Many marketers hail the benefits of content marketing, but is it as glamorous at those who have found success proclaim?

PROS

1. You create an emotional reaction. However, you need to create meaningful content to spark this emotional response. If you succeed, you can draw in readers, build a following, and gain their loyalty. On social media, this emotional bond is crucial; people share content they find uplifting and that they think can affect others in a similar way.

2. You increase your chances of going viral. This follows the same idea as making emotional content: when you develop a content marketing strategy that provides valuable and entertaining material, you encourage people to share this information. Good content will resonate with many people– and soon, more and more will start talking about your message.

Make this these traits inherent in your content and you will find your followers searching for content you have created to share with others and boost their own reputation.

3. You become a reliable source for information. This is about the combination of your devotion to producing consistently strong content and the loyalty of your following. If you continually create a message and material that moves people, you will make a formidable reputation for yourself as a thought and/or industry leader.

This takes time, the ability to accurately communicate your message, and mastering an understanding for the needs of your target audience. Yet, it is the ultimate goal should you wish to achieve as a social leader.

4. Your content attracts relevant clients and customers. A strong content marketing strategy means dedicating time, energy and effort to your final product – over and over again. While producing high-quality, targeted information is often sweat-worthy, it is worth the price.

Thoughtful and detailed work won’t move every Jane Doe to tears, but those who find themselves immerse in your content will prove to behighly relevant information consumers. The people with whom your content resonates have already committed to an investment in your ideas, simply by reading your work.

CONS

1. It is not easy. It takes a substantial amount of diligence and organization to manage a thoughtful content marketing strategy. If you are not willing to invest in the right (and qualified) people to create and direct your content marketing campaign, or allow the time for the strategy to have a fair chance to succeed – your efforts will fall short. Content marketing is rewarding, but it is tough and often time consuming.

2. It is not free – and there are hidden costs. This is touched on above. Creating a strong campaign means financially investing in the people and tools that can help propel your content. This does not just mean content creators, curators and directors – it means online marketers, social media/community managers, and sales representatives to ensure the incredible content moves forward to a large and relevant audience.

3. It can be hard to stray from “traditional” forms of marketing.Maybe you are ready to launch a new and fresh content marketing campaign, but your company superiors find the budget is better spent running ads and collecting email addresses to bombard with updates.

Stick with the fight. While some are slow to adapt, today’s online consumers require more dedication and intricacy than traditional “buyers.” Exposed to an endless and overwhelming amount of material, they want higher quality information. They expect to be entertained, as well as informed, and they are looking to be inspired.

CONCLUSION

The “Cons” of content marketing are indeed challenges, but are not true reasons for discouraging content marketing engagement. The efforts that are required to succeed using this method of marketing and communication are well worth the costs.

This post was originally published on exploreB2B.