Content marketing is the new age of advertising. With the world going digital, the content we put out on the internet for our target audiences to see is what drives sales. Creating content that produces value before buyers make a purchase, helps companies ensure their buyer on their purchase journey. Providing relevant information, answering questions or addressing pain points is what buyers want. Consumers who are ready to purchase products are more inclined to seek out brands that provide helpful and insightful content.
Content marketing helps sales by:
- Driving relevant traffic to your website.
- Nurturing leads with valuable content.
- Enhancing your brand’s visibility and recall.
- Positioning yourself as a thought leader.
- Increasing buyer retention.
- Building customized experiences for buyers
Content with no strategy is like stapling fliers all over town. It may or may not get to your target audience. To effectively appeal to their audience in such a way that will lead close to a purchase, one must consider how their content satisfies their readers’ needs.
Funnels and FlywheelsMarketing funnels – also known as purchase funnels – are used by businesses to guide potential clients to becoming paying customers. There are many ways to utilize this roadmap, including paid ads, social media, SEO, and content marketing.
Marketers have different ways of thinking about their content marketing strategies. Many people see content as milestones on the buyer journey; others see it as a promotional funnel that encourages prospects to make a purchase. There is no one right method for utilizing content marketing to increase sales, but whatever method you employ should be consistent with the rest of your marketing efforts.
Marketing Flywheel
Engineers use flywheels to increase a machine’s momentum by storing a reserve of power. Flywheels are difficult to start moving, but once they are going, maintaining their motion becomes easier.
The launch of your campaign is like a flywheel in that the first engagements are the hardest to earn – but the more work you put into your campaign, the easier it will be to earn future engagements. One obvious example is page authority. To reach the top of the search engine results page (SERP), a brand new webpage will take months to build links and authority. A page can appear much higher on a SERP if it is enhanced with content. Emails, articles, and social posts all contribute to a flywheel of momentum.
Information Graphics
Long-form content falls flat with prospects, especially those who aren’t familiar with your brand. The benefits of infographics are that they can hold a user’s attention for a few minutes, impart insightful data, and establish authority quickly. They are also highly shareable assets and help spread awareness. Their value lies in inbound marketing, which is encouraging customers to approach you rather than cold-calling. Visitors tend to click on them for quick access to information. Thus, your brand is associated with valuable information when they notice your company’s logo. Your organization will come to mind next time readers are seeking further information on this topic.
Blog Articles
Blog articles can be one of the most valuable traffic sources. Most people read them without even noticing. You can often find answers to questions in articles using Google. In addition to getting the answer, they learn about the brand that provided it. This is the type of branding you want.
Do not assume that the average person can’t read or will not read your content. The readers of today want to read long-form content with thorough answers. Our research shows readers in the tech and real estate industries prefer longer blog posts. A deeper level of content will always generate more brand awareness and authority in your field. Experiment with different lengths of articles to see which ones are the most engaging and always check your Google Analytics.
The use of social media is another excellent strategy for leveraging user-generated content. You can, for example, encourage your customers to share pictures and videos on your social media pages if they are using your products in creative ways. Through this social proof, prospects will know you are trustworthy.
For all of your marketing needs, whether it’s web design or social media marketing, we are here to show you the way in today’s digital world.