Many small businesses invest, on average, between .5 percent and 5 percent of their revenues on advertising and marketing. Depending on your industry, that number can go as high as 20%. Experts say that a significant number of businesses invest their marketing dollars without a marketing strategy or a consistent brand message. Content is the glue that holds your marketing strategy together with a plan of action that delivers success.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing delivers content that is helpful and meaningful to your targeted audience. Content marketing is not about selling. It is about showing your customers that you understand them and care about them as people and consumers. It is a critical element of building a relationship with your targeted audience. Knowing your audience is the first step to a successful content marketing strategy.
Why do you need content marketing?
Consumers want to do business with companies that ‘get them.’ Content marketing is the messaging, including blogging and social media posts, which provides relevant content to educate and inform your customers. It lays the groundwork for your prospects and customers to learn more about you, increasing the possibility that they will choose to do business with you.
Seven reasons why your business should engage in content marketing
Your social media pages are branded and ready, and your website is sparkling new with blog posts and targeted content. Now you need to take all that magnificent content and start utilizing content marketing.
- Content marketing can answer your customer’s questions and address common problems or needs that your customers may have before you connect, establishing an impression of trust and understanding.
- Solidify a position as an authority in your field. Good content shared among various sources creates a following and a ‘buzz’ driving prospects and customers to your website to learn more about your business and how it can help them.
- Sharing curated content, in conjunction with original content, provides your customers and prospects with insight to get to know you and your company. People buy from people they know, like, and trust.
- Google loves great content and rewards it with SEO statistics that will make your heart sing!
- Quality lead generation is one of our key goals as marketers. Providing useful and relevant content will bring visitors to your website or social media pages to learn more about you and what you have to offer. When you give them the information they want and an opportunity to take action – that’s where the magic happens!
- Identifying with your targeted consumers through relevant content either as the business owner or the company persona creates a sense of loyalty and understanding. The knowledge you share can be reinforced with email sign-ups for newsletters or promotions, building a lead generation list for future marketing efforts.
- Invite them back to your website, and your relationship has begun. Give the customer a reason to return, such as weekly specials, a blog series, or announcements of a new product or service.
As with all things marketing, it all begins with knowing your customers.
A content marketing strategy is all about engagement and retention.
- Attract new customers
- Start a relationship
- Continue to build on the relationship through relevant content
- Thank them for being your customer, and they will soon be your brand ambassador
Engagement and retention occur without ever meeting the customer face-to-face. Content marketing works. Given the pandemic and the absence or reduction of interaction and in-person consumer behavior, your message is delivered through online content marketing.
Are you ready?
Not sure how to build a content marketing strategy that is right for you and your business? Here are three simple questions to facilitate your thought process:
- Do you know who your customers are?
- Do you know why they are your customers?
- Do you know what matters to them?
Let’s talk about how content marketing can positively impact your customer behavior and lead to new business and better customer engagement.