Content marketing has been a buzzword in the marketing industry over the past few years. It revolves around answering your target customers’ questions and providing them value (mostly free of cost) with evidence-based strategies.
Every business can benefit from content marketing strategies. There is no restriction based on the type and scale of the service you provide. Whether your business is big or small, you can use content marketing to increase your reach and attract more customers.
Content can be of several types. Marketers use written, visual, audio, and video content uniquely at different marketing funnel stages. Forrester claims that a buyer consumes almost twelve pieces of content before deciding to make a purchase.
Informative content like blogs, infographics, ebooks, and explanatory videos adds value to customers’ lives by providing answers to their queries. Emails and web copy can effectively remarket and convert visitors into leads.
Moreover, social media content like catchy product descriptions and testimonials helps generate sales.
In this blog post, we have given you eight compelling reasons to invest in content marketing. So, let’s begin.
1. To Establish A Brand Identity
A company becomes a brand when customers ask for them instead of the product they need. For example, when you ask for a “Kleenex” instead of a tissue. Or, when spotting a pink and orange billboard from a distance, the name of “Dunkin Donuts” pops in our minds even if we can’t read the billboard.
Content marketing strategies like guest posting, infographics, LinkedIn publishing, and podcasts are great ways to instill brand awareness among the masses. They establish your authority in the niche, automatically creating a reputable impression in the minds of prospects.
2. To Help Your Business Appear On Top Of SERP
Producing quality content and then optimizing it according to the latest SEO trends will help your website rank higher in the search engine result pages (SERP).
Why? Because search engines rank content based on the authority and the value it adds to the lives of the users.
The higher your website and social platforms appear in the search engine, the greater are your chances of securing leads and sales. People mostly view the top results that appear on the SERP, and if your website is there, they will visit your website.
Having a blog section on your website is a reliable content marketing strategy. All the keywords in your niche, which are essential to use in your content, can’t be added to the homepage or product/service section alone.
But by regularly publishing blog posts, you will be able to use all the high-ranking keywords to generate organic traffic.
3. To Develop Meaningful Relations With Your Audience
Content makes it possible to create a lasting and meaningful relationship with your audience based on trust. Every written or visual content provides different benefits in terms of forming these relationships.
It also helps increase engagements and, subsequently, conversions. Twitter statistics reveal that 94% of people plan to purchase from a business they follow.
An effective content marketing strategy is to evoke the emotions of the customers via brand stories and personalized content.
It can be a funny/sad/inspirational incident that gave you the idea for your business, or how your products had a positive impact on the life of your customers. Reading personal anecdotes makes the customers feel connected with a brand.
In addition to it, CMI research shows that Interactive content like quizzes and contests are the most engaging form of content.
4. To Gain Trust Of Prospects By Providing Valuable Advice
Search intent is the reason why a customer searches for a specific query. For example, if a person is searching for “best restaurants near me,” then the intent could be that they are going out to eat or want to have something delivered to their house.
If you can understand the intent, you can use it to your advantage. Here, keyword research comes handy.
SEO experts will tell you the exact terms and phrases your prospective clients use to search for related content. In this way, you can provide value by integrating these keywords naturally into your content.
For instance, Kraftwurks, an online 3D printing service in Houston, TX, is an excellent example of a company that informs and educates the customers about revolutionary 3D products in a simple yet fun manner.
It’s the appropriate way to share your expertise with ideal customers.
5. To Generate Organic Traffic
Hubspot conducted a study in 2018, in which 61% of marketers revealed that generating more traffic and leads is their top priority.
Creating content and optimizing it with targeted keywords brings organic traffic to your site. Since the traffic is organic, there is a high possibility that your content will hook the visitors and convert them into customers.
You can generate organic traffic without spending heavily on paid ads if you produce quality content. Plus, it should include relevant images, GIFs, or facts to make it attractive to customers.
6. To Convert Traffic Into Leads And Sales
When you capture your audience’s attention with unique and informative content, they are more likely to convert. According to a study by Kapost, content marketing produces thrice more leads per dollar spent than paid search.
Take an example of Solar Buffalo. Based in Buffalo, New York, it is a small business providing solar energy solutions in the Buffalo city. Their website features some highly informative content regarding the benefits of solar power with their call-to-action just beneath the content.
This type of content educates the audience and converts traffic into leads.
7. To Target Local Customers
Initially, the success of every small business depends upon its reputation in the local community and the neighborhood areas.
According to Hubspot, 97% of all online searches are from people trying to find a local business. Therefore, focusing on local SEO should be a priority for small businesses to get more customers.
A local SEO company that has worked in the area for a long time is well aware of the traditions and customs of the region. So, hiring a local SEO company is a smart strategy, as they will create search engine optimized content targeting local customers.
For instance, if you have a small business in any of the cities of Delaware, then hiring a Delaware SEO company for content marketing and local SEO will be highly beneficial to create a name for your business in the region.
They can plan campaigns for local festivities and will optimize your content based on local trends and regional lexicon for better results.
8. Using Visual Content To Reach A Wider Audience
Visual content, comprisied of images and video, is understandably the most appealing form of content. It gets a lot more shares and visibility than a written post.
A survey conducted by the Aberdeen Group found out that marketers who use video get 66% more leads every year.
You can use visual content to extend your reach in several ways. If you have a product that provides relief to customers in a unique way, demonstrate it via clear images or a short video.
Also, make sure to share it on all your social mediums to get increased visibility and prompt customer feedback.
Summing Up
Using content marketing for your business will bring you the desired ROI much quicker than other marketing tactics.
Make sure to outdo your competitors by keeping a close watch on what they are publishing. Beat them with creativity by making and sharing better and more relevant content.
Most importantly, check your content thoroughly for fluff, grammatical, and spelling mistakes before sharing for an expert and authoritative impression on viewers.
