We’re going to put our own spin on a comparison a recently saw. Advertisements are everywhere. Imagine you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed when a video catches your interest, so you begin watching the said video. Before you know it, the video cuts out to a 30-second advertisement. We are not sure about you, but it does not matter what we are watching (Full honestly, I have suffered an ad or two to finish a few animal videos; The Dodo gets us every time!), we close the video and continue scrolling. The same thing happens on YouTube.
We are all running from advertisements, which can be incredibly annoying. In light of the negative promotions on the web, brands are presented an incredible opportunity to stop interrupting people (potential customers) and to build true value for the same people.
Enter content marketing.
Content marketing is a powerful tool for inbound marketing, driving sales, and bringing valuable content to your customers while they are looking for it. You also build your position as a thought leader, becoming the go-to source for industry information.
We have all heard of content marketing and have an idea of what it is. What are the benefits of content marketing though? That is what we are going to answer for you today, covering different benefits you gain from content marketing, helping you gain an understanding of how valuable content marketing can be to your brand and business. Let’s get started.
Google likes content.
Roughly 90% of all web searches are run through Google. As a potential client put it the other day, they need to appease the Google gods.
“Content should be your first priority when thinking about SEO. Quality content is how you engage, inform, support, and delight your audiences. Creating authentic, valuable content is also critical for search engine visibility. Indeed, that’s why the Periodic Table Of SEO Factors begins with the content “elements,” with the very first element being about content quality.
Whether it’s blog articles, product pages, an about page, testimonials, videos or anything else you create for your audience, getting your content right means you’ve got a foundation to support all of your other SEO efforts (searchengineland).”
I know that I referenced a large selection there, but they put it so well. And it makes sense! Google wants to keep people using Google for web searches. We can get into the many why’s behind that, but let’s not go down that rabbit hole in this article. The more visitors you have to your website, the more shares you have on social, and many more indicators let Google know your website is a valid one and has quality content. The higher bounce rate you have (When visitors visit your site but leave it quickly because they can not find what they’re looking for, or the content is subpar), the lower Google will rank you.
Google wants to bring valuable search results to the masses so we continue to utilize them, and more frequently (think of it, when you want to know something that you are not familiar with, we often say “I’ll Google it!”).
Off-Topic: It is said that Apple is working on a search engine to compete with Google, which we are excited about. Full disclosure, We are Apple users. That being said, even if the Apple search engine is not as good as Google, competition benefits us all.
Increase your authority – thought leadership.
When you consistently create quality content, you increase your expertise (both perceived and actual), authority, relevances, and the trust value of your site. This helps to demonstrate your expertise, making you a go-to source of information while driving up your inbound marketing. When you create quality content, others are more likely to reference it. When your content earns more inbound links from external sources, it further increases your website’s authority, which also helps to increase your search rankings.
Drive sales by increasing the conversion rate with content marketing.
You’re a business and the ultimate goal is to increase your revenue. Boosting your website traffic and thought leadership doesn’t mean all that much if it does not result in more sales. Most of your potential customers will not be ready to buy from you the first time they hear about your business and brand. There is a buying process that we all go through when making a new purchase. This process may differ a bit from one individual to another (we’re all different), but there are some similarities.
We begin at awareness when people first realize they have a problem to solve. What do we do after awareness? We begin to consider solutions by researching the possibilities. From the possible solutions, we make a decision on which solution is best for us and make the purchase.
Utilizing content marketing, you drive traffic to your website, allowing them to consider you amongst the possible solutions. By giving them quality content to digest, you increase the authority of your brand, increasing the likelihood they will decide on your brand as the best possible solution.
To drive the point home, on average inbound leads generated from the content you create have a 14.6% conversion rate, while outbound leads such as cold calling and direct mail only have a 1.7% conversion rate.
Leading the dance.
People usually put research into what they are going to purchase. By the time you get to interact with them, they have already made a decision, making a sale much more of a challenge. It is never good when the potential customer is leading the dance in the sales process (Sandler Sales emphasizes the sales funnel while letting the customer feel like they’re leading the conversation when in actuality, you have guided them down the sales funnel).
That being said, what if you could talk to potential customers while they are doing their research. Content marketing affords the opportunity to do just that! Create content that covers the conversation points (or dance steps) you would like to lead your customers through. Again, this demonstrates your expertise while leading potential customers to the solution that best suits their needs, your solution. If you are not creating content that speaks to them while they are considering possible solutions, the chances are that your competition is, and they are earning your potential customers.
Content marketing is less annoying than traditional marketing.
We’re speaking plainly on this point. We covered advertisements interrupting your Facebook and Youtube videos, and we all know how annoying those are. No one enjoys cold calls these days. Robocalls and texts are even worse! There are other options, such as tv, billboard, newspaper advertisements, banner ads, and more. A capability that content marketing has above all of those traditional forms of marketing is its ability to build relationships with customers. You showcase your brand by bringing valuable content to potential customers that help them. Potential customers may engage with your content by leaving comments or asking questions, and you are able to engage with them by being responsive. We often buy from those we like and trust.
Building your brand awareness and reputation.
Consistently creating quality content helps to increase your brand awareness. When others read your content and find it helpful, informative, and gain value from it, they will think more highly of your brand. They’re more likely to tell others of your brand and recommend your brand to others (how powerful are recommendations from those we know?). When they see you on social, they’re more likely to engage with your content, liking, commenting on, and sharing your posts. All of this helps to improve your brand awareness and reputation, which leads to an increased reach and more inbound leads.
We have hit on a few key benefits of content marketing in this article…
There are many more. The value of content marketing isn’t in question here, albeit some of us may not fully see it’s full potential yet. What do you find most beneficial from content marketing? What would you like us to cover more of? What questions would you like to ask us?
We truly encourage engagement and would love to talk with you! Please share in the comments below.
Until next time, keep smiling.
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