How Content Marketing can build your business

In 2019, 81% of the developed world have internet access, and 3.5 billion Google searches take place each day.  These statistics highlight the importance for your business to have an effective online presence, and Content Marketing is a strong component of this.

“Content marketing gets three times more leads than paid search advertising.”

Content Marketing Institute

What is Content Marketing, and how can it build your business?

Content Marketing is defined by HubSpot as “a marketing strategy that focuses on creating, publishing, and distributing valuable and relevant content online, with the purpose of reaching a targeted audience and incentivising profitable customer action.” 

Content marketing is a digital marketing strategy that uses targeted written or visual content such as articles, blogs, posts, white papers, videos, photos, infographics or case studies to increase SEO ranking.  Content should demonstrate your brand, and how it can add value, solve a problem or provide a service relevant to the consumers needs.

Here are three reasons why Content Marketing is a must for your business:

1.    Content Marketing increases your SEO ranking

2.    Content Marketing builds brand trust and your brand’s level of industry leadership

3.    Content Marketing continues working long after it was created

Content Marketing Increases Your SEO

Content Marketing that is matched to particular keywords will improve your search ranking.  Think about it this way, 3.5 billion people are Googling today, and a percentage of those will be Googling things that relate to your business.  How can you get those Googlers to your website?  The answer, by providing content that answers their Google search question.

Here’s an example:

Sally manufactures and sells the best dog brushes around.  

Penny Googles – best brush for my long-haired dog

Sally has written an article and published it on her website called – The best brush for long-haired dogs

Penny’s Google search finds Sally’s article and BAM!  Penny is buying Sally’s dog brush.

Now Sally has a full range of dog brushes, so she has a lot of content she can write to attract more customers, for instance she can write a range of articles about short haired dog brushes, malting dog brushes, how different dog brushes work, and more.  

Think about how you would search for your type of business, and what sorts of questions you would ask, and then go about creating engaging, easy-to-read content that answers those questions.  

If you have interesting content, you can also pitch this to like-minded online sites to get your article published through their website or subscriber email.  External links, or backlinks as they are referred to, are a great way of increasing your SEO ranking, and being published through other websites also generates better brand awareness, and builds your business leadership profile. Which nicely brings me to point two.

Content Marketing Builds Trust and Brand Leadership

The internet is the top source of information now, which means the more compelling, educated and experienced content you place online, the greater chance you have of securing new customers or clients.

Your content needs to prove that you understand the needs of the consumer, and that your product or service meets those needs.  Statistics, examples of working solutions you have provided, happy customer reviews, and how-to articles are great ways to show how your company can achieve your customer’s goals.

When you write your content, speak with authority, but also prove your authority. Statements like - ‘We’ve helped over 1000 people loose 20kg in two months, and keep the weight off’ - shows that you have the proof that your fitness program really works.

Content Marketing keeps on working

Content, when marketed correctly, gets passed on, shared, liked, and consumed in many ways, by many people.  Online content is basically forever content.  

By spending time creating valuable content, you can ensure that your brand will be talked about not just within your reach, but within your customers reach, and the reach of their friends and connections, and on and on.

This is where a Content Marketing Strategy can make the most of your created content.  An article for your website can be promoted across social media sites, pitched to online publications/industry websites for further reach, emailed to your subscribers and so much more.  It can also be the basis of your online marketing spend, where you can promote posts and utilise Google Ads to draw readers to your content.  

Content Marketing can also be a great way to capture leads and generate sales or donations. It starts with relevant and well-written content, continues with well-placed and promoted content, and ends with a solid customer journey.  One article will never be enough, you need to keep creating fresh content, and you need to ensure that you continue to meet the information needs of the market.

Here’s where you might need help

Content Marketing is not a quick fix.  It’s a long-term strategy for building an effective online presence. You might not be able to do it yourself. 

Contracting someone with Content Creation expertise is going to be a big asset for your organisation or business. You can limit your budget, and rely on their knowledge and experience to build your online presence.  Often someone that is on the outside of your business can add that extra element of success because they are not bogged down by the day-to-day administration of a role within your company, and they are impartial and able to see from both the Company’s and Consumer’s point of view.  

If you need help with creating an effective Content Marketing Strategy, and with ongoing content creation, email melinda@honeyandflint.com.au.