What is #content, and what can it do for you?

So what is content, exactly?

Content is a broad term that refers to anything created and uploaded to a website: the words, images, tools, or other things that reside there. All of the pages on your web site, then, are content: the home page, the About Us page, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the product information pages, and so on. All of the things you create as part of those pages or as part of #marketing - your videos, blogs, photographs, webinars, white papers, eBooks, podcasts, and so on - are content, too.

And finally; all of the things you publish at outposts that are off of your own site - your Facebook page, your Twitter stream, your LinkedIn group page, for example - are forms of content.

Obviously; you don't have to publish through all of those channels to have a noticeable online presence. As you'll see with the companies we profile, your online content can take countless forms depending on various factors: the needs and preferences of your audience your goals, your company's expertise and brand as well as available time, talent, and budget.

You can use the concepts in this blog to infuse all of your web content with energy, life, purpose, and value. But here we focus on how to create content for marketing: creating and sharing relevant, valuable information that attracts people to you and creates trust, credibility, and authority (among other things) for your business and that ultimately converts visitors and browsers into buyers.

That's precisely the point of creating killer content - to convert browsers into buyers and customers into regulars or (better yet) rabid fans, ambassadors, and advocates. you do that by deepening your relationship with them, over time, by repeatedly and consistently creating content they care about and want to share freely with their friends or colleagues, and by encouraging them to engage with you and to sign up for things you publish (like an e-mail newsletter or a webinar) or to download a white paper or an ebook.

"The one who has the more engaging content wins, because frequent and regular contact builds a relationship" that offers lots of opportunities for conversion, says Joe Pulizzi, author (with Newt Barrett) of Get Content, Get Customers (McGraw-Hill, 2009). "Advertising is a luxury," Joe says, "but content is survival."

Note: This is probably a good time to make a distinction between content and copywriting. The two are often confused, but web content isn't the same thing as copywriting. Copywriting is about using words to promote through advertising, sales collateral, brochures, or other marketing messages that interrupt - like radio or television advertising or direct mail. (Confusing things further, "copy" was used in the newsrooms Ann worked in to refer to news articles and other content prior to editing and printing - but that's a whole other story.)

Done right, the content you create will position your company not as just a seller of stuff, but as a reliable source of information. And its benefits compound, adds social media strategy consultant Jay Baer, Who calls content an Information annuity: (Don't you love that phrase?) Likewise, Marcus Sheridan of River pools calls content "the ultimate gift that keeps on giving." (More on Marcus and River Pools in a minute.)

Unlike other kinds of marketing, content marketing "doesn't have an expiration date," What you create online will be searchable indefinitely. "It generates Web traffic (via search and social media linkages) and helps remove purchase impediments everyday of every month. Your potential customers have questions about your company, your products, your services, your competitors. Creating and propagating smart, optimized content that succinctly answers those questions is that most direct line to sales and loyalty."

Specifically, creating content as a cornerstone of your marketing can:

• Attact customers.
• Educate your buyers about a purchase they are considering.
• Overcome resistance or address objections.
• Establish your credibility, trust, and authority in your industry.
• Tell your story.
• Build buzz via social networks.
• Build a base of fans and inspire customers to love you.
• Inspire impulse buys.

Does it seem weird to talk about your marketing as inspiring or credible or trustworthy, or telling a good story? Does it seem radical? Does it make your a bit skeptical and nervous all at once? If so, why?

Perhaps such descriptors are more often applied in other realms - to a favorite magazine or newspaper, or mae even to a friend - rather than marketing. But why not steer your marketing to another level? Why not create value? Why not provide your customers with steady flow of high-value content that, as marketer describes, is "packed with utility, seeded with inspiration, and that is honestly empathetic." "Anything less will not suffice in a world where consumers can simply click away or spin around and mount a web-wide counterattack on brands that refuse to walk their talk."

In other words, create awesome stuff! And then use what your create as the foundation of meaningful conversations to engage with your customers. Regards your content as something more: as something other than just words and images on a page - as an extension of your brand. just as a person is more than flesh and bones and hair and teeth, good content, too, is more than tet and graphics and video. It's an embodiment of your brand. It's designed to inspire people to read more or view more, or et to know and love your company a little more. Good content can quickly become the soul of your brand to the online world.

Web content allows visitors to get involved - to comment and share and engage and click here. It's been said that "If you are consuming old media, your are consuming it on your couch. If you are consuming new media, you are consuming it on your horse."

What it meant was that online content both invites and demands that its participants be engaged, involved, and active - always moving forward. Old Media, like TV and other forms of broadcast, just ask that we passively sit and watch.

Content drives conversations. Conversation engages your customers. Engaging with people is how your company will survive and thrive in this newly social world. In other words, online content is a powerful envoy for your business, with an ability to stir up interest, further engagement, and invite connection. And that's when things get interesting.