Content marketing isn’t just a buzzword: It’s a tool to help people cut through internet noise and find the right solution for their problem. That solution, of course, is your company.
But that’s not all. Here are four other ways content marketing is a huge asset to any company.
1. It spreads awareness of your brand
Content can spread your company name and brand image, especially if the content follows whitehat Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rules. When the content is well-researched, smart, and offers something to the reader, it’s more likely to be shared by others.
You may see big influencers sharing your content on their social media pages. You may receive comments from people who find it helpful. Your content has the ability to become recognizable for your brand and to build trust amongst readers.
2. Content marketing can build trust
There’s a lot of chatter on the internet. Everyone wants to be seen and heard, but not everyone will be. But they’ll try. So, they slap together an article, throw a few keywords in, hoping for better search engine ranking. Then they wait for the sales to pour in.
But that’s not how it works.
Shoddy content is questionable content. If it’s not helpful, informative, or crafted for your target market, it’s no use to anyone. But if it does solve a problem, readers will trust your advice. And if they begin to trust you, it’s not too far off that they’ll trust your products too.
While it’s easy to throw some words together and hope for the best, it’s bad business practice. Your content should be crafted based on research about your industry and data about (or from) your customers. That’s how you use content marketing to help your business.
3. It generates more leads
People want their content to rank high. Meaning, when people search keyword related to your business or industry, you want to appear on the front page. That way, customers land on your site and not the competitions.
And while Google’s algorithm changes consistently, it’ll favor fresh, high-quality content. If you update your website or blog consistently, follow SEO practices, and post relevant content that fills a need, then Google may like it better. Your posts could rank higher, driving more leads and traffic to your page.
But once they get to your page, you need to point them in the right direction to turn them from passive readers into active customers.
4. Inspire the readers to spring into action
When you create content, especially for blogs, don’t forget the key ingredient at the end: the call-to-action (CTA).
A CTA tells the reader to do something. If the reader found your blog because they needed a solution to their problem, your CTA should inspire them to take further action. For instance, if you offer premium products to reduce chronic back pain, your blog article might’ve listed home-solutions for back pain.
At the end, you can point them towards an email sign up form, where they’ll receive a discount for your products in exchange for their email. That’s just one example of a CTA.
You want the content to guide them towards a sale. Once you have their attention, use it. Otherwise, they’ll read what you have to say and vanish.
Photo by William Iven on Unsplash