It’s easy to become lost in the shoulds, should nots, musts and cannots when it comes to Marketing Advice. Content marketing is a method that has been endorsed by marketing professionals around the globe. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 86% B2Cs, and 88% B2Bs, use some form of content marketing.
Businesses are not only using content to support their overall strategy, they also see results. When asked to rate their content marketing efforts on a scale of “extremely effective” to “not effective”, 97% of B2Cs as well as B2Bs said they had some success. Do you have an effective content marketing strategy? Want to increase your brand’s awareness this year? Three reasons to include content in 2018 marketing efforts
Your brand becomes a resource
If you haven’t already noticed, Internet is a crowded place. You can find anything you think of if you know what you’re looking for. Businesses that are looking to survive today’s fiercely competitive environment need to be on the web. This only adds to the overwhelming nature of the Internet as we know it. How can one business make itself stand out from the crowd? How can you get customers on board?
Many customers base their decisions on price, but this can only get you so far. Companies that wish to remain relevant must instead demonstrate that they know their products, the needs of their customers, and their industry.
Content – whether it’s tutorials, webinars or blogs, infographics etc. – can be done well (quality not quantity). Your brand becomes synonymous with knowledge.
Connect the Purchase Funnel
Content marketing is a great way to engage with customers before they make a decision or sign a contract. The real value begins much earlier, with the first stage of the buying funnel: awareness.
Companies can embed their brand in the minds of customers long before they even consider making a purchase.
Consider Restaurant Stuff as an example. This fictional company specializes in supplies and equipment for restaurants. Content marketing is one of their main goals. To achieve this, they begin publishing articles and videos on the service industry that will help both new and established restaurateurs improve everything from back-of-the house efficiency to creating an inviting atmosphere for their guests.
Enter Joe, the restaurant owner. Joe is looking for ways to improve the restaurant. He begins to Google things like “improve service speed” and “create better restaurant environments,” and lo, and behold! Our supplier’s blog appears in the search results. Emeril would say, “BAM!” Joe now follows Restaurant Stuff, and checks out their blog, website and social media accounts regularly.
Joe will need to find a new vendor for paper products and replace some equipment in a few months. What do you suppose he will check first? Of course, Restaurant Stuff – that company who used its expertise to reach Joe long before he was ready to buy. This is the value of quality content marketing.
Build Relationships
In the “good old days”, relationships were formed through one-onone interactions, whether in-store, on the phone, or in sales meetings. While sales professionals are still important in advancing a potential relationship, it begins much earlier.
Many businesses rely on their social media profile or website as “the first contact” and this can often make or break a relationship before there is any human interaction.
Your website and the content you display are your first sales line. It is not long before visitors form a positive or negative opinion of your website – within seconds to be precise. Good content can help close the deal. Content that is poor or nonexistent can be a deal-breaker.
The content isn’t just a phase in the history of tactics. Content is here to stay. Content is the key to a business’s marketing strategy, both short-term and long-term.