That tired old phrase “content is king” has never rung truer. In today’s marketplace, content marketing is no longer an option. It’s a must-have for any business looking to outpace the competition. What is effective content marketing? It all starts with a strategy centered around the production of informative content. This content is ultimately used in order to attract, educate and retain new customers. So, instead of pouring your marketing budget into expensive mailers, time-consuming trade shows, or hours of sales calls- simply provide your audience with the information they’re searching for. Through this process, you’ll be gaining your audience’s trust- ultimately nurturing them until it’s time to make a purchase.
Inbound Marketing Yields Higher ROI
While outbound marketing used to reign, more and more businesses are switching over to inbound strategies. And the most important inbound strategy of all is effective content marketing. While outbound marketing includes traditional initiatives like trade shows and cold calling, the tactics require a significant amount of time and effort from paid employees. This can get expensive, and thus difficult to sustain long-term. Overall, inbound content marketing costs 62% less than traditional outbound strategies, and has proven to result in a higher ROI. It also requires far less resources, meaning a business is ultimately investing less while seeing a higher return.
Inbound marketing, as the name may suggest, involves the process of bringing in active customers from the marketplace. This implies placing your business where it can be found by a customer looking to purchase, rather than forcing products or messaging on an audience that has expressed no interest. According to a study conducted by Google, 70% of people research online before making a purchasing decision. Through producing helpful, SEO-optimized content, a business makes itself more visible to active customers. By putting your marketing material in the right spot for potential customers to find on their own, you guide and empower the customer into making a purchase, rather than forcing a sale. This ultimately empowers your audience, increasing the likelihood of transitioning them into a repeat customer.
Effective SEO Strategy Increases Conversions
Ultimately, increased web traffic means increased likelihood of conversion. Content marketing generates three times more web traffic than outbound marketing does, leading to a higher ROI. Ultimately, promoting your brand can be done through digital presence and a sustained, loyal following. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, can help get you there. By weaving relevant keywords into the content you produce, search engines will recognize them as trying to solve a search intent, and ultimately rank your content higher because of it. Those searchers that stumble upon your brand after a targeted search now know the name of your business. They know the type of products you offer, and, most importantly, recognize you as a possible solution to their problem. But let’s face it, if your website or content doesn’t rank on the first few pages of search engine results, they might as well be on the last.
Pair a well thought out content strategy with targeted SEO copywriting and your website will rank in the coveted first few pages in no time. Websites that create and distribute new content regularly receive 8 times more traffic than websites that don’t. The more content you produce, the more likely it is for someone to come across your business. Maximize your digital content output. Get your name out there and build trust with your new audience.
Effective Content Builds Brand Awareness
Building brand loyalty all starts with solving customers’ problems. When a potential customer has a problem, more often than not, they search the internet for a solution. If your blog, video content, or social media content provide a solution, they’ll begin to trust your brand. Solve a few problems, and soon enough they’re just going straight to your website. Become a trusted authority in your space, and your loyal visitors will soon form the backbone of your customer base.
The only fallback to content marketing is that it requires consistent, useful content. Producing spammy, shallow content in the hopes of flooding search results will ultimately diminish brand authority, producing the opposite effect that your strategy was geared for. This is why planning out a robust, effective content marketing strategy before implementing it is so important. Audience’s love consistency, efficiency and reliability. So planning standing dates for content pushes and social posts helps ensure your audience is anticipating it.
Invest in Content Marketing
Ultimately, building trust with your customers is key to retention and referrals. Happy customers will want to share their experience with their friends and family. Grow your business by being the dependable brand your audience can trust, not only when it comes time to purchase, but when they need help. At Forge Apollo, our innovative content creators will put together a comprehensive content marketing strategy, and create original, dynamic content designed to get you results. Contact us today to get started.
