Why Your Small Biz Needs Content Marketing
You see content marketing every single day and probably don’t even realize that it’s basically an advertisement. “Content marketing refers to the creation and dissemination of online materials that grow traffic to your website. Content types can include blogs, infographics, and white papers that are geared toward creating interest in your products or offerings.“ yes, this blog is an example of content marketing.… Did you think we just wrote it for our own enjoyment (not that it isn’t fun, we actually do enjoy it, okay maybe we’re nerds)?
Content marketing is an important investment for small businesses. Just take a look at the statistics:
70% of people would rather learn about a company through content rather than advertising
82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content
60% of people are inspired to seek out a product after reading content about it
Content marketing is a great way to stand out from your competition and become an authority in your industry, all while bringing more people to your website, and increasing your sales. While creating great content can be an investment itself, the advantages certainly outweigh the cost.
5 Reasons Why Your Small Business Should Invest in Content Marketing
Build Trust with your potential customers - It can be hard for a small business to get in front of their target audience, especially when they have to compete with large businesses that have large advertising budgets. Content marketing allows you to educate and inform your target audience about their biggest challenges and pain points, making that potential customer come back to your business time and time again. By sharing your expertise in your industry, you build trust with your audience.
Increase brand awareness - They say it takes seven touch points before a customer will buy. By putting your content out there, you are touching that potential customer and creating top of mind awareness. This makes it more likely for them to remember your brand when they are in need of your business.
Increase traffic to your website - According to Neil Patel, certain businesses have seen as much as an 800% increase in web traffic just due to content marketing. It can help you maintain a steady stream of potential leads to your website.
Establish authority in your industry - content marketing helps to build authority for potential customers and provide an opportunity to showcase your company‘s knowledge and experience within your industry. When you create and share high-quality contact, you are seen as an authority in your industry. You are the expert that can help them solve whatever problem it is they are having. Your business becomes the go to.
Increase ROI - Content marketing has six times the power of traditional marketing for converting people into leads, and leads into customers (Oracle). With an effective contact marketing strategy, there are multiple ways you will see a positive ROI (return on investment): increased leads, higher brand visibility, better brand reputation, and increased inbound traffic. In fact, according to a study done by Kapost, content marketing produces three times more leads per dollar spent when compared to paid search but costs about 62% less than traditional marketing tactics. That certainly sounds like money well spent to us.
Standing out from your competition is key. When building your content marketing strategy, focus on your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and help your customer understand why you are the right business to meet their needs. With content marketing you can help your customers freely without expecting anything in return, making your business approachable and the customer comfortable so that when it comes time for them to purchase, they come straight to you.
Of course we can’t forget the Call to Action portion of good content marketing: If you are looking to add content marketing to your current marketing strategy, or just have some questions about content marketing, we can help! Email us today!