What keeps you up at night? Marketers would answer this question with two words: “content marketing.” Companies tend to downplay the importance of quality content; some even choose to spend most of their budgets on traditional marketing or advertising methods. But that strategy could prove fatal in an ever-evolving world where digital content trumps all.Â
Content marketing shouldn’t be keeping anyone up at night if they’ve got the right plan and team in place. In fact, content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates approximately three times as many leads.
So get a good night’s sleep – you’re in safe hands!
Creating content showcases your expertise. When people look for advice, they usually start by searching for answers in the palm of their hands. We’re not talking about the mystical practice of palm reading, but rather the initial search results that pop up on their smartphone or laptop. This can be the determining factor in whether they come to you to help solve their problem.
Your content will be the spark that ignites their interest in your business and what you have to offer. Without it, they might never know you exist. If you’re able to solve problems consistently and effectively within your market, you’ll be seen as the go-to leader in your industry.
Being the authority in your field will attract more potential customers, build brand loyalty, and allow you to create more conversations that further strengthen your case as an industry leader.
Find out more about how Proofed helped Lucid Advertising manage its content here.
Questions start conversations, and the reason many of your current customers do business with you is that they had a question, and you had the answer. Your content should be shaped around answers to the most pertinent questions in your industry.
So where can you find the questions to answer with your content? Do the following:
You can also explore the reasons why potential customers didn’t choose your business in the past. Ask yourself:
Clients crave content that is bold. Engage your audience by creating material that challenges and gets them thinking outside the box. Make your content do the work.
Here’s more information on how to write content that works for your company.
Think of your content as a 24-hour helpline for both existing customers and prospects. Even when you’re fast asleep and dreaming up your next incredible blog post, your existing content will be working for you. Content doesn’t have office hours or take breaks. According to Pew Research Center, 31% of US adults are online “constantly,” day and night.
Your content strategy should include a target audience. The goal of your content should be to engage that audience and generate enough interest for them to reach out for more information.
If they’ve gotten to that point, your content has provided enough value and built sufficient trust for them to want to take the next steps. They also probably know enough about your product or service to believe that it might be the solution to their problem. The logical next step for them is to move forward with your business. In other words, they’re a qualified lead.
The old-fashioned way of generating leads involved knocking on someone’s door or cold calling them. There are numerous other ways to generate leads, but your content inherently creates a quality lead-generating process.
Here’s what that process looks like:
When it comes to content marketing, 74% of marketers say that it increases both the quantity and quality of their inbound leads. That may sound simple, but that’s what you want. A prospect will be more likely to convert to a loyal customer if you make it simple. You don’t even have to give them your well-rehearsed sales pitch!
It’s that time. You’re looking into a potential client’s eyes, and they’re cringing because they know what’s next – the sales pitch.
One of the beautiful things about quality writing is that it sells the way selling should be done – through education and guidance. The goal of content should never be to “pitch” anything. Value is found in the content, not just in the solution.
With content, the customer has the freedom to educate themselves and do all the research they want before making a purchasing decision. In this way, you’re educating and helping them with their research by doing nothing more than creating useful content.
Brand advocates are champions for your business. They’re willing to refer their friends and family members, share your content on social media, and write positive reviews. They genuinely care about your business and believe in what you have to offer.
Delivering consistent, quality content at scale builds the foundation for developing brand advocates and loyal customers. If they find your content helpful, they will want to share it across their social media channels and through word of mouth. Give them something to consistently advocate for, and you’ll have a salesforce that you don’t have to pay a dime.
Just how important is having someone advocate for your brand on social media? Social media users are willing to trust product recommendations by other social media users (37%) more than recommendations from celebrities or professional influencers (7%).
Content marketing is an underutilized tool that’s invaluable to your business. When incorporated along with a brand-focused strategy, it can position you and your business as a market leader. Sales-pitch-not-included content has no strings attached and is designed to educate potential customers and take them from high-quality leads to brand advocates.Â
What brings everything together? Quality writing requires close attention to detail. Proofreading and editing play a vital role in the content marketing process by polishing and fine-tuning. Using a style guide will help with brand consistency.Â
If you want to learn more about building a content marketing team, click here.
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