By Waqas Dogar
Content marketing, by definition, is the type of marketing which involves making and sharing of online material for a brand’s promotion. It could be anything from videos to social media posts, blogs or podcasts, etc. The sole purpose is to kindle potential customers’ interest in a brand’s services or its products.
In the recent years, content marketing has become one of the most effective marketing strategies. The majority of businesses (especially small businesses) that cannot afford the high-end solutions such as ads, events, networking, and direct mail, use content marketing to their advantage. Content marketing is cost effective and has the potential of positive return on investment (ROI).
Why has content marketing gained so much popularity? Because it’s a modern approach and has proven track record. Segue Technologies, for instance, focused on their content production and managed to upsurge their page view by 3,000% within a period of one year. They published an average of four blog posts per week, which helped them achieve desired results.
Let’s explore the magic benefits content marketing has and what it offers to (large & small) businesses.
1. Boosts Brand Awareness
Creating awareness about a business among consumers is of prime importance. That’s how you can convert prospects into customers. However, it is not an easy feat. You have to put a lot of effort and be patient to accomplish your goals. With content marketing, this daunting task becomes fairly easy.
Just try to be creative and produce intriguing stories that will attract your target audience. If your content is catchy and entertaining, it is likely that people will pass it on to others. When the content is frequently shared, it puts the brand in focus. You need to make sure when you invest your time to create content it is worth sharing. If it is just plain boring, it won’t render any positive results. Brands that regularly publish thought-provoking and appealing content witness a great rise in their awareness. So, that is the No. 1 benefit of marketing your brand by sharing content.
2. Works Well with Other Marketing Strategies
With the rapid growth of Internet users, one marketing strategy doesn’t seem like enough to achieve business goals. Having more than one approach is necessary. Even if you have already launched other social media marketing campaigns, adding content marketing to your repertoire will further improve performance and it will not require much effort.
For instance, say you run an online store and your website is organized in every way. The search engine optimization (SEO) is good, the site interface is attractive, and it is equipped with the necessary tools and information. Suppose, a new person pays a random visit, doesn’t need your products at that time, but finds good content on your blog which explains the great features of your products. There is a strong possibility that it will tempt him to buy your products or services when there is a need.
Furthermore, if your site is search engine optimized, you already know the importance of keywords. Your blog posts give you a great opportunity to accommodate more and more keywords to drive more traffic to your site. Hence, it’s never too late to opt for content marketing for the effective promotion of your brand.
3. Provides a Low-Cost, Low-Risk Solution
Unlike other marketing strategies, content marketing is not costly. Rather, it’s one of the cheapest solutions that involves minimal risk. There are no costs to publish content on your own site, right? It only requires the effort to research and create interesting content. When you produce excellent content, it is liked by people and you get the feel-good vibe.
If you get a negative feedback on your first story, it will help you form better content next time. Your audience’s feedback is a great way to learn about products/ services and to improve.
On the other hand, if you display ads on other platforms or run a social media campaign, it will cost you a fortune. That’s why you should up your content marketing game and stick to it for better results.
4. Brings More Website Traffic
Content marketing generates better leads than other conventional ways. If you create high-quality content, it builds a solid connection between your customers and your brand. Because of this very fact, it is also referred as relationship-based marketing.
Content marketing has another great feature that it is a long-term marketing strategy. The content that you publish on your site stays there to entertain new visitors. That is one of the reasons that content marketing has higher conversion rates. The ads you place on social media or other campaigns you run won’t be there forever, only for a certain period of time. This puts content marketing ahead of other marketing strategies.
The bottom line is if you want more traffic to your website, keep sharing valuable content.
5. Increases Your Potential Customer Base
Content marketing brings more customers and increases the customer base. Engaging and captivating content helps to convince consumers to follow a certain brand on social media. It imparts a positive feeling and brings them closer to the brand.
When you produce a certain type of content, do not forget to use a call to action. It is very important because it establishes a sense of belonging in consumers. Ultimately, the consumer loyalty is increased that benefits the brand. Look out for any questions or queries from your readers. It is good to answer the questions that consumers ask. This wins their trust.
Final Thoughts
I hope these benefits will convince you to give content marketing a try. However, there is one condition — the content you plan to market your brand with should be outstanding, otherwise there is no guarantee of good results. In this regard, I would suggest that if creating content is not your forte, you always have the option to outsource it to a content agency. Again, this is a far cheaper option than spending money on ad campaigns and other forms of marketing.
If you have more beneficial tips about content marketing, please share them in the comments section below.
