Content is king…but what is content marketing?
You’ve probably heard the phrase “content is king” when it comes to online marketing. This growing marketing practice is touted all over the web, and every article or blog says that you desperately need content marketing to build a successful web presence for your business.
The essential goal of content marketing is to create and distribute valuable information that your potential client or customer is searching for. Done right, it will attract a bigger audience and eventually more customers to your business. Content can come in a variety of forms, from descriptions of your offerings on your website, to blog posts, to social media posts. Good content marketing is consistent and relevant; it can be a great asset to your overall marketing plan, and here’s why.
4 reasons why your website needs content
Now that you know what content marketing is, here are a few reasons to start using it on your business website, blog pages, and social media accounts:
1. Really good content improves your website’s Pagerank and SEO
In 2014 many marketers have stated that content marketing is “beating” SEO. Don’t buy into that hype. It’s not a competition between the two, and they actually complement each other perfectly. For example, good blogging will naturally improve your website’s SEO. Helpful guides, funny lists, and other easily sharable information can mean more inbound links for your site, which are a huge factor in improving SEO.
Additionally, Google favors websites that are updated regularly. Adding new content to a company blog will give your website a helpful boost in the rankings.
2. Relatively speaking, content marketing is inexpensive
Whether you handle content creation yourself, or hire an outsider to write some blog posts, online content creation tends to be much cheaper in the long run than traditional forms of advertising, like print ads.
3. Consistent content establishes credibility and authority
With a good content marketing strategy, you’ll outshine your competition. Be the resource your customers need (and want) and become an authority in your field in the process. Show off your company’s witty personality. Use your social media channels as a way to showcase your top-notch customer service. It’s all out there for the world to see, and if you do it right, that’s good news for your business.
4. Content marketing helps businesses make sales
Your blog, Facebook page, or Twitter feed won’t make any hard sales. But, they do help convert online visitors into customers or clients. The authority and credibility that you build through content marketing is a great way to make potential customers trust you and your brand.
The best content marketing strategies are customer-focused
There are many resources online that can help you unravel content marketing. But, always remember one golden rule: it’s all about the customer. If you make sure that your content is useful and entertaining, people will keep coming back for more. Identify what your customers, and potential customers, need to know. What are their problems? What makes them laugh? That’s the first key to creating amazing content.
