Content marketing is the new essential for businesses of all dimensions. Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? Do you want to start your own business? Or perhaps you already have started a fresh venture, but it’s not going too well, and you are afraid of a grim outcome. Is that the case? Then we’re afraid chances are you are not doing so well in content marketing.
In today’s digital economy, content marketing is one of the most efficient tools for businesses looking to connect with both current and potential customers.
Does your business have a social media presence? It does! That’s fabulous. We’re sorry to say, but that’s not enough on its own. It also doesn’t matter if you have thousands of followers. If you don’t cater to your audience with relevant, quality content, then all you have is numbers and not potential buyers. This is where content marketing services come into the picture.
What is Content Marketing?
We can simplify it by saying it is a marketing strategy designed to attract, engage, and retain customers by creating relevant content. It covers a range of areas, including articles, videos, podcasts, and social media posts. We often call it to feed the beast. An everyday effort to craft relevant digital consumables that are catered to specific audiences. A creative and technical challenge that can quickly take on epic proportions. But also one that works.
The basic idea is as follows: when it’s time to buy your product or service, people will think of your brand first. Why? Because you designed and delivered a content strategy designed to promote it. Call it a promotion of brand awareness and establishment of competence.
Why is Content Marketing Important?
Content marketing is absolutely crucial nowadays. It answers your audience’s inquiries, helps develop lasting relationships, builds trust, improves conversions, and generates leads. It propels your business to new, greener pastures and generates revenue in the process.
According to current research:
- 80% of people prefer a series of articles vs a plain advertisement;
- 70% of individuals concur that content marketing resonates with them and helps them feel more connected to a product;
- 60% of people give credit to content for helping them make better decisions;
So it’s not rocket science assuming you’re missing out on creating constant revenue by not having an effective content marketing strategy in place.
Are you convinced yet? No? Wonderful, because we’re diving deeper and explaining it all in further detail.
How does content marketing work?
You must deliver the right content at each point of the sales cycle to use it successfully – from awareness through consideration to purchase.
Does it all sound a bit… heavy? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Here is how businesses engage and close sales at each stage of the sales cycle through the correct usage of content marketing:
Awareness stage
Your content should be centred on your audience’s main issues at this initial stage. We often refer to these as pain points. Thus, content should be educational and simultaneously show you definitely care for your audience and its struggles.
Examples:
- A car company writes a blog post about “How to Choose the Right Car for Yourself.”
- A Crypto platform will spread awareness about Crypto first and then why you should consider investing in Crypto assets.
Consideration stage
In this stage, your content should combine useful information and marketing.
It ought to inform the reader about the qualities to seek out as well as how different features cater to different needs.
Your material should focus on what your company has to offer.
Examples:
- A car company creates case studies about “The Biggest Mistakes Most People Make When Buying A Car”.
- A Crypto Platform makes you aware of why you should choose their platform, why it’s the safest, and why they are a better choice than the competition.
Closing stage
Content marketing plays a big role in converting your readers into customers at this stage. You can concentrate on sales at this point as long as you emphasise why you’re the best option.
Examples
- An IT firm makes brief videos displaying the quality of its work and case studies to showcase its wide range of competence.
- An MBA institution encourages students to give testimonials about its benefits and top-notch facilities.
6 Benefits of Content Marketing
1. It Promotes Credibility
Trust is the most important asset in any business. And helping you build trust is one of the biggest benefits you can obtain from Content Marketing.
The more coherent, high-quality content you provide the public with, the more authority you project in their eyes.
If your content is good, the audience will automatically bond with your company.
2. It Enables You to Benefit from Organic Search
Before making a purchase, almost all customers use well-known search engines to search for the goods and services they are looking for.
Effective content marketing makes you appear in those search results in a better position. This will automatically drive more traffic to your website and increase sales. Ideally, through quality content that drives organic traffic to your doorstep.
3. It Aids in Creating Your Brand Identity
No matter what you do, building your brand is essential in today’s world. It can influence your audience and convert them into buyers.
But let’s say you’re just starting and haven’t yet made a big impression – yet. Still, an effective content marketing approach will be beneficial.
Using a unique voice for your company will help it connect with the audience it aims to target, regardless of the platform you pick.
4. Generate Leads and Attracts Buyers
Generating leads is the ultimate goal of any marketing campaign. The focal point here is to attract new people to your business but also the right ones to sell to.
Content marketing draws in potential customers who may not even be ready to make a purchase. They learn about your company through all of your helpful content, which piques their interest. When they visit your website, you provide them with additional information, which gradually leads to conversions.
5. Leads to a Higher ROI
Content marketing is more effective and far less expensive compared to traditional advertisement.
That’s why even a tiny firm or organisation may compete with a much larger one by simply using a well-planned content marketing strategy.
6. It Allows You to Take Advantage of Social Shares
People share things they like. If your content is shareable, then people will definitely share it. And it would reach customers you might previously have never reached by any other means.
And the best part? It’s all free.
Let us share an innovative content marketing strategy from Spotify which helped the company grow further.
Spotify’s Wrapped (user data-driven campaign)
A social media campaign named “Wrapped” was introduced by Spotify in 2017. The campaign used listener data to generate several striking, entertaining statistics about listening habits. They carefully considered user experience, making these slides appealing, shareable and aesthetically beautiful, which is why they did extremely well.
As a result, sign-ups on the app increased by 21%.
This is a perfect example of how creating highly shareable content is a recipe for success.
If you want to sell something to people, first make them aware of why they need it.
So if you think that’s too much work, it’s because it actually is.
Final Remarks & Food for Thought
Starting a business is a mammoth task in itself. You can’t handle all these matters by yourself, and finding the right partners is an adventure in its own right. But no one mentioned you have to do it all by yourself anyway.
This is where our team can help you. We provide both the experience and the tools. From quality writers to linguists, our people works together with you to identify exactly what your business needs and how to make it successful.
Still wondering? We understand. Contact us today and discover how a well-structured content strategy can help your business grow organically.