Content marketing has been creating a helluva buzz in online business for a few years now — but while there’s plenty of hype, there ain’t a great deal of clarity when it comes to some basic questions.

Like:

What is content marketing?

Why is it so popular?

And the reason we’re all here today folks…

How can I get my hands on a chunk of all the money being made?

Well my fine gentlefriends, today is indeed your lucky day. Honest Bob is here with the answers! Let us proceed without further delay! Let us uncover the truth and lead you on a path to wealth, fame, and the fulfillment of all your dreams!

A little much? Yea, thought so. Couldn’t resist it though. Nevertheless, there are a good few nuggets of the truth hiding in that speechifying.

OK, Let’s get to it. What is Content Marketing?

Answer: Most everything online that isn’t a direct advert, but is intended to provoke an action that might lead to a product or service being sold. Which sounds a bit long-winded, to say the least!

Here’s how I see content marketing.

A short fiction story posted online, featuring the adventures of a honey-loving bear, a piglet, and a donkey, is not content marketing.

Should that same story suggest that the bear likes a particular brand of honey, and that you really ought to try it — that’s content marketing.

If you find a video on Youtube showing you how to change the muffler on your 2014 Jeep, that’s not content marketing.

If, at the end of the video, the mechanic recommends a particular brand of wrench to make the job quicker and easier — that’s content marketing.

So what about this article? The one you’re reading now. Is it content marketing? Yep.

Even though it doesn’t sell honey or wrenches? Absolutely.

I’m writing it as part of a core set of articles covering affiliate marketing, content marketing and SEO. They answer important questions that often get asked by people new to making money online, or who are looking to promote their internet business.

These articles will appear on at least two venues online, and will inevitably attract some attention. Of the people who read them, some will need the services that I recommend through my website. Or maybe they’ll join my mailing list for more info, and then buy something else somewhere down the line.

However it works out, there’s the potential for me to gain some financial reward (yaay!)

But the ways you can use content marketing isn’t really why were here today. We’re explaining what content marketing is, not how it can be used (join my newsletter if you don’t want to miss the next installment).

In the case of these articles, I’m working on the long game. It’s not as direct as suggesting you buy a nice pot of honey, but it’s a valid approach for the circumstances, and it serves to illustrate the flexibility of content marketing.

Adverts are not content marketing. They’re big, flashy direct banners saying “Buy Me! Buy Me! Buy Me!” OK, they might soften the approach with some features and benefits, or by making comparisons with the competition, but you know exactly what they’re doing: it’s straight up selling.

Content marketing is something that most people are largely unaware of. The product or service is secondary to the information being provided, which is frequently in the form of a helpful article.

BUT… what that article really is, is a baited hook, and somewhere not too far away, there’s something to buy.

The chances of a sale being made are increased because the product or service is relevant to the information being searched for. So the honey-loving bear isn’t selling wrenches — he’s selling honey. Geddit?

Here’s a real-world example:

I wrote some articles for a client at the start of the year. They focus on the various attractions of a certain holiday destination. Where to go, what to see, etc. My client runs a chain of hotels in that area and posted the articles on their blog.

Their prospective customers don’t need to be searching for the hotels — they just need to be looking for things to do around there. When they read the tightly-focused articles I wrote, they’ll see the rooms and restaurants on that page too. The offer is highly relevant to their needs, increasing the likelihood that some will make a reservation.

So for a modest investment (content marketing is usually way cheaper than direct advertising), the hotel chain has the chance to attract more custom. What’s more, because the subjects are what we call ‘evergreen’ — the info will continue to be useful for a long period of time — that content marketing will carry on working for years, with no further spend on their part.