Originally written by Robyn Bloch & Francois Karstel | Revised & updated by Carina Claassens

The main difference between traditional advertising and content marketing is that the budget spent on traditional advertising is lost fairly soon after the campaign ends.

The effect that traditional advertising has on consumers is temporary, if there is any effect at all – print adverts are seen and, in most cases, forgotten, television ads are simply fast forwarded and commuters pay more attention to the road than they do to billboards. 

Traditional ads normally only last for the time that they are relevant. Consumers won’t remember them in a month or years’ time. Can you remember which adverts were broadcast a year ago? I definitely can’t. This leaves you with two options: run adverts persistently throughout the year, or, change your marketing strategy. 

With a content marketing strategy you accumulate content that keeps growing year upon year. Your database of email subscribers, RSS feed subscribers and social media followers increase. This whole database can be nurtured as relationships are built and sustained with both existing and potential clients. Clients go willingly to digital marketing agencies because they like what they see. They return over and over again. 

With a solid content marketing strategy you don’t start each campaign from scratch. You already have a database filled with clients and customers who are interested in what you have to offer. You also have a pool of interesting and informative information and articles that can feed and maintain your online image. If you post, let’s say, five articles per week on your blog, that’s 20 a month and 240 a year. If your content is evergreen it will always be relevant to your market, and if it’s not, there’s always content repurposing. 

Content marketing has a snowball effect. Imagine if you could take every single ad you’ve ever paid for and gain the cumulative effect of each of them. Or, in other words, have each ad campaign drastically influence and enhance your company and become a permanent influence. This is the exact groundwork that content marketing places for a company. Content marketing is also very measurable. Through Google Analytics you can measure almost everything and gain proper insight into what works and what doesn’t. You can be targeted and more specific when it comes to your client’s needs.

The days of “spray and pray” advertising are over, and content marketing is rapidly becoming a forerunner in the field. Content marketing is about establishing a foundation of interested clients and customers, along with the content that is necessary to keep them interested. This foundation is stable, constantly increasing and spreading far and wide. The money spent on a content marketing strategy is not wasted or lost – it’s a long term investment that will keep bringing in clients if managed and maintained properly.

Sound Idea Digital is a complete digital marketing agency. For more information, contact 012 66 44 227 or email to info@soundidea.co.za

Carina Claassens is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital l carina@soundidea.co.za l @SoundIdea | Sound Idea Digital l www.soundidea.co.za