The first post in this series covered what content marketing is, now we’re going to go into a bit more depth on why it’s important.
It’s essential to get across just how effective content marketing is as a strategy for both B2B and B2C marketing. So in this post we’ll talk a bit more about the benefits it brings and the upside for businesses across all sectors.
Businesses are investing in building content marketing programmes, because it delivers resounding success.
Think about it. When you have a problem, or a question you need answering, what do you do?
Very often you’ll reach for your phone, your tablet, or open a browser window on your computer and type that question into your search engine of choice.
You’ll scroll through the results until you find the solution you’re looking for and read all about it.
That’s content marketing. It’s what most businesses are doing these days. Are you?
The temptation is to think of content marketing as a recent phenomenon, an internet creation. But we should note that it goes back further than that.
Ah, the 1980s. There were so many great things about that decade. *ahem*
Just think of all the popular kids’ cartoons of the time, many of which were created by toy companies such as Mattel, Hasbro and Kenner to generate interest in upcoming toy lines.
Here are a few childhood favourites that were commissioned to create pester power in their young audience:
Sorry if that list shattered any childhood illusions. My brother and I loved Transformers, but you can’t escape the fact that those cartoons were made to flog toys to kids just like us.
Actually, content marketing is much older than that.
The first recorded instance of content marketing, according to the Content Marketing Institute’s timeline, was when Benjamin Franklin published his first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1732.
He did this in order to promote his new printing business. Businesses have been creating free or cheap content to attract customers ever since.
Here are some other notable historical examples of early content marketing:
And on it goes down the years. So why have businesses pursued content marketing as a strategy for all this time? And why are so many investing in it now?
Content marketing is one of the most effective methods of growing audience engagement. For developing the voice and personality of your brand, raising brand awareness, and driving organic reach and sales.
Which is why it is a critical part of many companies’ growth strategies.
As I pointed out in my previous post, according to Hubspot’s latest research, SEO and blog creation are the top two inbound marketing priorities for marketers.
In fact, 82% of marketers use content marketing and 70% of marketers are investing in content marketing.
Content marketing is important because it helps your audience with their questions and problems by educating them, and so helps you build trust and develop relationships. Which generates leads and improves conversions.
Also, customers now expect high-quality, consistent content from their favourite brands. So an effective content marketing strategy has become essential for most businesses, whether they’re B2B or B2C and irrespective of their market.
Get this, content marketing creates 3 times as many leads as outbound marketing yet costs 62% less.
91% of B2B and 86% of B2C marketers use content marketing.
Paid ads are less and less effective as we see too damn many of them. People see, on average, between 6,000 to 10,000 ads per day. Many people use ad-blocking software on their computers to restrict the number of ads they see.
Content marketing is the antidote to a world screaming CLICK HERE and BUY NOW at us from the moment we get up until the moment we go to sleep. It’s helpful. Your customers appreciate it.
Instead of being about what your customer can do for you (CLICK HERE, BUY NOW!) it’s about what you can do for them.
Putting them at the centre of the brand experience. And it’s changing the relationship between brand and consumer.
Content marketing has created an ecosystem that people can access for information, advice, and human connection.
It provides a different way for consumers to connect to the brands that they like.
Guess what all that connection makes? Data!
That’s right, the data you collect as people move along their customer journey will help you understand who you’re marketing to.
Social media engagement, which videos people watch, which free content they download, which blogs they read and share, all of this gives us useful information.
Your successful content tells you a lot about your customers.
It can help you create better buyer personas, segment your customers, and improve personalisation.
You can learn what resonates with your customers right now.
Amazing, right? There’s just one thing…
Remember way back in the intro? I said “It’s what most businesses are doing these days. Are you?”
You will have competitors that are already engaged in content marketing and doing it well. They might have quite a library of blog posts, video tutorials, and engaging social media posts.
So if you haven’t dug into creating content yet, you may have some catching up to do.
One reason content is so powerful is that it’s an opportunity to set yourself up as an authority in your industry.
Cracking your content marketing strategy and creating the content to establish a reputation can take time, but there’s no time to start like the present.
Where best to start? What are the most in demand types of content? Social media posts, blog posts, and video.
While content marketing is a long game, it is also a very effective one. Producing regular, high quality, keyword optimised content will help you reach your audience and win them over.
I know it can seem daunting, the prospect of producing all that content. Creating yet another strategy. Trying to write like you’re not in school. Doing keyword research…
And that’s without all the graphics and promo you’ll need to do once it’s written.
Maybe writing isn’t your forte. But I’ll soon be posting some tips and tricks to help you make the most of your content.
Of course, if you’d like some help creating content, then check out my services and get in touch.