There are two common misconceptions where content marketing is concerned. The first is that it can only be served as a small side course to a more robust marketing campaign, while the second is that it’s outside the financial means of smaller businesses. The truth is that it’s in reach for everyone, and it can be well positioned as the main course for your business’ customer outreach.
The Benefits of Content Marketing
There are two main things to consider when evaluating the value of content marketing. The first is that over 600 million devices make use of ad blocking software. The second is that authenticity is a critical value for millennials regarding the brands they’re loyal to.
Brand marketing can help you overcome both of these challenges. Smartly written marketed content is more likely to fly under the radar of traditional ad blocking software, but quality content can also help when customers are actively searching for your business.
As the algorithms that power Google and other search engines become more sophisticated, they tend to prioritize sophisticated and relevant content more than pieces that are packed to the gills with search engine optimized content.
And while top billing on Google can ensure that there are more eyes on your product or service, it can also help build out the credibility of your business model. 90% of current companies make use of content marketing, and there’s a good reason for that. A poll of consumers found that 70% prefer articles rather than traditional advertisements when seeking out a company.
And for those concerned that content marketing is outside the reach of smaller businesses, there’s plenty of reasons to be positive. Content marketing actually costs approximately 62% less than traditional marketing streams. You don’t need an in-house marketing team either. Through the use of remote workers and freelancers, even the smallest companies can expand their presence in the digital marketplace.
So those are the fundamental advantages of content marketing. Let’s look at specifics.
Higher Conversion Rates
Studies indicate that content marketing can have a whopping conversion rate six times higher than traditional marketing methods. Some of the anecdotal indications here are pretty stunning. One company found that 60% of customers who read a blog for a particular product ended up purchasing it.
Of course, that latter case is bound to be an outlier, and the conversion rate of your customers is going to depend on the quality and focus of your content, but the potential conversion is particularly high with content marketing, particularly given the lower cost of investment involved.
A Long Tail on Your Investment
Traditionally marketing is a sales pitch. It’s a company reaching out directly to a customer to prove to them why they need your product or service. And while the ultimate goal of content marketing is to nurture new customers, it achieves that in quite a different manner.
Good content marketing is evergreen and offers a quantifiable benefit to prospective consumers. An article that helps consumers understand the difference between various space heaters is a way to funnel visitors to your catalog, but it also builds a level of trust with your prospects.
It offers an instructional and informative guide that will continue to find use among an HVAC company’s target demographic. And that means that this content will have value well into the future. Moreover, it’s content that customers who are seeking the sort of products an HVAC company provides will actively track down.
Once the sunk investment has been made, you can trust the content to serve you for years or even months to come.
Catered to Viral Marketing
Having customers actively seeking out your blog is a huge boon to content marketing. Having them share your content with their friends and family is a game changer.
One of the biggest strengths of viral marketing is how easily it can be distributed on social media platforms. Sharp, insightful, and punchy content is important, of course, but content marketing is likely to light up the neurons of Facebook or Twitter in a way that traditional marketing never would.
80% of internet users interact with social media platforms. That means that it’s one of the ripest platforms for outreach to new consumers.
An Ideal Fit For WordPress
WordPress is one of the biggest blogging platforms around, and there’s a good reason for that. It’s free to use and incorporates an editor that’s easy to use even for those without a high degree of technical knowledge. But if you’re looking for a higher level of customization, the open source nature means that you can customize a blog that suits your customers.
But perhaps the biggest advantage when it comes to content marketing is how well suited WordPress is to SEO. The tools built in allow companies to create compelling content that will also climb to the top of the search results.
A High Level of Versatility
While content marketing is most often applied towards drawing in new consumers, it can be applied in a surprisingly diverse amount of ways. Creative businesses can leverage the principles of marketing to benefit different departments within their company.
Take recruitment into consideration. By creating content that outlines your values and puts the strength of your company front and center, you can essentially make a pitch to prospective hires and focus in on the talent that’s best suited to your company’s culture.
Final Thoughts
That’s just scratching the surface of how content marketing can benefit your company. From creating instructional content to relieve the burden on your customer service team to offer targeted content that your sales teams can use more directly, a business can get a lot of mileage out of blog-based content.