In today’s technology-obsessed society, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming across some form of content every day. (Was that too many double negatives?) Anyway, the point is that you can see content almost everywhere you look – specifically, online. You may see it in the form of a blog post (like the one you’re currently reading), video, infographic, podcast, eBook, and much more. Basically, if you can read it, then it’s safe to say it’s probably content. Content marketing is all about creating the most relevant content for your specific target audience in order to promote brand awareness.
Before we dive into how content marketing can benefit your business, there are a couple of important things to note…
Know Your Audience: It’s critical for any and every business to consider the demographic they’re targeting with each and every piece of content they create. Think of it this way: would you speak to your 95-year-old grandmother the same way you would speak to your best friend? Probably not. The point is, it’s crucial for you to communicate your message in a way that’s most appropriate depending on who exactly you’re speaking to. By doing so, you’ll be able to appeal to and reach your target audience and therefore gain more qualified leads in the long run.
Consistency Is Key: Along with creating content that is consistent with your target audience, it’s equally important to create content that is consistent with your brand. It helps you gain a stronger connection with consumers, and even gain their trust. In turn, this leads to increased brand loyalty – consumers will feel more comfortable with your brand and will be more inclined to make repeat purchases from your business.
Now that we’ve gotten those out of the way, it’s time to get into the reason you’re here in the first place:
The benefits of content marketing!
Gain & Improve Brand Loyalty
Along with staying consistent, content marketing is a great way to improve brand loyalty. By answering questions and providing solutions that your audience may have through your valuable content, you can build trust that will keep your customers coming back for more. Give them what they need and you’re almost guaranteed to retain them as a customer and gain their loyalty.
Not only that – but when you provide useful information to your loyal customers, chances are that they will want to share it with others which will then, in turn, generate new leads. What a beautiful cycle! All because YOU created something useful.
Stand Out from Competitors
Creating your own content allows you to show off the personality of your brand. With a little authenticity and personality, you create a more emotional connection with your audience that allows them to get to know you and see what makes you unique in your market. It makes them feel like they know you on a deeper, more personal level, rather than just seeing you as another sales-hungry company who’s saying “HEY YOU, COME BUY MY PRODUCT!” Your audience can learn what makes you different and why they should choose you over your competitors. After all, it’s up to the consumer to decide whether or not you’re worthy of their time and money.
Increase Traffic to Your Website and Social Channels
Content marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) go hand-in-hand. (If you have no idea what SEO is, I’d highly suggest you give our blog post What Is SEO and Why Do You Need It? a read!) Basically, the better the content you create and publish, the more visible your content will be in search results. The more visible your content is, the more traffic to your website you’re going to have. The more traffic, the more conversions… I think you get where I’m going with this.
Not only will you be drawing new prospects to your website, but you’ll have return visitors coming back for more! The beautiful thing about the Internet is that your content will be there forever (that is, unless you delete it, of course). You become a credible resource for people to come back to again and again. This also allows you to build stronger customer relationships.
Not only that but the better the content you create, the more that other websites will link to your content (known as backlinking – like this), bringing a whole other stream of visitors to your website! As they say: the more, the merrier.
Get Rewarded With a Greater ROI
If you’re wondering how you can get more bang for your buck when it comes to your marketing efforts, then look no further than content marketing. Content marketing costs much less (62% less, to be exact) than traditional marketing, yet it gains about three times as many leads! And that’s just one of the many fascinating content marketing statistics found on this lovely infographic from Demand Metric.
Going back to our previous point above, the more valuable the content you produce, the more traffic to your site, and eventually, the more sales you’ll make. Thus, the greater your Return-on-Investment (ROI) will be!
Now, to wrap it up…
Content Marketing Is the Future of Marketing
All marketing efforts rely on and revolve around content – without content, you don’t have marketing. And at the end of the day, there’s really no downside to investing in content marketing. And with more and more businesses seeing the value in and investing in it, why wouldn’t you?
Interested in creating a strategy for your business? Contact our team of digital specialists at Reach Digital for your free digital audit and consultation.