The Importance of Content Marketing
Content marketing is a long-term marketing approach that is becoming increasingly popular. It is a creative process of creating and publishing informative and engaging content (e.g. blog articles) that your prospects and clients can read and interact with.
Content marketing is not merely just publishing anything and everything on your company website. It is a strategic process of identifying needs. Through providing content, you give valuable information that meets these needs, but also provides readers with regular updates and news about your company/industry.
In this post, we will explain the role and importance that content marketing has in the overall marketing mix. When undertaken effectively, this increases an individual’s trust in your business as they feel they know you more than your competitors. This therefore makes them more confident about purchasing from you.
Greater Impact with your Target Market
The ultimate goal of content marketing, as with any marketing, is to grow your business and acquire new clients. In today’s world, almost anywhere you turn, you’ll see an advert. Content therefore provides a different and more enjoyable experience for the user. They are able to read at their own pace about a topic that interests them. They are not being bombarded with sales speech and offers. This gives them a more enjoyable and less-intrusive experience that leaves a greater lasting impact. This is because they are in control of deciding whether or not they want to engage and how.
Research into your target market. Understand common issues/questions that they have and write your content to answer these queries. You will find that user engagement is high as you are writing about relevant, interesting topics that they want to read. If you write content regularly, users will be engaging all the time. This will lead to more enquiries and sales down the line as you provide value content that they want to read.
Increases your Reputation
If you write and publish content on a regular basis, not only will it engage your prospects but it will also increase your reputation. When you write about topics of interest and provide value and insight, you are seen as reputable. Over time, more people will turn to your content as you are trusted and individual’s know they can rely on you. They are more likely to share your content through their favourite platforms and with colleagues. Your company profile will grow as a result. Over time, more people will come to rely on your content as you are providing engaging value. They will also be more likely to get in touch and purchase from you when the need arises.
As you write about certain topics in your industry, your competitors will as well. Therefore, what really makes the difference with this form of marketing is the quality of the writing. If you have an in-house copywriter who can produce well written, engaging content then you are on your way. If not, many marketing companies are able to offer copy writing services where content is produced specific to your industry that is well written, with subtle calls to actions that will get people in touch with you.
Marketing Becoming More Content Focused
Content marketing overall has been growing year on year in the UK. It will only become more prevalent as time goes on. Potential customers want experiences and so marketing has tailored to accommodate this. You will notice the growth of video content on social media websites such as Facebook. These have shown to be more engaging and preferred by individuals. Companies have realised the brand awareness and sales potential that content marketing provides, both across the B2B and B2C sector.
In this digital age we are living in, more and more people are turning to the internet for news, entertainment, answers etc. There has been a shift in how much is spent on more traditional marketing methods compared to digital. Content marketing has seen growth as a result of this. As more people are choosing to spend more time on the internet, providing content ensures you are still getting in front of them.
Let us not forget that online sales are at an all time high…
Content marketing is less intrusive. Readers can interact at their own pace and choose to then get in touch if they so wish. Companies have been investing more in these forms of marketing strategies in recent years. They work to ensure their content is memorable and stays in the minds of their prospects.
SEO and Web Traffic
One of the more indirect but most important benefits that comes from consistent content marketing is SEO. When you publish relevant, trending pieces of content that people have an interest in, this improves your SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) ranking. If someone is looking for a service/product that you provide, being one of the first results to show up is crucial. It is very rare that someone will go onto the second page of Google to find something.
This is not a simple, short-term benefit however. It is achieved by consistently providing relevant content and sharing it on your social media platforms. This will ensure that your content is seen by a greater number of people. More people will inevitably click to read it and follow through onto your website. Therefore if you undertake any content marketing, it is most effective when done on an ongoing basis. It is not just a simple one off solution that will see instant results. Sharing of content builds over time once people have trust in what you write and see the benefits in reading all of the content you publish.
Summary
Content marketing is growing and will continue to be a large influence in the UK market. It allows you to engage with your prospects through a medium that they enjoy and will share within their own circle. Well written, interesting articles will help grow your company profile, with subtle calls to action encouraging people to get in touch.
Through providing multiple marketing services for our clients, we regularly undertake copy writing. It may be for an email campaign, direct mail, website design etc. Our team understand how to present your business effectively to your prospects and encourage them to get in touch and purchase from you.
If you would like more information, get in touch today and a member of the team will be happy to advise you further.