Think about content marketing as building bridges. It's about creating pathways for your audience to traverse, transitioning them from curiosity to genuine interest, from interest to trust and loyalty. No flashy ads, no hard sell, just honest and engaging content that resonates and builds relationships.
To start with content marketing, you'll need a content strategist and writer. However, before you secure freelance copywriting services, read on to learn what content marketing is and why you need to do it.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is creating and distributing consistent and valuable content to attract and retain a specific audience. Unlike traditional advertising, which directly promotes products and services, content marketing provides answers, insights and solutions that address the audience's challenges and answer their most pressing questions.
Content marketing is focused on providing relevant information that customers find helpful. This helps build brand affinity and trust.
It is a pull strategy, pulling the audience in through relevant content. It does not aim for immediate sales but seeks to build a sustained relationship with the audience, encouraging long-term loyalty and customer engagement.
Content marketing is a customer-centric approach that echoes a commitment to adding value beyond the point of sale. It is a way for brands to nurture customers until the latter are ready to make informed purchasing decisions in favor of the former.
Why Is Content Marketing Important?
Content marketing translates to real-world results. It is an essential tool that can help your business accomplish the following:
1. Generate Leads
Consistently creating high-quality blog posts on your field of expertise should naturally attract your target customers and feed your sales funnel in the long run. According to 67% of business-to-business marketers, they have seen an uptick in engagement and leads because of content marketing.
For instance, a company that blogs about real estate tips might find themselves receiving inquiries from potential homebuyers. Even if the people reading the blog posts are not ready to buy, they can become buyers eventually.
When that time comes, the real estate company that generously provided them with the information they sought is at an advantage. In their mind, that company is reliable, trustworthy and credible, making it a better option than the competition.
2. Enhance Engagement
As mentioned earlier, B2B marketers reported that content marketing amplified their engagement. A higher level of engagement is a natural result of producing content your customers value.
For instance, a tax and internal audit consultant in the United Arab Emirates can write a blog post about import excise tax rules in the UAE. Such a blog post can attract the attention of UAE importers.
If the post's target audience thinks the content is excellent, they can leave comments on the post, click on other content on the company website, share the post with other people in their network, and even contact the company to learn more about its services.
3. Foster Awareness
Content marketing can help you build awareness for your company in your target audience's mind.
Think about it this way. Suppose you're a new cosmetics e-commerce store. You have no track record, and people don't know you.
Yes, it'll be a good idea to run search engine and social media ads to saturate the platforms with your brand and push your name in front of people as soon as possible. However, you must combine this strategy with content marketing.
If vegan is your biggest product segment, you can start blogging and vlogging about vegan makeup, vegan skin care products, vegan skincare routine, etc. You can create a database of vegan ingredients and ingredients you must never find in any product marketed as vegan.
Additionally, you can rank all vegan beauty products in the market. You can create a proprietary ranking index that tracks various criteria such as sales volume, reputation, search data, etc. Because it provides highly valuable insight, this type of content has the added benefit of generating links from reputable media outfits and publications, so it has digital public relations benefits, too.
4. Influence Buying Decisions
Your content can influence people's buying decisions.
Are you an e-commerce store selling apparel? Your content can lead people to buy the most profitable products in your inventory. Are you a home maintenance company? Your content can lead people to sign up for your annual essential maintenance package.
Video content marketing is particularly effective in moving people along the sales funnel. Data from Wyzowl says 89% of people it asked reported that watching a video convinced them to buy a product or get a service.
Consider the impact of a compelling product demonstration video or customer testimonials. They can illuminate the benefits of a product. They can also bring to the forefront customer concerns that your product or service solves. For instance, content about mold in air-conditioning vents can lead an AC maintenance company's audience to consider the possibility that their AC has this issue.
By doing so, your content can lead to a direct increase in sales.
5. Elevate Online Visibility
In an age where consumers turn to search engines for solutions, educational and solution-oriented content can amplify your presence on search engine results pages (SERPs). A brand that consistently offers how-to guides and provides expertly written content that answers trending queries is more likely to rank in SERPs, enhancing brand visibility.
Additionally, interesting, engaging and relevant content can induce social media shares. This is another way content marketing can boost your online visibility.
6. Establish Industry Authority and Foster Brand Loyalty
Quality content educates and endears. It transforms businesses from mere sellers to trusted advisors. Discussing industry trends or providing expert tips can elevate a brand's authority and credibility. By sharing insights and offering genuine value, brands can nurture a loyal customer base that returns for repeated engagements.
Content Marketing: Attract Your Customers
Content marketing is creating and publishing content your target market wants and needs. By becoming your target customers' trusty companion as they go through their customer journey, you can build their trust in your brand, establish your authority, generate leads, and ultimately drive sales for your company.
