If you're new here, you may be wondering, what exactly do you mean by "content marketing?" The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as "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." This approach is often explained by asking you to imagine that your marketing department is a news desk and its job is to produce stories that are valuable and relevant to your readers, aka your prospects. And many corporations have done just that, creating their own publications that subtly address the challenges of their industry. Though when first explaining content marketing, I like to think it's is a little bit like dating. Hang with me here...

In dating, you begin by making small talk at a party, asking a friend for an introduction, or maybe scrolling through an app — though ultimately something about the person has to spark your interest or attract you. You like the way they wear their hair or their amazingly beautiful blue eyes draw you in. But over time that interest has to mature and grow as you progress through initial interactions to actually make it to a first date, a cross-country road trip or a dinner with the parents. You take time to ask them questions, listen intently about their love for Shih Tzus or their distaste for club music, memorize their coffee order, learn their bosses and co-worker's names and hang out with their friends every Friday night. There are many, many steps involved between the first swipe and the altar. In dating, the idea is to get to know each other in order to determine if you are compatible and to build trust. It's a two-way street where each person is learning as much as he or she can about the other through small interactions over time.

Similarly when a business is looking for a particular service, they do their research. They search Google, visit websites, check social media pages and read blogs. They look for a provider that attracts and engages them, one that understands their problems and speaks to their needs. They may download how-to guides or check lists, study product brochures and check up on client references. They get to know that company and service offering to make sure it's a good fit.

Meanwhile the company producing the web pages, social content, blogs and guides is carefully crafting the story of who they are, who they serve and what they have to offer. By supplying relevant, helpful information over time that offers solutions to prospect problems, they establish expertise and build trust. Again through small interactions over time, and with each click or download, they get to know the prospect by collecting golden nugget details such as title, email address or that prospect's pain point.

In dating it might be your profile pic or your love of all things related to college football that initially draws someone in and makes him want to learn more. In marketing, content drives the initial states of attraction and engagement to ultimately nurture a web visit into a download, a webinar registration, a sales meeting and finally a signed contract.

Want to check out more great examples of content marketing? Here is a great list of 25 ideas to get you started.