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Speaking as an agency owner, I've seen a massive shift of marketing budgets away from advertising and into content marketing. Adding value through content has a

Speaking as an agency owner, I've seen a massive shift of marketing budgets away from advertising and into content marketing. Adding value through content has always been the most predictable, sustainable way to build inbound customer acquisition. Businesses are now realizing the ROI of paid channels continues to diminish (if it was ever really there at all given how fake many of the reported metrics seem to be). Instead they are finally understanding that their role isnt to shove marketing messages down peoples throats, but instead to earn their attention via the value their content can add to existing needs. Content + PR will become the defacto way most companies market themselves, where PR is just multi-channel distribution of the content being created by the brand.

cm2012 5y ago
For many B2B companies its a mix - promoting gated content through paid ads is the most ROI efficient way to make ads work at scale. Source: Own a fast growing B2B ads agency.
- kristintynski 5y ago
  Content distribution through paid channels can definitely work well, especially if what you are running ads on are earned media placements talking about you/your content. Gated content can work exceptionally well if it is valuable enough, and not just an obvious attempt to grab contact info.
ohazi 5y ago
So meaningful search results are going to get even worse. Ugh.
- otabdeveloper4 5y ago
  Yes. "Content marketing" is also called "paid shilling". Not a win for the consumer or for ethics.
- marcosdumay 5y ago
  Think of them as contextual advertisement, instead of tracking one. In other words, digital advertisement is moving into a shitty badly designed copy of the form it had at the time it used to bring exceptional ROI.
jklinger410 5y ago
This is a net positive for advertising agencies which will gradually be unable to "prove" their ROI. Going back to the old days of spots and Nielsen ratings.
- YXNjaGVyZWdlbgo 5y ago
  Thats the wrong fallacy advertising agencies know that online advertising numbers are bullshit but the marketing people on client side really like big numbers to impress their bosses.

cm2012 5y ago

For many B2B companies its a mix - promoting gated content through paid ads is the most ROI efficient way to make ads work at scale. Source: Own a fast growing B2B ads agency.

kristintynski 5y ago
Content distribution through paid channels can definitely work well, especially if what you are running ads on are earned media placements talking about you/your content. Gated content can work exceptionally well if it is valuable enough, and not just an obvious attempt to grab contact info.

ohazi 5y ago

So meaningful search results are going to get even worse. Ugh.

otabdeveloper4 5y ago
Yes. "Content marketing" is also called "paid shilling". Not a win for the consumer or for ethics.
marcosdumay 5y ago
Think of them as contextual advertisement, instead of tracking one. In other words, digital advertisement is moving into a shitty badly designed copy of the form it had at the time it used to bring exceptional ROI.

jklinger410 5y ago

This is a net positive for advertising agencies which will gradually be unable to "prove" their ROI. Going back to the old days of spots and Nielsen ratings.

YXNjaGVyZWdlbgo 5y ago
Thats the wrong fallacy advertising agencies know that online advertising numbers are bullshit but the marketing people on client side really like big numbers to impress their bosses.