Marketing for Marketers: What Can Content Marketing Do for Ad Tech?

As an advertising technology brand, you know how difficult it is to explain the intricacies of your new and rapidly evolving industry to a lay audience. Even the people that need your solutions the most may find them hard to understand. 

That’s where content marketing can help. Whether it’s blog posts, e-books, white papers, or social media, more and more ad tech companies are finding that content marketing gives them the traction they need to win new customers and partners. 

But isn't content marketing just another form of advertising? Not really. Read on ...

It’s a tech business now, Mr. Draper

Advertising was once entirely dominated by creatives who dreamed up words and images that connected with the audience on an emotional level. Today, however, advertising has become a more technical endeavor, focused on things like click-through rates, A/B testing, programmatic buying, and big data analytics. When you add in the vast array of available ad options and services, it’s easy to understand why many of the businesses that could benefit the most are often too overwhelmed and intimidated to take the first steps. That’s where content marketing comes in. 

Many of your potential clients may have a general idea of what ad tech is, but they don’t understand the details. They may not even know what they don’t know, which makes it difficult for them to adequately vet potential providers. This creates an incredible opportunity for you to pull back the curtain and use content marketing to explain things in a way that makes the complex seem simple. 

Here's how you can use a variety of content types — blog posts, social media updates, white papers, and bylined articles — to catch people’s attention and provide them with the information they need to make a wise decision.

Lay a solid foundation

Most decision-makers like to learn as much as they can before they start asking questions, because they don’t want to look uninformed. They’re a ready-and-waiting audience for any content that explains the basics.

White papers are one of the most useful content types for ad tech brands, because they allow you to dig into the details and show your expertise while building a powerful implicit argument for your service. Offer a series of white papers, e-books, and webinars that give people the foundational knowledge they need to determine which products or services would best meet their needs. Or use a white paper to discuss relevant issues in depth, such as how the shift to mobile is affecting programmatic buying. 

Incidentally, white papers and e-books are one of the most powerful lead-generating tools. Many readers will gladly exchange their contact information for one of these high-value PDFs.

Show your energy

The best way to reassure your audience that you’re on the industry’s cutting edge is to publish a steady stream of blog posts and social media updates that talk about industry developments, new technologies, research, and even mergers and acquisitions of ad tech companies. 

Craft an engaging blog post about an industry trend or a new product or service. And use social media like Twitter or Facebook to distribute your posts or comment on industry news from publications like AdTech Times. 

Smart content like this helps cement your place as a thought leader and engages your audience, making you the first-choice resource for anyone who has a question about ad tech. Just be sure to post well-crafted updates regularly, so that people keep coming back for more.

Dig deeper

Bylined articles are another great way to display your industry expertise. Bylined articles are usually shorter and have a quicker turnaround time than white papers, but audiences consider them equally valuable and informative. They’re a perfect venue for your CEO or other executive to provide timely commentary about industry news, whether it’s the latest security breach or the newest entry into the Internet of Things, and to build a reputation as a thought leader.

And don’t forget case studies: They’re the perfect opportunity to subtly broadcast your expertise indirectly by relating how another company successfully used your services. Just be sure to put the focus on the client. When you do that, other potential clients may recognize similarities and decide that they, too, should give you a call.

To create successful content, you want to make highly technical information interesting and accessible to the audience you need to reach, while building a persuasive case for the value of your services. But content creation is a time-intensive endeavor. If you’re worried about having to produce endless content on your own, or don’t have enough time, there’s a solution. Our team of writers crafts high-quality blog posts, white papers, and social media posts for some of the largest companies in the world. Want to learn more about how we can help? Sign up to gain free access to our platform today — we’d love to help you with your content needs.