Content marketing is a marketing approach that involves developing and sharing relevant articles, videos, podcasts, and other forms of media in order to attract, engage, and keep a target audience. This strategy creates expertise, raises brand awareness, and keeps your company in the forefront of people’s minds when it’s time to buy what you sell.
What is content marketing and why is it so important?
Content marketing refers to the creation and dissemination of relevant, valuable content to current and potential customers, such as blogs, newsletters, white papers, social media postings, emails, and videos. When done correctly, this content displays expertise and demonstrates that a company cares about the individuals it sells to.
Consistent usage of content marketing helps you build and maintain relationships with potential and current consumers. When your audience sees your firm as a partner who cares about their success and a valued source of information and direction, they’ll be more willing to buy from you when the time comes.
What’s the big deal
Content marketing is a tried-and-true method for getting your message out there. It also gives you a leg up on your competitors. Consider the following data on content marketing:
- Blogs generate 67 percent more leads for businesses than non-blogging businesses.
- Before speaking with a sales professional, 47% of buyers look at 3 to 5 pieces of information.
- Businesses that use content marketing grow at a rate of about 30% faster than those who do not.
- Content marketing promotes engagement and leads, according to 72% of B2B marketers.
What is the Process of Content Marketing
Content marketing can help your company generate leads, persuade customers to buy your product or service, and close sales.
You’ll need to supply the correct content at each point of the sales cycle, from awareness to consideration to purchase, to make it work effectively. Don’t worry if this sounds difficult: approaching content in this manner actually makes the process easier.
Here are some examples of how companies utilise content marketing to engage and sell at various stages of the sales cycle.
The stage of awareness
Your content should focus on your audience’s main issues during the initial stages of the sales process. You have the best chance of engaging with them if you write about their problems, obstacles, and queries. Educative, how-to advice should be the focus of content in the awareness stage. Save your selling for the stages of contemplation and closing.
Articles, blog entries, e-books, videos, and newsletters are the most effective content for this stage.
Examples:
- In the spring, a restaurant publishes a blog article on how to design a meal for a graduation party.
- A bike touring firm produces a short film titled “3 Ways to Pick the Right Bike Trip.”
- “Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Architect” is an e-book written by a design business.
Stage of reflection
Content should include a mix of useful information and marketing during the deliberation stage. It should inform the reader on what to look for in terms of features or functions, as well as how different features satisfy their needs. Naturally, your content should be tailored to your company’s services.
Case studies, how-to articles, how-to videos, and checklists/worksheets are the best types of content to use at this point.
Examples:
A cloud-based phone system provider publishes a checklist called “8 Ways to Improve Your Phone Customer Service” that outlines the capabilities and functionalities that enable exceptional customer service.
Case studies on “The Biggest Mistakes Most People Make When Hiring a Landscaper” are created by a landscaping company.
Case studies of successful events, such as “How to Accommodate Food Allergies at Your Next Event” or “How to Ensure Your Caterer Uses Sustainable Practices,” are featured by a catering firm, with a focus on the benefits they provide.
Stage of completion.
When a prospect is on the verge of purchasing, content marketing is critical. You can concentrate on sales at this point as long as you keep emphasising why you’re the greatest option rather than how good your services or products are.
Your expertise, knowledge, and the unique benefits of what you sell should be the focus of your message here.
Case studies, user-generated content, a buyer’s guide, a product video, and a research report are the best types of content to employ at this stage.
Examples:
A consulting firm creates a research report demonstrating that organisations that engage in strategic planning, external assessments, and other services—all of which are shaped by the services it provides—grow faster.
To highlight its wide capabilities, a design firm publishes short videos displaying its work across various industries.
Patients are encouraged to leave comments regarding their orthodontist practice’s cutting-edge technology and excellent service.
How to Begin a Content Marketing Campaign
It’s easy to become overwhelmed when it comes to content marketing, but that doesn’t have to be the case. A manageable and long-term content marketing plan is essential. To begin, follow these guidelines:
Determine who you want to reach out to. You need a good understanding of a reader’s priorities, issues, and preferences before you can write content for them. Choose one or two of your segments to write for if you have extensive descriptions of them. Otherwise, create audience and prospect profiles before getting started.
Choose the appropriate format. The best format for your information depends on where you are in the sales cycle. Another thing to think about is which formats will assist you show off your worth the best. A video will be shown to some, while a checklist will be used by others.
Select a writer, editor, and proofreader for your copy. Your content’s quality will be judged by your audience, as it should be. Determine the best resource for this project, whether internal or external. Hire a professional proofreader to go over everything before it leaves the office, regardless of who created it.
Decide on a distribution strategy. Will you publish content on your website, send it via email, or print it for a special occasion? Begin by determining “where” you think your audience will be and then selecting forms that make sense. A checklist or worksheet can be shared on social media, and a buyer’s guide is an useful follow-up to a pitch.
Pick a schedule that will last. It’s all too simple to create an overly ambitious content marketing plan. Develop a short-term (3-6 months) plan for a realistic quantity of content items you can create based on your budget and resources after you know who your target readers are and what formats they prefer. Keep track of how long each piece of content takes you to develop so you can factor that into your timetable.
Make your content work for you.
By developing content to attract, engage, and sell, you can show off your expertise and distinct value. You can reach the right people and inspire brand loyalty with a little forethought and methodical content marketing.
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