Every now and then at Suki Marketing we come across businesses—some brand new, some long established—who are unaware of the benefits of content marketing. In fact, many business owners aren’t really aware of what content marketing is at all. The good news is that once you’ve read this article you’ll not only be clued-up on how content marketing works and what its benefits are, but you’ll be one step ahead of your competition.
So, let’s start at the top:
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is the process of creating blogs, videos and social media posts (referred to broadly as ‘content’) which do not directly promote your company’s brand like a traditional advertisement, but instead draw readers to your site by providing your audience with advice, insight into a relevant topic, or entertainment.
An example would be a motorcycle company creating a blog post where they discuss the development of motorcycles down the decades. It doesn’t directly put their brand out there, however, the high-quality content can draw in new audiences. Another example would be a travel company posting a series of infographics about etiquette in Japan, or a snack company creating a video in which they recreate famous buildings out of said foodstuff.
Content marketing. It’s snappy, it’s smart, and it works.
How content marketing can boost your business…
Increased visibility on Google (or any search engine!)
Search engine optimisation is the process of creating content (usually blog posts) that contains specific keywords you want your business to appear for on Google when people search them. Most businesses have hundreds (if not thousands) of potential keywords they could be included on their websites—but if you tried to fit them all on one page it’d be a mess, and Google’s algorithm would ignore them.
Instead, by creating a series of blog posts—each one based around one particular keyword relating to your product or services—you can work to ensure your website is spread far and wide across the internet, appearing in search engines under all manner of keywords. This means more viewers for your site, and more business for you. Lovely.
A more engaging website
Perhaps this is an obvious one, but when you invest in a content marketing strategy, your website will grow into something altogether more interesting. Having an expansive website gives your potential customers more reason to stick around, and increasing the time they spend on your site raises the likelihood they’ll see something they like. Increasing your customers’ trust in your brand this way can lead to much higher conversation rates further down the line!
A high domain authority
Adding many pages of well-written, well-formatted content to your business’s website will show you as an authority in the eyes of those all-important search engines. By creating a website that looks professional, informative and useful, you will raise your domain authority—an unseen ranking calculated by search engines reflecting how good (or bad) they deem your website to be. A great blog with great interlinking between pages and well-sourced facts is the key to having your excellence recognised—and a higher domain authority increase your site’s chance of getting to that #1 spot on Google!
Improved social media presence
Creating interesting and engaging content across your social media channels is a tried and tested way of growing your audience. Many businesses have huge followings but are largely ineffective when it comes to getting their audience to interact with them. A consistent output of content—whether that’s blog posts, videos or creative social media posts—will have your audience eating from the palm of your hand.
Position yourself as an authority in your area
Whatever products or services your business provides, producing excellent content can help to manoeuvre your brand into a position where you’re considered an expert in your field. The more content you put out—and the more well-written and thoroughly researched it is—the more you’ll gain respect from not only your customers, but from any other business working in the same field.
With a solid content plan, it’s entirely possible for you to blog your way up the search engine rankings, surpassing your competitors as they are forced to come to your site owing to your glittering quality content.
Save money on your marketing strategy
Content marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways of advertising your business. The beauty of a blog post is that it stays there. Unlike, say, a TV ad or a radio jingle, when you publish a blog post, the SEO benefit of it, and its potential or drawing in new customers, doesn’t diminish. In fact, as your website ages and gains more gravitas, this indicates to Google that you’re a respected site, which can cause you to rank even higher in their search results for relevant terms.
Improved customer relationships
Creating content is a way of connecting with your customers at a deeper level. Whereas in a traditional advertisement you may not have much time or space to get your message across, on your blog and social channels you can do whatever you like. Find your tone of voice, be sincere, be efficient and diligent or whimsical or creative—whatever suits your brand. Through content marketing your customers can get to know the heart of your brand, which helps to build empathy and customer loyalty. Yes, admittedly it does sound a little cheesy—but hey, it works!
Ready to work on your content?
Aside from the points mentioned above, content marketing is a fun, affordable method of getting your business out there and finding new audiences. Which each passing year the scope for the success of businesses correctly using content in their marketing strategy is only going up.
If you’re keen to try content marketing for your own business, it can be tricky to know where to begin, and how to draw up an effective content marketing plan. Fortunately, that’s one of our specialities at Suki Marketing. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch today and let’s have a chat about how we can help your business!
