51 CONTENT MARKETING HACKS INTRODUCTION Let’s begin with some important definitions and an explanation of the common problem… What is “Content Marketing”? Here are two definitions from ContentMarketingInstitute.com: 1. Formal Definition - Content marketing is the marketing and business process for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action. 2. Less Formal Definition – Content Marketing is owning, as opposed to renting media. It’s a marketing process to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating content in order to change or enhance a consumer behavior. My Personal Definition – Content marketing is the creation (or curation) of engaging content for the express purpose of gaining the attention and favor of a certain group, so that they will be persuaded to do business with an individual, business, or organization. What is a “Hack”? UrbanDictionary.com defines “hack” as this: a clever solution to a tricky problem. EXAMPLE: to hack is to modify or change something in an extraordinary way. The Common Problem Creating content to market your business or organization can be an incredibly powerful tool. But there’s a problem. In a world where content has become a commodity, and there are pages of search results for any topic you choose, creating engaging content that stands out from the generic norm has become incredibly important. With those definitions and this common problem in mind, the purpose of this book is to give you 51 “clever solutions” to the problems that individuals, businesses, and organizations face when it comes to creating engaging content ©2015 Scott Aughtmon #51contentmarketinghacks 9