With today’s highly competitive marketplace, it has become increasingly difficult to capture new consumers and retain existing ones. Because of this, many companies are turning to a burgeoning inbound marketing strategy – content marketing. In fact, 58 percent of B2B marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget over the next 12 months, up from 54 percent last year, according to Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs’ fourth annual B2B Content Marketing: 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America report, sponsored by Brightcove.

During a recent panel discussion at ITEXPO 2014 titled “How Content Marketing Wins Customers” panelists Carrie Majewski, Director of Content Marketing, Content Boost TMC’s Custom Publishing Division, Malachi Threadgill (News - Alert), Director of Digital Strategy, ANPI and Jeff Dworkin, a B2B Marketing Consultant, discussed why businesses are turning to content marketing as an adjunct to their traditional marketing mechanisms and why they are experiencing growth as a result.

So how did the panelists define content marketing?  “Content marketing is developing fresh, valuable content and making it accessible to consumers,” said Malachi Threadgill, Director of Digital Strategy, ANPI. Whether B2B or B2C, content marketing fits any industry, said Carrie Majewski, Director of Content Marketing, Content Boost, TMC’s (News - Alert) Custom Publishing Division. “Content marketing will always fit with your audience because at the end of the day they are just like you,” added Majewski.

While content marketing has become the go-to marketing strategy, it’s important for companies to develop an effective strategy said panelists. Simply creating a blog or social media account without any strategy in place is not enough. Companies really need to start with a strategy first, said Dworkin, then understand what the end goal is and what vehicles you want to use to distribute content.

As for what types of content companies should produce, panelists agree that zeroing in on your consumers’ pain points and addressing them through the development of content should always be top of mind. “If your blog or social feed is too company-centric consumers won’t continue to engage with your brand. You want your content to speak to your customers pain points instead.” Moreover, a balance between company and industry news is critical, said Threadgill.  “We follow the 80/20 rule. That way we provide value and aren’t overselling ourselves.”

For companies that are nervous to jump into the content marketing pool, panelists suggest dipping your toes in first before you dive in head first. The good thing about content marketing is its growing and it’s here to stay. Because if you are not doing it “you’re competitors probably are.”

To learn more about ITEXPO (News - Alert) 2014 and all of the exciting sessions, speakers and exhibitors, click here.