Mark Armstrong Illustration Specializing In Content Marketing Advertising Editorial Infographics Animation Videos and Social Media

Every illustrator needs an elevator pitch. Mine goes like this:

I’m an illustrator. I help brands get noticed. I specialize in humor which helps humanize a brand, and gets people to lower their shields. I create visuals for social media and content marketing.

Everyone knows an illustrator draws pictures. Nowadays, he does at least some of his work on a computer. And most people know “social media” refers to blogs and platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. But what’s “content marketing”?

The Content Marketing Institute defines it this way:

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

It goes on to say:

Instead of pitching your products or services, you are providing truly relevant and useful content to your prospects and customers to help them solve their issues.

I would add that content also needs to be entertaining. Lee Odden of TopRank Marketing agrees. He says you have to connect with buyers “on both an intellectual and an emotional level.” That doing so will help you stand out from competitors who take a strictly informational approach.

That’s where humor comes in. It’s not about telling jokes or acting silly. It’s about being warm, upbeat, human. Someone who’s not afraid to poke fun at himself. It makes you likable, approachable. And shared laughter builds trust.

I recently came across an interview with Lukas Kircher. Mr. Kircher is the managing director of C3, Europe’s largest content marketing agency. He summed up content marketing in a way that brought it into sharper focus for me. I thought his insights deserved wider distribution. I decided to create an infographic to that end.

Here it is. I hope it gives you a better understanding of what content marketing is, and what makes it successful.

Here are a few detail images that make it easier to read the fine print.

*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *     

About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, editorial, branding, social media, and content marketing. My images are different, like your brand needs to be.

You can view my portfolio, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Questions? Send me an email.

Follow @mrstrongarm