#16: What's the Difference Between Messaging and Content Marketing?
The MessageUp Newsletter | Edition 16
Hello there!
There’s a whole lot of confusion going on when it comes to messaging, content marketing, and whether the two are synonymous or different beasts. You can see the terms being used loosely—and often interchangeably—across the internet and social media.
Today’s post on The Framework blog sets out to differentiate between the two terms and to explain how they relate to one another. As a primer to the post, Understanding the Difference Between Messaging and Content Marketing, let’s just say they have quite different meanings and purposes and, contrary to some published opinion, not all content marketing need contain your company’s messaging.
With that hornets’ nest thoroughly stirred, let’s move on to some interesting articles we’ve been reading. There’s one from tech review site G2 about why UGC matters and how to use it effectively, as well as insightful pieces on how B2B marketers can use Pinterest, using topic clusters as part of your SEO strategy, tips on writing comparison blogs, and what Meta’s new B2B Advertising Audiences mean for B2B marketers. Scroll down to What We’ve Been Reading for more details and the links.
This week’s actionable One Step comes from component E of the MessageUp content marketing framework, Evaluation and Evolution. It asks the question: what’s changing in your world and how is that reflected in your content marketing strategy? If there’s one thing we know for sure, not all content written today will be accurate and relevant tomorrow. The secret to success, as ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky would have it, is skating to where you think the (content) puck is headed next.
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~ Team MessageUp
Our Latest Posts on The Framework Blog
Aug 24, 2022 - Understanding the Difference Between Messaging and Content Marketing
Aug 17, 2022 - Are You Into Content Marketing or Marketing Content?
What We’ve Been Reading
Here are some articles we’ve been reading this week that you might enjoy and find helpful:
User-Generated Content: (Actually) Putting Customers First
User-generated content (UGC) has been growing in popularity as B2B buyers move increasingly online and struggle to establish authentic relationships with vendors. This comprehensive guide compiled by Bridget Poetker at G2 covers why UGC matters, how to use it, some B2B examples, and what software you can employ to manage the process.
How B2B Content Marketers Can Take Advantage of Pinterest
We don't often talk about Pinterest as a preferred channel for B2B content marketing but this guide by 1827 Marketing offers some helpful suggestions on evaluating the potential for using Pinterest at your business. Sometimes, doing something different is the best way to stand out from the crowd.
How to Level-Up Your Content Marketing With a Topic-Cluster Plan
Amy Bock from Bora, writing for MarketingProfs, explains what topic clusters are and why taking advantage of them is becoming an essential element in SEO strategy as search engine algorithms become more complex.
18 Great Examples of Comparison Blog Articles and Content
This article by Kimberly Marshall at IMPACT includes a mix of B2B and B2C examples but offers helpful insights into writing comparison blog posts, which remain one of the best performing content types because of the help and value they offer your target audience.
Meta Launches New B2B Advertising Audiences to Help Marketers Reach Key Decision Makers
With privacy concerns leading major carriers to restrict data tracking, content platforms are finding new ways to stay relevant. Here, Andrew Hutchinson reports for Social Media Today on Meta's new B2B Target Audience Segments, designed to help B2B marketers reach relevant decision makers via Facebook and other Meta-owned platforms.
One Step…
Component E of the MessageUp content marketing framework deals with Evaluation and Evolution. This includes measuring how your content performs, taking steps to optimize that performance, and working to continuously evolve your content strategy so that you remain relevant and helpful to your target audience.
For this week’s actionable step, ask yourself: What’s changing in my company’s world and how is that reflected in our content marketing strategy?
Not all content that your company is publishing today will be accurate and relevant tomorrow. Some pieces will stay evergreen but many will become dated and eventually obsolete as the market, technology, your customers’ needs and preferences change. The secret to success, as ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky would have it, is skating to where you think the (content) puck is headed next.
By observing your market for trends—especially when they are emergent and still largely being ignored by your customers and competitors—you can anticipate change and produce content that’s fresh and relevant, and seems almost prescient.
Until Next Time
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