“If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.” – Maya Angelou.
You have probably heard something that comes close to this quote somewhere in your life, and as cheesy as it may sound, it’s somewhat true.
Understanding content marketing from those who pioneered and developed it into the techniques widely used today can give you a clear view of where you need to aim your efforts.
Please stick with me through this, i’ll do my best to provide you with a well-rounded knowledge of content marketing and point you in the right direction.
Where Did Content Marketing Originate?
Once upon a time, in a much different world, neanderthals everywhere would participate in movie nights with their family.
They would depict their days into paintings that would describe the world they saw around them.
They would tell stories of their great exhibitions and the journeys to provide dinner for their families and loved ones.
Now obviously, this interpretation isn’t from first-hand experience, but this is what I imagine was happening in their downtimes surrounding the fire pit at night.
The oldest forms of proof are said to have been found in some caves in Malaga, Spain.
History, painted on cave walls for the world to see to this very day.
When Did Content Marketing Become Popular?
Like we went over in the above section, content marketing has been around for quite some time.
But that was more or less unintentional.
Our predecessor neanderthal cousins most likely weren’t intentionally using their form of content marketing (cave paintings) to sell their latest and greatest pet rocks…. That we know of, at least.
The term content marketing didn’t intentionally start getting thrown around to describe a form of advertising until the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th.
This is where everything started to pick up momentum, and advertisers began taking a different approach to selling their products.
Companies like john deer started to publish consumer magazines that gave valuable agricultural information and tips alongside ads for the proper equipment to help get the job done right.
In the eyes of the consumer, it was a huge game-changer.
More farmers everywhere were turning towards john deer for their fantastic equipment than ever before!
Arguably, this was the turning point of the century that led to other companies like Jello, Michelin, Sears and so many more to start using the same strategy to their advantage.
A Summarized Timeline Of Content Marketing History
It’s always fun to see how things develop and grow over time.
Many companies have used content marketing to get the upper edge over their competitors, and it is worth showcasing the ones that made the landscape of marketing what it is today.
(a very, very, very long time ago) Cave paintings
our distant ancestors used to tell their life stories with illustrations and wall art. There is still evidence of this left for the world to see in Malaga, Spain.
Picture source: scitechdaily.com
(1895) John Deer’s The Furrow
This was a consumer magazine with articles and agriculture tips alongside their ads for the equipment to get the job done right. The magazine became popular quickly, and during its peak in 1912, it reached more than 4 million consumers. The magazine has seen some iterations over the years, but the company prides itself on providing good stories and insights their happy customers can use in their business today.
Image Source: Contently.com
(1900) The Michelin Guides
A guidebook for french motorists that later expanded to other countries. The Guide book essentially was a catalog featuring hotels, restaurants, mechanics, and gas stations. The thought behind it was to get more people on the road seeking new adventures and ultimately buy new tires from all the driving around.
Image Source: michelin.com
(1904) Jello’s Recipe Book
Jello went door to door handing out Jello recipe books containing fun, delicious dessert recipes featuring Jello. At the time, Jello wasn’t a colossal name brand, and no one knew who they were at all. As time went on, their recipe books sparked families’ interest everywhere due to it being an economical option for a great tasting dessert option. They have kept up with their humble beginnings and still offer free recipes on their website. Feel free to indulge yourself!
Image Source: pinterest.com
(1924) Sears’ “World’s Largest Store” Radio Show
sears created their radio show to help local farmers get more from their efforts and sell stuff like farm equipment and their line of radios (the best the market had to offer at that time). It was wildly successful and propelled the company into new heights of success.
Image Source: tube-radio.com
(1982) G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero
Marvel and Hasbro teamed up to create a “Real American Hero” comic book and tv series based on the G.I. Joe action figure. The series has stuck around, and you have probably seen a few movies within their action lineup. The tag team efforts allowed paved the way for years to come. They realized that dolls were insanely popular with little girls everywhere and that there was a missed opportunity with boys worldwide. Instead of using the term doll, they capitalized on the term “action figure,” which opened the flood gate to an untapped market. Look around; action figures have found their way into the hands of little boys everywhere.
Image Source: mycomicshop.com
(1994) Online content & the birth of the internet
Can you even imagine a time without the internet anymore? It wasn’t all that long ago when it all began. The internet has connected people from around the globe and made communication so much easier. There is no better time from a content marketing standpoint than now to connect with new people and expand your network.
(2000) Seth Godin Releases Free eBook
Seth Godin is considered a master marketer and world-class author with many New York best-selling books. He released his “unleashing the Ideavirus” ebook for free. It has been credited as the inspiration for a new content format and is very widely used today.
Image Source: seths.blog
P.s- This is also a link to the eBook. Enjoy!
(2006) blend techs “will it blend?” videos
Blend tech made using a blender seems fun and made very engaging content for viewers everywhere. They go out of their way to blend household items not generally thought of as edible to show the incredible power of their blenders. They currently have nearly 900,000 subscribers on youtube, and if you haven’t seen one of their videos before, I highly encourage you to go check them out.
Youtube Channel: Will It Blend?
(2009) Marcus Sheridan saves river pools and spas
Marcus Sheridan was on the brink of failure with his business river pools and spas until he began investing all of his time and effort into content marketing. He started blogging and answering all the pool questions he could ever think his customers had. River pools and spas is now the most visited pool website in the world.
(2013) Redbull media house
Redbull launched 20 mini-movies showcasing what they are all about and the world-class athletes they stand behind. Yes, the energy drink company. They are all about pushing the boundaries of the human condition. In the process of seeing how far they can push physical limitations, they have mastered the art of delivering insanely compelling video content that keeps you at the edge of your seat. Over the years, they have accrued nearly 10 million subscribers on their youtube channel, and that’s not without good reason.
Youtube Channel: Red Bull
(2014) The Lego Movie
The lego movie was arguably the first example of a feature-length, major studio film that doubles a branded content marketing effort. The entire movie was made with legos! Yes, the same toy loved by millions of children everywhere and cursed by their parents. It became a commercial success, grossing over 468.1 million dollars compared to the 60 million dollar budget set aside to make the film. After the movie debut, the company saw a record number of toy sales totaling around 4.4 billion dollars.
The evolution of content marketing has changed a little over the years. However, the concepts used before up till today in 2021 are relatively the same.
The only thing that truly separates content marketers from then to now is access to the internet and the speed that entails.
Conclusion: What Does The Evolution Of Content Marketing Tell Us?
The overall concept of content marketing is relatively the same as it was 120 years ago.
More and more companies have made content marketing their number one customer acquisition channel.
I’m talking about companies like Hubspot, Neil Patel, eBay, Facebook, GM, NBC, and so many more follow.
There is a reason why the big guys are doing it.
Some things that you will notice about the companies that embraced content marketing as a priority in their customer acquisition process are:
- Most of them are still around today and still embracing content marketing
- They are household names
- People are even mimicking their strategies
- They are all authorities in their industries.
All right, that’s enough of my history lecturing!
With your newfound understanding of content marketing history, this leads us to chapter 3: why content marketing is important, solidifying why you need to incorporate content into your business, no matter how big or small it is.
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