You may have heard the term "content marketing" bouncing around in your business circles lately. Although it is a relatively new buzzword, the concept actually has quite a long history, dating back to the 18th century. One of the earliest examples of content marketing is when Benjamin Franklin first published "Poor Richard's Almanack" in 1732 to promote his printing business. The almanac contained content for readers that was needed, valuable and entertaining, which led to it becoming a recognized and respected publication.

What Is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is defined by the Content Marketing Institute as a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience, ultimately to drive profitable customer action. It is considered a subset of public relations, but the main difference is that PR already has an established audience through the journalists and outlets with whom you share your news, while content marketing creates its own audience through owned channels. It is also different from traditional marketing, which uses communication (such as email campaigns) to directly sell a product or service.