As you likely know, traditional marketing is losing effectiveness by the minute. So, what’s the solution? That’s where content marketing comes in.
For years the most effective way to market your business involved “renting attention” from various sources (display ads on websites, booths at trade shows, commercials on TV networks, etc.). With content marketing, on the other hand, business owners can capture attention with owned platforms, such as the business’s website and social media accounts.
But what exactly is content marketing? The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as:
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“… 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. -Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute
In other words, content marketing involves generating and sharing online materials (i.e., blogs, social media posts, videos, etc.) that stimulate interest in an organization’s products or services without explicit promotion (like advertising). While content marketing is not a short-term strategy, it results in notable long-term benefits such as:
Loyal Customers
Content creation is foundational to the development of a long-term relationship between the business and its target audience. It creates experiences that encourage potential customers to return for more. If your content is powerful and consistent, you’ll build lasting trust. Trust leads to loyalty. Loyalty leads to future sales.
More Leads
Increasing your social media followers across platforms is one thing but engaging that audience is quite another. If your business isn't getting much engagement despite having a large following, it's time to get serious about content marketing. The more your audience interacts with your brand, the more top-of-mind-your business is, and the more leads roll in.
Improved Conversions
Online conversions are critical to a modern successful business strategy. A major influencer of conversions is the material you publish. Quality content is a major ranking factor for search engines because it not only allows your audience to interact with your business, but it also provides the knowledge they need to make informed purchases.
Industry Leader Advantage
Quality content also helps increase your website’s authority score. An authority score is the overall “grade” given to a website. A website with a high authority score has established itself as a reliable source of information. By publishing content that showcases your knowledge base and provides useful solutions, you’ll increase your authority score and instantly be seen as a trusted industry leader.
Even though the benefits are clear, most businesses still aren't taking content marketing as seriously as they should. That’s a good thing for you – jump in now and give your company a major advantage!
Content marketing is what we do so feel free to reach out if you have questions or want to jump in – we are ready when you are!
Author: Sofia Bennett