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What Content Marketers Can Learn From Teachers

Content marketing is all about spreading ideas and educating consumers, in much the same way that teaching is about educating students. Content marketers can learn how to be better at their jobs by taking a lesson from traditional teaching methods.

Content marketers, like teachers, should have the goal to educate, uphold a calendar that goes along with the content, and target specific information to different audiences, says blogger Renee DeCoskey of Business 2 Community. DeCoskey, a former teacher, points out the interesting correlations between marketers and teachers.

First, DeCoskey warns marketers that they shouldn’t aim to sell, but to educate. She suggests posting information that audiences will take an interest in, rather than pushing products. An example of this type of content marketing was used by River Pools and Spas, a company with a site focused on “articles, facts, and videos about in-ground pools.” DeCoskey writes, “The content takes care of the selling for them because they educate the visitors and convert them to leads and, eventually, customers.”

As a teacher, DeCoskey learned that not everybody can be educated in the same fashion — some are visual learners, while others like to read. In addition to blog posts and pictures, she says marketers should expand to podcasts, videos, webinars, and infographics to really target a wider audience.

Lastly, keeping on schedule with an editorial calendar is similar to how teachers create lesson plans. DeCoskey writes, “Use editorial calendars to create different themes throughout the year that will align with your business or marketing goals and objectives. Then plan for content that lines up accordingly.”

Do your content marketing efforts align with these lessons learned from teachers?

Image courtesy of Flickr, George Eastman House

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