Consumers are quickly making traditional marketing a thing of the past. They no longer have to sit and watch TV commercials if they have a DVR because they can skip them. They have also developed banner blindness for online banner ads.

The marketer takes note of these changing trends and moves on to the next plateau in marketing, which is marketing using content.

If Google “defines content marketing”, you will see the following definition:

It is “the business and marketing process to create and distribute relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience, with the goal of driving profitable customer action.”

Customers are so used to the constant sales pitches they find online that they are drowning out. Today’s consumer wants so much more. They have a mindset when they land on a website. Don’t let this surprise you but they are not looking for a way to make your day by buying your product. Instead they ask “what’s in it for me.”

Content marketing allows you to answer customer questions about “what’s in it for me?” With free and useful information that will help the client to achieve their goal. When done correctly, the information that is provided free of charge also helps the customer to solve problems.

Marketing using relevant content is thriving now and is here to stay. People always need useful information. Since ancient times, when cavemen wrote on the walls, people have been looking for written information to help them in a search. Well, the Internet is here to help man with his present and future missions. More than 2 billion people use the Internet. Sure, people are using the web to chat and play games, but the vast majority of these people use the internet to search for information.

Note that I have said that marketing using relevant content is here to stay. Fraudulent content used to intimidate you in a sales relationship is fast becoming a thing of the past. Customers are tired of that kind of marketing. Additionally, Google has cracked down on such marketing with its Panda and Penguin updates. Matt Cutts, executive and head of Google’s web spam team, emphasizes “raising the bar for quality” of content.

Content marketing, when done right, closes the communication gap between you and the consumer. It gives you the opportunity to offer useful information to your customers. The answer to this freely given value is usually more sales and customer loyalty.