If you find yourself intimidated by the concept of content marketing, you are not alone. More than 3 million blog posts are published every single day around the world, and a new website is created every half a second. Millions of videos, podcasts, infographics, eBooks, white papers, slide decks, and other forms of digital content are created and shared each day as well.
With all that noise, making your content stand out, driving traffic and increasing engagement is a colossal task. Companies are spending more money, time and resources than ever before on content creation. According to recent reports, 88% of B2B companies use content marketing, and 76% of them are increasing their content marketing budget.
So, why should you enter the world of the short attention span of modern Internet consumers, where every performance is just a click away from becoming a hit or a total miss? That’s because the benefits of content marketing outweigh the effort, time, and money that go into it.
Let’s explore content marketing in greater detail:
1. Content Marketing Has A High ROI
Creating and distributing content is the most effective way to get your message in front of the right people. Studies have shown that 70% of people prefer learning about a product through content rather than advertising, and 68% of them spend time reading content from companies they like.
It’s easy to see that content marketing has a high ROI – that is if you do it correctly, of course. If you publish a quality blog post on your website and share it on social media, you will see a strong return in inbound traffic, brand visibility, brand reputation, customer engagement, conversion, and customer retention.
Content marketing has the potential to make back all the resources and time you’ve invested. There’s one catch, though: you have to create outstanding content that adds value to your customers' lives.
2. Content Marketing Nurtures Relationships With Customers
One of the greatest benefits of content marketing is that it gives you the opportunity to target different audience segments at different stages of the sales funnel and guide their journey towards conversion.
For example, when new visitors land on your website, they are at the top of the funnel. They are typically trying to solve a problem or fulfill a need, so they are looking for information that can help them figure out the best solution. So, you create how-to blog posts, infographics, and FAQ pages to answer their questions and determine them to move to the next stage of the funnel. Because you’ve been helpful, your prospects are more likely to form a bond with your brand and become loyal customers.
3. Content Marketing Establishes You As An Industry Leader
Earning the admiration and respect of your audience takes time and effort, but it’s absolutely worth it. Once you’ve proven your expertise in your niche, you can become the go-to resource that people turn to when everything else is confusing. Your brand becomes the voice of reason that they can depend on. The authority you gain as an industry leader transfers to your bottom line, making customers more likely to choose your products and services over your competition.
If you haven’t considered content marketing for your business yet, maybe it’s time to think seriously about it. The SEO and lead generation benefits can be too outstanding to miss out on. After all, as mentioned above, it can help you get amazing results. Start creating that compelling content today!
Zach Strauss is Managing Partner of Ready Set Grow; an inbound marketing and sales agency that focuses on helping small and mid-market organizations build sustainable business growth. You can learn more about Ready Set Grow at www.readysetgrow.io and follow Zach on Twitter @Z_Strauss or connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/ZachStrauss.
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