According to HubSpot, 47% of people view 3-5 pieces of website content before engaging in a brand’s sales process. It’s no wonder, then, that the content you deliver to your audience is an essential part of your online marketing strategy!
This little thing called Content Marketing
Content Marketing is the process of planning, creating and sharing content with your audience so you can develop brand awareness, create trust and drive revenue.
In 2021, video trumps them all when it comes to content with a whopping 80% increase in videos watched last year alone (no surprises there given the world pandemic). Whilst blog posts, infographics, podcasts and photos still remain a popular way to communicate your brand’s message.
If you run a business you must have been given all the advice in the world when it comes to content. “You need a blog”, “you must create unique videos for your business”, and “you must post on social media every day”. But have you ever wondered WHY you need blog posts, photos, videos and infographics for your business and why content has become so popular? Here is a simple version of how content can help you grow your business.
So, why do you need content?
Content marketing is a digital marketing strategy that aims to connect with your audience by providing value to them. Done correctly, it can improve your target audience’s engagement and trust in your brand and puts you at the forefront of your customer’s minds. High-quality content is convincing and can turn your leads into customers and your customers into brand advocates. There are so many reasons for your business to create good quality content; here are just a few:
Website content helps create your business narrative
A carefully developed brand strategy helps you define what your brand stands for and what you want your business to be known for. Your brand’s story is communicated through content, and your creativity is the only limit. Engaging content communicated effectively stays on your customer’s minds so that when they are ready they need a service like yours, they remember you by the article they read or the cool video they saw.
Each piece of content is an opportunity for your customers to remember you.
Content gives your business credibility.
Creating content that educates your audience shows that you are an expert in your field and creates customer confidence in your brand. When you educate people with your knowledge, you create trust, and trust creates credibility.
Content makes you an opinion leader.
By providing useful and informative insights in your field of expertise, you are placed amongst the leaders. By offering a new perspective or a helpful guide to information, you can be the go-to for your customers to find helpful information.
Content helps create trust with your audience.
Helpful and engaging content gives your customers confidence that they are dealing with an experienced business and helps them get answers to their questions.
Content is cost-effective
As your content is owned by YOU, the business, the content you create is the content you keep. There are so many free tools out there to help you create high-quality content that provides your audience with the quality content they desire (e.g., Videos and Photos). The limit really only is your imagination.
But all good things take time….
Like most of the best strategies, they take a little while to reap the benefits. But good things come to those who wait! Planning and creating awesome content that captures your audience takes a little time and some trial and error to get right. But by investing a little time upfront in a content strategy and knowing your audience, you can ensure your efforts are put to good use.
Don’t forget to measure your success.
According to Hubspot 2022 marketing statistics, web traffic is the most common measurement of content success. So, if you want to get started measuring the success of your content, check your website stats. Which content does your audience engage with? Which content provides the most traffic to your website? Google Analytics provides you with these insights so you can make informed decisions about your next piece of awesome content.
Feeling a little overwhelmed with your content marketing strategy or want some direction to get your content planned and humming? Get in touch for a free 30-minute consultation.
Trish