It is said that the average individual sees between 6,000 and 10,000 ads per day. Even though only a quarter of those may be relevant to the individual, it still sounds like an extremely high number, right? Well, let’s think about everything we consume in a day. We search Google 3+ times per day and we are also exposed to most of the following: social media, TV, radio, podcasts, streaming services, print media, billboards, etc. So, it’s obvious that businesses have several ways to create and distribute information to consumers about their product or service. Two of the most common strategies to do so are by using content marketing and/or paid advertising.
Let’s look at some of the differences, benefits, and examples between content marketing and paid advertising.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is any form of marketing that is centered around creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online. Businesses often use this strategy to take advantage of the following benefits: raise brand awareness, generate leads and conversions, boost credibility within their industry, create loyal brand ambassadors, and to increase consumer engagement. 91% of B2B and 86% of B2C marketers are incorporating content marketing into their overall strategy. Although content marketing is a lower cost option than paid advertising, and the goal is to grow things organically, it is a long game and businesses should not expect immediate results. These are some of the content marketing tactics we employ at A3 Media:
Publish two weekly blog articles
Publish weekly video content
Publish daily social media content on 9+ pages
Share industry related posts with commentary on social media pages
Publish client case studies
Paid Advertising
Paid advertising is any form of advertising that a marketer or company pays for. Most may think of digital and social media ads when they hear the term paid advertising, and that is what we are going to focus on here, but don’t forget there are traditional options like TV, radio, print, and out of home, which can be very helpful and also be included in the paid advertising category.
One of the differences of paid ads compared to content marketing is there is no waiting to find your customers organically. Things move much faster, advertisers are specifically targeting their audience and then paying to reach them. Some benefits include the following: it’s measurable, provides fast results, predictable returns, expands brand reach, and it builds a strong social presence. It’s important to remember that paid advertising will always require a budget to run the ads, it will also require time spent analyzing data and measuring the results.
Here are a few of the more common types of paid advertising used by many companies including A3 Media:
Social Media Ads
Search Engine Result Ads
Display Ads on websites
Retargeting Ads to web visitors
Video Ads / CTV and OTT
Which is Best for My Business? Content Marketing or Paid Advertising?
The simple answer is both! Your business should be utilizing both strategies. For many businesses content marketing is a more cost-effective option, especially when the goal is expanding your audience. Brands want to publish content to establish their voice as an industry expert, boost their SEO, and make their business a reliable resource that consumers will trust in the future.
With paid advertising, there are more options for specific audience targeting. Things like creating customer personas and targeted ads based on demographics and search history are common practice. The focus is more on seeing the highest return on investment (ROI). Decision makers want to be shown how far their marketing dollars will go and exactly what they will get back. A Google Economic Impact Report found that businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on Google Ads.
Those in a B2B industry may lean towards using content marketing as an effective way to get their name or brand out there as opposed to those in a B2C industry, who rely on customers to find them by searching for what they need. The bottom line is paid advertising can create some direct results and get your product or service in front of your desired audience in the quickest way. Businesses also need content marketing to tell their story and provide useful information. People don’t always want to be sold to, sometimes they want to just gather information and educate themselves before making a commitment. In the end, it’s a mix of both strategies that will likely provide the best results for your business. The more lead sources the better!