You’ve tried it all.
Cold emailing, cold calling, PPC, etc.
Maybe you’ve had some success with these strategies, but they can be boring and consumers are getting sick of them.
That’s why most businesses are beginning to invest in content marketing.
72% of marketers agree that it increases engagement, while also generating more leads.
That’s why today I’m going to be covering ten of the benefits of learning content marketing.
After reading this, you’ll be itching to write a blog post or make a video 🙂
1. Content improves performance in the SERPs
Did you know that 95% of people only look at the first page of Google search results?
It makes sense. Google’s job is to find the most relevant content and display that to the user.
Rarely will someone have to scroll down and navigate to the next page of results.
That’s why it’s crucial that you develop SEO friendly content.
Producing long form content allows you to rank for more keywords, and as a result, you generate organic traffic and search authority.
Great blog posts and other forms of content also attract backlinks. It’s been proven that the #1 position on Google tends to have roughly 35,000 links.
Think about it like a voting system. Other websites link to yours, telling the search engine that your an important trusted source of information.
Google will then rank your website higher, and that means more traffic!
You’re not going to make any sales if customers can’t trust you.
Producing content is a surefire way to build your brand into a thought leader and expert in your industry.
Whether it’s whitepapers, case studies, or articles, you can use content marketing as an opportunity to show the world you know your stuff.
Look at Content Marketing Institute, one of the leading authorities in this industry.
They offer live events, articles, a physical magazine, e-books, whitepapers, and everything imaginable.
Do you think they’d be anywhere near as successful as they are without these things?
Of course not!
Producing all these different forms of content and free value has made them into a brand that everyone and their grandma knows.
3. Generate leads without lifting a finger
Imagine a day where you can sip pina colada’s on the beach while all of your customers come to you.
re you can sip pina colada’s on the beach while all of your customers come to you.
That’d be great, right? It’d be like a waterfall of leads just landing on your lap.
Well, content marketing can help you get there.
As previously mentioned, content is going to improve your website’s SEO and drive organic traffic. With the proper funnel, you can capture these users and turn them into paying clients.
That means no more of that boring cold calling or outreach BS. You can put more energy into creating valuable assets that will get your just as many customers, if not more.
4. Build a larger email list
You’re building an email list, right? RIGHT?
If you’re not, stop right now. Go sign up for a service like Mailchimp and integrate a popup or sidebar form into your website.
You also need to read some of my previous content on email marketing, such as:
- The Beginners Guide to B2B Cold Email Campaigns
- How to Write a Follow Up Email That Gets Dream Clients Itching to Respond
- The Best Email Marketing Tools That Will Explode Your Subscriber Count
Offer a lead magnet like a free e-book, consultation, or whitepaper. That will help increase signups.
Remember that you don’t own any platform you’re on right now. At any time, your web host or social network could cut you off faster than Edward Scissor hands trims bushes.
Imagine the dread you’d feel of spending all of that time building a brand, only to have it vanish.
This is why you need to build an email list, as YOU own it, and it’s easily transferable.
You can also use an email list to build relationships with subscribers, promote your products, and drive traffic instantly to any site.
5. Content can be made for every buyer’s journey stage
Sure, emotion and psychology play huge roles in why people buy things, but most don’t just wake up and think “I’m going to buy a new Ferrari today!”
They carefully plan, research, and weigh their options. Think about the last time you wanted to purchase software, a service, or any product for that matter.
You probably researched what your options were, read reviews, and did your due diligence before making a final decision.
Content marketing is amazing because it can appeal to every stage of the buyer’s journey.
The first stage is awareness. This is when a consumer realizes they have a problem or need that has to be solved. Creating top-of-the-funnel content will attract these users, such as:
- Whitepapers
- Blog posts
- E-books
- Videos
- Cheatsheets
Next, buyers move into the consideration stage. At this point, they’ve researched different options and have some ideas of what they’d like to do. This is considered the middle of the funnel, and you should produce the following types of content to target these individuals:
- Case studies
- Webinars
- Video testimonials
Lastly, the decision stage is where, as you could guess, customers make a final purchasing decision. They’re practically waiting with their credit cards out; use these types of content to convert them:
- Free consultations or demos
- Free trial periods
- Free quotes for services or products
See how that works overall? You attract a large mass of users through general content like articles and videos, then you taper it down with case studies and webinars before offering a blast of value with consultations or demos.
It’s also one of the main ways I help businesses with my Toronto content strategy consulting. Many don’t realize the tiny details needed like this when creating a content plan.
6. You’re making business assets
I want to tell you something spooky.
When you upload a video, publish an article, or create a new podcast episode…
IT’S ON THE INTERNET FOREVER.
Jokes aside, it’s a great thing. When you begin producing content, you’re creating business assets.
These items will continue to scale over time, growing traffic, authority, and sales.
You can’t say that about PPC campaigns or traditional forms of marketing because once you stop paying, results dry up faster than the Sahara desert.
Tomasz Tunguz is the former product manager at Google, and once said that “Content is one of the few forms of marketing that has a compounding return.”
Producing actionable, relevant, and high quality content is a long term investment. You’re not going to see results in days, weeks, or months. It can take a solid one to two years before you see a ROI.
BUT, no other form of marketing can say that. If you’re paying for Facebook ads, a spot in a magazine, or similar, it ends there. These channels won’t grow unless you pour more money into them, unlike content marketing.
Additionally, it has been found that blog posts gain more views over time versus when they are first published, further solidifying the compound effect.
7. Consumers read content before contacting sales reps
47% of buyers will consume approximately three to five pieces of content before contacting a sales representative.
Do you know how they say that the eyes are the portal to the soul?
The same goes for content and your business.
Helpful content shows consumers that you are trying to better their lives, while also displaying expertise and thought leadership.
Without content on your website or social accounts, it will become difficult to educate users and build a relationship with them.
Furthermore, content creates the opportunity to educate users on relevant topics to help convert them into customers.
Let’s say that you run a web design agency, for example. You can publish content about web design trends, opportunities, and strategies.
These pieces of content might make some users realize the importance of a good website and reach out to you for services or opt in to an email list.
See what I mean?
8. It aligns with the current and future nature of business
People are sick and tired of being bombarded with ads. You know what most people do when they an advertisement?
They click the exit button, turn on Adblocker, look at their phone, or do something to pass the time before they can resume what they’re doing.
There’s something seriously off when people have to do things like this. It should be a hint to all marketers that we need to change and find a new way to advertise our businesses.
And that change is content marketing.
Content entertains, educates, and allows users to make their own choices. It brings customers to you, and that is the future of business.
The most successful companies are going to be the ones that realize this and hop on the bandwagon before it’s too late.
Don’t be one of the businesses that wait too long or your competitors will be far ahead of you.
In that case, check out my Toronto content writing services that will help you avoid this problem.
9. It helps with taking an omnichannel approach
It’s not enough to be on a single channel.
You have to be everywhere.
That means having a blog, YouTube channel, podcast, active on social media, you name it.
Content marketing makes this a breeze and let me tell you why…
Once you’ve produced a single piece of content, it can be easily repurposed into another format.
For example, once I’m done writing this blog post, I’ll share it on LinkedIn, Medium, Twitter, my email list, turn it into an infographic, etc.
That one piece of content helps you remain active and grow an audience on many other platforms.
This brings me to my next point.
10. Social sharing can go through the roof
People like useful content. And, they’ll share it if they believe others will find it useful, too.
That’s why you need to strive to make your content interesting, practical, and actionable.
I’m talking about adding tools, instructions, data, graphs, and other resources.
All of these elements allow your readers to apply what you teach them without having to scratch their heads and visit another page on Google to get the job done.
This, as a result, means that more people will share it, creating a viral effect.
You want free traffic, don’t you?
Then simply begin creating content WORTH sharing! It’s as simple as that.
Once you do, you can monitor social sharing through free tools like SharesCount. Begin by entering your URL and clicking the “Count Shares” button.
The page will scroll down and display how many shares your content has received across Facebook, Pinterest, Buffer, and Yummly.
Keeping track of which content is shared the most helps you understand what topics and formats your readers enjoy. You can double-down on these to keep the performance snowball rolling.
Final thoughts on content marketing benefits
The advantages of content marketing are endless.
The first of the benefits you’ll gain by producing regular content is improved SEO. You will have more indexed pages, organic traffic, and backlinks pointing to your website as you publish content over time.
As a result, you build your brand into an authority; a go-to resource and name that’s trusted in the industry.
With tons of traffic and relevant users coming to organically, content also helps to produce more leads. When you produce content that’s geared towards a very specific buyer persona and journey stage, you increase the likelihood of gaining a new customer, as well.
This also leads to the benefit of collecting more emails with the increased amount of people visiting your website. Ensure that you have a basic funnel set up, such as a free consultation or book in exchange for a newsletter subscription.
Content marketing also aligns with where we are and where we’re going in the business world. Consumers are smarter than ever and sick of advertisements. Be one of the businesses that stand out with piles of free value. NOT intruding on their personal space.
You can maximize the ROI of blogging in your content strategy by using blogging tools, as well.
What results have you seen with content marketing?
