Getting Started In Content Marketing

Last week, Content Marketing Institute explored How to Explain the Value of Content Marketing. This week, the topic is How to Get Started in Content Marketing and the question, “If a marketing organization is new to content marketing, how do you suggest they get started?”

The following content marketers offered their take:

Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen)
Doug Kessler (@dougkessler)
Ahava Leibtag (@ahaval)
Amanda Maksymiw (@amandamaksymiw)
Katie McCaskey (@KatieMcCaskey)
Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
Tom Pisello (@tpisello)
Lisa Petrilli (@LisaPetrilli)
Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)
Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)
Jennifer Watson (@ContextComm)
CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore)

I particularly like Doug Kessler's succinct suggestion to create great content that addresses what prospects care most about and where your company excels - i.e, the "overlap zone" - and Katie McKaskey's "think like the shopkeeper from yesteryear".

Here is my contribution:

I like what Joe Pulizzi described in last week’s post about getting people and content together in a room to discuss how customers and content relate. Getting started with content marketing requires understanding what assets and processes already exist and how and why they are used to build relationships with customers.

That then triggers discussion about the marketplace and how the company creates value for customers.

From there, you can start to piece together a bigger picture perspective, a content strategy, a rough content calendar and a strong sense for where gaps and opportunities exist for content marketing.

What is your take on the question? How would you get started in content marketing?