The Internet is one of the most valuable tools that business owners can take advantage of. After all, having a strong online presence can drastically increase your conversions and revenue.
It also plays a large role in content marketing, which can be used to lay the foundation for your brand online. But, not everyone knows what it involves.
So, why is content marketing important? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know.
So, What Is Content Marketing?
Over time, people have become more numb to the thousands of advertisements that they see each day. In fact, it’s not unusual for people to simply tune out a company’s marketing efforts without even realizing it.
As a result, content marketing has been developed in order to provide a message that has value to an audience. For example, it can be far more efficient to sell high-end products through the use of a guide that teaches the reader valuable info as opposed to a simple banner ad on a website.
This isn’t as easy as it seems, though. There’s a very fine line between grabbing someone’s attention and making them want to learn more and interrupting them in order to make them an offer.
Even if content marketing is the actual goal, something that feels ‘salesy’ or like an advertisement (even if it is) can actually deter someone from interacting with your brand.
Why Is Content Marketing Important?
Aside from the fact that it’s more conducive to building long-lasting relationships with your audience, content marketing has a few other notable attributes that you should keep in mind.
Most importantly, it will establish you as an authority in your industry that your audience can use as a resource. This will make it far more likely that you stand out in their mind, resulting in members of your audience seeking out your content on their own.
You also have the added benefits of increasing your SEO value, which is a necessary metric that all business owners need to keep in mind.
When you develop quality content, people will be more likely to stay on your page when they get to it. They will also be more likely to share your content with their own followers on social media, which can exponentially increase the number of people that are exposed to what you have to offer.
As this traffic grows, Google will begin to rank your site higher and higher and increase your visibility on its search engine. Over time, you may find that one of your posts garners a significant amount of attention from thousands of readers.
At the very minimum, the content you offer to your audience will teach them something. What you teach them is entirely up to you, but it should be based on their individual needs.
For example, if your target demographic mostly consists of retirees, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to create content related to financial management during retirement. Of course, the topic will have to be relevant to whatever product or service you provide.
What Are the Characteristics of Good Content Marketing?
Excellent content marketing aims to both educate and establish a presence in the mind of your audience. So, this should always be kept in mind when developing the content itself.
In general, most content marketing is based on a blog post. This gives you plenty of flexibility when it comes to topics, links, and even allows you to incorporate images or videos.
Other forms could be social media posts, podcasts, or webinars that aim to educate the audience on a particular subject. In some cases, it may be applicable to create an extended form of content, such as an e-book.
In almost every scenario, your content should be free to access. Since the end goal is to build brand loyalty and eventually drive a purchase, it doesn’t make sense to hide the introductory step behind a paywall.
What Does a Typical Content Marketing Strategy Look Like?
There’s a large handful of factors that influence what your content strategy could look like. But, the basic premise is more or less the same across most industries.
One of the most efficient content marketing methods involves providing a free guide such as an e-book and exchange for a user’s email address.
After they receive the guide through email, you can contact them in the future with different offers, a brand newsletter, etc. The guide itself should also provide insight into how useful your products or services could be.
If your business offers managed cloud services for small businesses, for instance, you may consider developing a guide for business owners that details the steps they can take to optimize their companies cybersecurity.
By integrating information about managed cloud services into this guide, they begin to understand why is useful and the amount of value they can get from it.
Of course, this can also be achieved through other media, such as YouTube videos or simple blog posts.
Above all else, the content that you provide must be outstanding. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of establishing a reputation for your brand that people may see as amateur or unreliable.
Understanding Content Marketing Can Seem Difficult
Just know, it doesn’t have to be!
With the above information to answer ‘why is content marketing important’ in mind, you’ll be well on your way toward making the decision that’s best for you and your business.
Want to learn more about how we can help? Feel free to get in touch with us today to see what we can do.
