1 Learn the concept
Content marketing is an important part of growing your business online. Instead of interrupting people with ads, you attract them with useful or interesting content that helps them solve a problem. Over time that builds trust, brings visitors from search and social media, and makes selling easier. This lesson explains the main benefits of adopting a content marketing approach.
2 See it in action
- Attract: helpful content is found through search and sharing.
- Build trust: people buy from sources they know and respect.
- Last longer: a good article can bring visitors for years.
- Support sales: content answers questions before a customer asks.
Worked example
Content for a plumbing company
Attract: a guide titled "What to do when a pipe freezes".
Engage: a short video showing how to shut off the main valve.
Convert: a button to book an inspection before winter.
Keep: an annual maintenance reminder email.
Result to look for: more calls from people who found the guide before they needed a plumber.
3 Study an example
Real-world case study
HubSpot: teaching first, selling second
What they did. HubSpot, founded in 2006, built its business around educational content. It published blog posts on marketing topics at high volume and offered free tools, including a website grader that gave visitors a score and asked for an email address. Reports from growth publications describe the blog as its top lead source.
What happened. The company went public in 2014. Industry write-ups credit the content engine with a large share of its leads, though exact figures vary by source and year.
What to take away. The content taught the exact skills the product supported, so readers arrived already believing in the approach. Your content should answer the questions your future customers ask before they buy.
Figures come from secondary sources and change over time. Check a current source before quoting any number.
Sources Databox: how the HubSpot blog drives visits · GrowthHackers: HubSpot's growth engine
4 Apply it and download
- List five questions your customers ask.
- Turn each into a content idea.
- Write one benefit you want from content.
Worksheet Editorial calendar and content brief templateOpen, print or save as PDF