweet”.
This type of message encourages other locals to follow the business on the sites in order to
obtain promotional deals. In the process, the business is getting seen and promoting itself
(brand visibility). 
Platforms for Social Media Marketing:
Twitter
Twitter allows companies to promote their  products on an individual level.  The use of a
product can be explained in short messages that followers are more likely to read. These
messages  appear  on followers’  home pages.  Messages  can link  to  the  product’s  website,
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Facebook profile, photos, videos, etc. This link provides followers the opportunity to spend
more time interacting with the product online. This interaction can create a loyal connection
between the product and the individual and can also lead to larger advertising opportunities.
Twitter promotes a product in real time and brings customers in.
Facebook 
Facebook  profiles  are  far  more  detailed  than  Twitter  accounts.  They allow a  product  to
provide videos, photos, and longer descriptions. Videos can show when a product can be used
as well as how to use it. These also can include testimonials as other followers can comment
on the product pages for others to see. Facebook can link back to the product’s Twitter page
as well as send out event reminders. Facebook promotes a product in real time and brings
customers in. As marketers see more value in social media marketing, advertisers continue to
increase  sequential  ad  spending  on  social  by  25%.  Strategies  to  extend  the  reach  with
Sponsored  Stories  and  acquire  new  fans  with  Facebook  ads  contribute  to  an  uptick  in
spending across the site. The study attributes 84% of "engagement" or clicks to Likes that
link back to Facebook advertising. Today, brands increase fan counts by an average of 9%
monthly, increasing their fan base by two times the amount annually.
Foursquare Four Square is a location-based social networking website, where users can check
into locations via their Smartphones. Foursquare allows businesses to create a page or create
a new/claim an existing venue. A good marketing strategy for businesses to increase footfall
or  retain  loyal  customers  includes  offering  incentives  such  as  discounts  or  free
food/beverages for people checking into their location or special privileges for the mayor of
that location.
Google+
Google+,  in  addition  to  providing  the  profiles  and features  of  Facebook,  is  also  able  to
integrate with the Google search engine. Other Google products are also integrated, such as
Google Ad words and Google Maps. With the development of Google Personalized Search
and other location-based search services, Google+ allows for targeted advertising methods,
navigation services, and other forms of location-based marketing and promotion.
Instagram 
Instagram is a free photo and video-sharing program and social network that was launched in
October 2010. The service enables users to take a photo or video, apply a digital filter to it,
and then share it with other Instagram users they are connected to on the social network as
well  as on a variety of social  networking services.  Instagram debuted as a photo-sharing
network but implemented support for video on June 2013. As of June 2013, Instagram had
130 million monthly active users.
Blogs 
Every day there are more reasons for companies to use blogging platforms for their social
media repertoire. Platforms like LinkedIn create an environment for companies and clients to
connect  online.  Companies  that  recognize  the  need  for  information,  originality,  and
accessibility employ blogs to make their products popular and unique, and ultimately reach
out to consumers who are privy to social media.
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Blogs allow a product or company to provide longer descriptions of products or services. The
longer description can include reasoning and uses. It can also include testimonials and can
link to and from Facebook, Twitter, and many social network and blog pages. Blogs can be
updated frequently and are promotional techniques for keeping customers. Other promotional
uses are acquiring followers and subscribers and directing them to your social network pages.
In  a  similar  fashion,  online  communities  benefit  businesses  because  online  communities
enable businesses to reach the clients of other businesses using the platform. These online
environments can be accessed by virtually anyone; therefore, consumers are invited to be a
part of the creative process. To allow firms to measure their standing in the corporate world,
Glassdoor is a site where employees can place evaluations of their companies.
Some businesses opt out of integrating social media platforms into their traditional marketing
regimen because their employees dislike such isolated online environments. There are also
specific corporate standards that apply when interacting online. Other corporations fear that
the general public has too much power over how their marketing is perceived, due to the
accessibility of Internet-retrieved information. To ensure having an advantage in a business-
consumer  relationship,  businesses  have  to  be  aware  of  four  key  assets  that  consumers
maintain: information, involvement, community, and control.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn,  a  professional  business-related  networking  site,  allows  companies  to  create
professional profiles for themselves as well as their business to network and meet others.
Through the use of widgets, members can promote their various social networking activities,
such as Twitter streams or blog entries of their product pages, onto their LinkedIn profile
page. LinkedIn provides its members the opportunity to generate sales leads and business
partners. Members can use “Company Pages” similar to Facebook pages to create an area that
will allow business owners to promote their products or services and be able to interact with
their customers. Due to the spread of spam mail sent to job seekers, leading companies prefer
to use LinkedIn for employee recruitment instead of using different job portals. Additionally,
companies have voiced a preference for the amount of information that can be gleaned from
LinkedIn profiles, versus a limited email.
YouTube
YouTube is  another  popular  avenue;  advertisements are  done in  a  way to suit  the target
audience. The type of language used in the commercials and the ideas used to promote the
product reflect the audience's style and taste.
 Also, the ads on this platform are usually in sync with the content of the video requested; this
is another advantage YouTube brings to advertisers. Certain ads are presented with certain
videos since the content is relevant. Promotional opportunities such as sponsoring a video is
also possible on YouTube, “for example, a user who searches for a YouTube video on dog
training may be presented with a sponsored video from a dog toy company in results along
with  other  videos”.  YouTube  also  enables  publishers  to  earn  money  through  YouTube
Partner Program.
Delicious & Digg
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Delicious and Digg are also popular social marketing sites that used social media promotion.
They are heavily used by social media marketers to promote their websites due to their ability
to share links.
Social media marketing tools
 Besides research tools, various companies provide specialized platforms and tools for social
media marketing:
• Social media measurement 
• Social network aggregation
• Social bookmarking 
• Social analytics 
• Automation 
• Social media 
• Blog marketing 
• Validation 
• Brand ambassador
Disadvantages of Social media marketing
Social media marketing provides organizations with a way to connect with their customers.
However, organizations must protect their information as well as closely watch comments
and concerns on the social media they use. A flash poll done on 1225 IT executives from 33
countries revealed that social media mishaps caused organizations a combined $4.3 million in
damages in  2010.  The top three  social  media  incidents  an organization faced during the
previous year included employees sharing too much information in public forums, loss or
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exposure of confidential information, and increased exposure to litigation. Due to the viral
nature of the internet, a mistake by a single employee has in some cases shown to result in
devastating consequences for organizations. 
An example of a social media mishap includes designer Kenneth Cole's Twitter mishap in
2011. When Kenneth Cole tweeted, "Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard
our  new  spring  collection  is  now  available  online  at  [Kenneth  Cole's  website]".  This
reference to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution drew an objection from the public; it was widely
objected to on the Internet. Kenneth Cole realized his mistake shortly after and responded
with a statement apologizing for the tweet. Numerous additional online marketing mishap
examples exist.  Examples include a YouTube video of a Domino's Pizza employee doing
unspeakable things to pizza ingredients, which went viral on the internet. A Twitter hashtag
posted by McDonald's in 2012 attracted attention due to numerous complaints and negative
events customers experienced at the chain store, and a 2011 tweet posted by a Chrysler Group
employee that  no one in  Detroit  knows how to drive11.  When the Link REIT opened a
Facebook  page  to  recommend  old-style  restaurants,  the  page  was  flooded  with  furious
comments criticizing the REIT for having forced a lot of restaurants and stores to shut down;
it had to terminate its campaign early amid further deterioration of its corporate image.
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CONTENT MARKETING
Content marketing is any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media
and publishing content in order to acquire customers. This information can be presented in a
variety of formats, including news, video, white papers, e-books, infographics, case studies,
how-to guides, question-and-answer articles, photos, etc. 
Content marketing is focused not on selling, but on simply communicating with customers
and  prospects.  The  idea  is  to  inspire  business  and  loyalty  from  buyers  by  delivering
"consistent, ongoing valuable information".
History: 
The following examples  demonstrate  the  early use of  content  to  disseminate information
about a brand, and build a brand's reputation:
• 1895: John Deere launched the magazine The Furrow, providing information to farmers on
how to become more profitable. The magazine considered the first custom publication, is still
in circulation, reaching 1.5 million readers in 40 countries in 12 different languages. 
•  1900:  Michelin  developed  the  Michelin  Guide,  offering  drivers  information  on  auto
maintenance, accommodations, and other travel tips. 35,000 copies were distributed for free
in this first edition. Although Michelin eventually began selling these books, the publication
still set a precedent for both informative guides and content marketing distribution. 
• 1904: Jell-O salesmen went door-to-door, distributing their cookbook for free. Touting the
dessert as a versatile food, the company saw its sales rise to over $1 million by 1906.
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The phrase "content marketing" was used as early as 1996, when Rick Doyle led a roundtable
for journalists at the American Society for Newspaper Editors. In 1998, Jerrell Jimerson held
the title of "director of online and content marketing" at Netscape. In12 1999, author Jeff
Cannon  wrote,  “In  content  marketing,  content  is  created  to  provide  consumers  with  the
information they seek.”
Who is using content marketing? 
Content  marketing  is  being  used  by some of  the  greatest  marketing  organizations  in  the
world, including P&G, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, and John Deere. It’s also developed and
executed by small businesses and one-person shops around the globe.
According to the 2013 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends research, 9
out  of  10  B2B marketers  are  using  content  marketing  –  regardless  of  company  size  or
industry. And they are doing what it takes to bring about desired results:
• On average,  B2B marketers employ eight different content marketing tactics to achieve
their marketing goals. 
• 60 percent report that they plan to increase their spending on content marketing over the
next 12 months. 
• Marketers, on average, spend over a quarter of their marketing budget on content marketing.
Content Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing: What’s the Difference? 
In social media marketing, the center of gravity — the focus of the marketing activity — is
located  within  the  social  networks  themselves.  When  marketers  operate  social  media
campaigns,  they  are  operating  inside  Facebook,  Twitter,  Google+,  etc.  As  they  produce
content, they place it inside these networks.
In contrast, the center of gravity for content marketing is a brand website — whether it is a
branded URL like AmericanExpress.com or a microsite for a brand’s specific product, like
Amex’s Open Forum. Social networks are vital to the success of content marketing efforts,
but here, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are used primarily as a distributor of links back to
the content on the brand’s website — not as containers of the content itself.
Types of content
In social media marketing, content is built to fit the context of the chosen social platform:
short  messages  in  the 140 characters  range for  Twitter;  contests,  quizzes,  and games for
Facebook, etc.
Evolution of online marketing
Social media marketing is top-of-mind for almost every marketing department, while content
marketing is a (relatively) new term and a new practice for many. 
The internet has unleashed a revolutionary ability for every brand to communicate directly
with its customers — without the need for a media industry intermediary.
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 Social media marketing is the natural first step in this process: Access to users is direct
(users spend tons of time on social networks), and content is generally formatted into shorter
chunks, which makes the publishing process relatively easy.
But as brands become more familiar with their new role as publishers, the natural progression
will be to move toward content marketing. Yes, the bar here is higher: In content marketing,
brands must produce longer-form, higher-quality content and build audiences on their own
site — they must become true media publishers. But the rewards and results are, arguably,
more  powerful.  Brands  can  engage  more  deeply  with  their  customers  through  content
marketing efforts.  And by driving consumers to its own website,  the brand has a greater
opportunity to gain leads and move them down the conversion funnel.
The 7 Business Goals of Content Marketing: 
Inbound Marketing Isn’t Enough What is inbound marketing?
“Inbound Marketing is about getting found online, through search engines and on sites like
Facebook and YouTube and Twitter…
Inbound  marketing  is  a  critical  component  of  the  new  rules  of  marketing.  Creating
compelling and valuable content and distributing that content through a variety of online
channels, as well  as getting active in online communities, are essential  for all  companies
today.
That  said,  if  you  only  focus  on  inbound  marketing,  you  will  fail  as  a  marketing
professional.
Why you need a content marketing mindset 
Content marketing is the practice of creating relevant and compelling content in a consistent
fashion  for  a  targeted  buyer,  focusing  on  all  stages  of  the  buying  process,  from brand
awareness  to  brand  evangelism.  Content  marketing,  unlike  inbound  marketing,  has  been
around for hundreds of years, most notably starting in 1895 with John Deere with The Furrow
magazine  (although  I  argue  that  the  cave  people  were  drawing  stories  on  walls  to  sell
products).
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While inbound marketing (as opposed to outbound marketing) and getting found online by
prospects  are  critical,  what  do  you  do  with  your  story  once  they  find  you?  If  content
marketing  were  a  football  field,  inbound  marketing  would  get  you  to  the  35-yard  line.
Definitely critical, but hard to score from that distance.
After inbound marketing, you need to lead nurturing. Once the lead is nurtured and becomes
a customer at some point, you need customer service content. What if you want to up sell or
cross-sell to the customer? Well, that’s a whole set of different content. What if your goal is
customer retention and loyalty? Well, that’s another content strategy as well. Lots of valuable
content spread out around the web will help you reach a few of your content marketing goals,
but not all of them.
Content marketing must include strategic planning, content creation, distribution, and metrics
for multiple stages of the buying cycle to multiple customer personas. In my view, that means
a complete content marketing strategy would incorporate inbound marketing principles, but it
would also take a more holistic approach to meeting a business’s overall marketing goals.
The business goals of content marketing: 
With content marketing, there are a number of overall business goals you could have: 
Brand awareness or reinforcement 
this is almost always the first thing that is thought of when you look at content marketing.
The goal may be that you are just trying to find a more effective way than advertising to
create awareness for your product or service. This is the long-tail strategy. Content marketing
is a great vehicle for that, as it’s organic, authentic, and a great way for you to start driving
engagement with your brand. Content marketing and inbound marketing overlap in this area.
Lead conversion and nurturing 
The most basic part of inbound marketing is the conversion metric. How you define a lead
will vary — but from a content marketing perspective, this is where you have (through the
exchange of engaging content) encouraged someone to give up enough information about
themselves that you now have permission to “market” to them. This can include signing up
for a “demo”, registering for an event, subscribing to your e-newsletter, or gaining access to
your Resource Center. Once you have the prospect’s permission, you can use content to help
move them through the buying cycle.
Customer conversion
In many cases, you already have a ton of content in this area. This is where, as marketers, we
have traditionally focused — the “proof points” to the sale. Examples include case studies
you send to your prospects that illustrate how you’ve solved the problem before — or the
“testimonials” section on your client page. Ultimately, this is the content you’ve created as a
marketer to illustrate to the hot prospect why your solution is better or will uniquely meet his
or her needs.
Customer service 
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this is where content marketing can really earn its “subscribe” stripes. How well are you
using content to create value or reinforce the customer’s decision AFTER the sale? This goes
well  beyond the user manual,  the documented process for success, and the FAQ on your
website.  These  are  the  best  practices  for  how to  use  your  product  or  service.  How can
customers get the MOST out of your product or service? What are the successful, innovative
ways that you’ve seen your product or service get extended into other solutions?
Customer loyalty/retention 
Just like you have a planned lead nurturing process to turn prospects into customers, you also
need a planned customer retention strategy. If your ultimate goal is to turn customers into
passionate subscribers who share your stories, this area needs major attention. Options may
be a customer e-newsletter or printed newsletter, a print or tablet magazine, or possibly a user
event or webinar series.
more  frequently  (certainly  not  in  a  creepy way)  and engage them with  additional  value.
Customer up-sell and customer retention goals can work hand-in-hand.
Passionate subscribers 
if  you  can  successfully  move  customers  to  this  stage,  you  have  really  accomplished
something. Content — and especially content generated by satisfied customers — can be one
of the most powerful ways for us to reach any business goal. This is when content marketing
starts to work for you exponentially. Apple Computer is the quintessential example of this.
Ask yourself what their content marketing strategy is. They have no social media presence.
They have no blog. But they have successfully built their passionate subscriber base — and
these people create fan sites, write, share, and evangelize the Apple brand. Your ultimate goal
should be to create a community of evangelists who are prepared to fight for your brand. 
So,  which  of  these  goals  makes  sense  for  your  content  marketing?  Maybe  it’s  only  an
inbound marketing initiative and you’re just trying to help drive more leads into the sales and
marketing process. Maybe you’re trying to create a program that increases awareness, drives
down the cost of organic traffic to your website,  and increases your position with search
engines. Maybe you are working to improve your customer retention rate.
Content marketing – Do you have a content marketing plan?
 Ever since the inception of the World Wide Web, there’s one thing that’s been at the core of
many a successful digital marketing effort and that’s good, relevant, fresh content. Every time
prospective client seeks information online, they are looking for speedy answers to questions
or solutions to a problem. What’s more, they are looking for answers or solutions that are
clear and concise. This is where great content marketing comes in. With the meteoric growth
in social media, solid content marketing becomes even more important and as a result, needs
to be at the forefront of all your online marketing plans.
So why is this? 
In  essence,  shoppers  have  become extremely  savvy!  Now, prior  to  making a  purchasing
decision, more and more people are searching for information, reviews, and product details
online before parting with their hard-earned cash.
This means that more than ever before there are now……. 
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 Increased channels where you need to establish a presence and provide quality information
 Increased competition that is only too willing to get your prospects’ attention 
 Increased access to speedy and up-to-date information
So, what’s the future for online marketing and what should you do? 
The insatiable need for great content isn’t going to go away and as such informative and
engaging content is, and always will be, king. All businesses need a clear and concise content
marketing strategy and therefore you need to look at….
 Your content marketing goals and what you hope to achieve 
 The type of information you want or need to publish 
 How often you’re going to publish your content? 
 Where are you going to publish and which channels are you going to use to promote it? 
 How are you going to measure your success?
The problem is that Content marketing isn’t as simple as writing a blog post or article and
sitting back and waiting for the traffic to start rolling in. Instead, you need to have a clear idea
about what you are looking to communicate and where or who you are going to communicate
it to. It also needs to be structured so that you get the maximum effect from every piece of
content you generate. Therefore, having the right mix of social media, SEO, email marketing
or article/blog marketing is the key.
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NIDM  -  Was  Founded  by  Shri  M.S.  Kumar,  India's  Top  Digital  Marketing
Faculty In the year 2011 with a vision to create Successful Careers in The
Digital Marketing Industry, With his expertise and guidance we have trained
more  than  30,000+  Students  and  2500+  Batches,  Students  from  20+
Countries, Trainees got placed in Top MNC companies in India and guided
over 100+ Startups.
NIDM (National Institute of Digital Marketing) Bangalore Is One Of The
Leading Digital  Marketing  Institute In  Bangalore,  India  And  We  Have
Brand Value For The Quality Of Education Which We Provide. Our Curriculum/
Courses  Are  Designed  with  Practical  knowledge  and  are  Fully  for  Job
Orientation Bases.
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