Content Marketing
Service description
Content marketing plans and produces articles, guides, case studies, newsletters and similar material that is useful to a business's customers, so they trust it before they buy. A provider usually sets the topics and calendar, writes or edits the pieces, publishes them and reports on what draws readers. It supports search visibility and demand generation but is a distinct service.
Common industries
Applies to any business that sells through research, especially B2B and professional services.
ROI
Compounding organic reach and sales enablement; steady B2B demand for a consistent content engine.
Benefit
Plan and produce content — articles, guides, thought leadership — that builds authority and feeds demand generation and SEO.
Why get it
Buyers research before they talk to sales. Useful content gets a business found and trusted during that research, and it keeps working after it is published. Content that hides sponsorship or overstates results creates legal exposure.
When you benefit
Ongoing: content is planned, published and measured on a regular cadence, typically month to month.
What it costs
Typically a monthly retainer.
When you pay
Providers commonly charge a monthly retainer for an agreed volume of content, or a fixed fee per piece. Strategy and calendar work is sometimes a separate up-front fee. Payment is usually due monthly or on delivery of each piece.
Other costs
Stock image or photo licenses, design for graphics, paid promotion of published pieces, and time from the business's own experts for interviews and review.
Risks to know
Content that doesn't match what readers need produces little. Legal exposure comes from sponsored posts or endorsements that don't disclose a paid relationship, and from claims the business can't support. The FTC treats deceptive advertising as unlawful even when it is styled as an article, and the advertiser stays responsible for what is published under its name.
When risks arise
Results build slowly, so a weak topic strategy often shows only after several months of publishing. Disclosure and claim problems are cheapest to fix before publication. Afterward they tend to surface through a complaint or a regulator's inquiry.
The process
The provider learns the audience and goals, proposes topics and a calendar, and drafts pieces for the business to review. After approval it publishes, adds the disclosures that apply, and reports on how the content performs so the plan can be adjusted.
Your commitment
The business explains its customers, offering and goals, gives the writers access to someone who knows the subject, and reviews drafts promptly. It tells the provider which claims it can back up, and discloses any paid or free arrangements with people who are quoted or featured.
Documents to gather
- A description of your customers, their questions and how they find you
- Your brand voice or style guidelines, if you have them
- Existing articles, case studies and sales material
- Names of in-house experts and customers willing to be quoted
Helpful reading
- Endorsements, Influencers, and Reviews — Federal Trade Commission
- FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking — Federal Trade Commission
Further research
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