Traditional Marketing Strategies aren't working anymore?? Its an era of 'Content Marketing'

Consumers have shut off the traditional world of marketing. They skip television advertising, often ignore magazine advertising, and now have become so adept at online “surfing” that they can take in online information without a care for banners or buttons (making them irrelevant).

Here enters 'Content Marketing', which is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without direct sales promotion. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.

Jose Vasquez, a serial entrepreneur and tech enthusiast is dedicated to helping startup technology companies get the direction and momentum they need to succeed. As the founder of "Build. Brand. Blast.", Jose has established a collective resource for tech entrepreneurs to consult when brainstorming, creating, launching, or expanding a new business. He has some vital inputs with regards to Content Marketing which is explained below.

Content marketing gets a lot of buzz these days, and for good reason. It only costs time to create, it sticks around forever, it helps your search engine rankings, it improves your visibility, it reinforces your brand, and it encourages people to buy from you, in short all in one small package.

That being said, certain types of content work and certain types do not. Be sure you're using these eight types of content in your strategy:

1. Opinion pieces. Even if it's controversial, state your opinion boldly. You'll get attention and encourage discussion no matter what.

2. Company accomplishments and directives. Press releases are perfect for capturing these, but you can also run with them in blog posts.

3. Instructions and guides. "How-to" articles are incredibly popular, especially if you include step-by-step instructions with pictures and videos.

4. Statistics and trends. Infographics are the best content medium for these, but you can also analyze them in a blog. Be sure to reference all facts appropriately.

5. Product spotlights. If you have a new product featured, or are using something new in your business -- write about it! Be as objective and informative as possible, and don't make it a sales piece.

6. Business interviews. Interview someone within your company or someone big in the industry.

7. Specific advice. If your customers or your audience have common problems, write an advice-style column to address it.

8. Questions and answers. Short Q&A features are very popular, and are great for optimizing your website for long-tail keywords in the form of questions.

Below are the "Don'ts":

• Pushy or blatant sales content. Your blog shouldn't be home to digital sales flyers. Your goal is to be an authority, not a billboard.
• Copied or plagiarized content. Never copy and paste unless you're quoting someone, and if you're expanding on someone else's content, be sure to put your own spin on it.
• Keyword-stuffed content. If you pack keywords into your blogs for the sole purpose of gaining ranks, you'll be fishing for a Google penalty and alienating your readers.

It will take some time to find your voice and perfect your strategy, but once you do, you'll be reaping the benefits of your hard work in no time.