Content marketing is now a pillar in corporate marketing programs. And for good reason. It’s taken traditional marketing – where marketers would simply market products and services, and turned it on its head. It’s completely focused on developing relationships and delivering real value to prospects and customers.

And this aligns with the adage of not selling to visitors but making them want to buy.

So in this post, I’ll cover 3 content marketing essentials. The basics you need to kick-start your content marketing program. Let’s get started.

A Corporate Blog

A blog is the pillar of any corporate content marketing program. It’s an informal platform that allows you to target unique topics and share knowledge and insights.

And by targeting unique topics relevant to your niche, you can drive a ton of prospects to your site, all at different stages of the buying cycle.

What’s also important to keep in mind is that a blog opens the door to other content marketing essentials…

…Like your email marketing program.

Active Email Marketing Program

Once your visitors see value from your blog, they’ll want more. And you can offer more through an email subscription.

A subscription does what a blog does essentially, and that is building a relationship. But email marketing takes relationship development much further.

Here’s where you can share your new posts, company updates, and marketing collateral like case studies.

You can also use it to build up momentum for gated content you plan on launching, like an industry report. This is where you create a landing page designed around your marketing collateral, and exchange the gated content for lead information. Keep reading for more on this third content marketing essential.

Gated Content

Gated content is where content marketing begins to pay concrete dividends in terms of real business goals. But there is a catch to creating gated content. And that is to create value.

Because unlike a blog, or an email, gated content needs to deliver tangible value. I’m not saying blog posts or emails don’t add value, they do. But in a different way. They add value more in the sense of relationship development. Where gated content is focused on converting visitors into prospects.

And it’s this type of tangible value that warrants an exchange of content for lead data.

3 Content Marketing Essentials for Corporate Marketing Programs

These are 3 essentials to a corporate content marketing program. And almost every Enterprise is taking advantage of them. But it’s how you take advantage of these essentials that separates successful programs from the rest.

For blogs, it’s about sharing relevant insights on a regular basis. And not simply using your blog as an extension of your company news. For email, it’s about tapping into the right messaging and getting subscribers to return to your site on regular basis. And finally, for gated content, it’s about creating content that has tangible value.

Are there any other content marketing essentials you would add to the list? Let me know in the comments below.