*THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS WHICH MEANS I EARN A COMISSION IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE*
13 Superb Content Marketing Trends That Are Proven To Work
Are you trying to figure out how content marketing can help your small business? If so, you are not alone. One study found that only 13% of small business owners fully understand the purpose and potential of content marketing.
You might be wondering: What is content marketing? How do I use it in my business? Where should I start first?
Don’t worry–I’ve got you covered!
In this blog post, I’ll answer 13 questions about content marketing that will give you a better understanding of what it is and why it’s important for small businesses today.
It is imperative for small business owners to understand content marketing basics and how content marketing can help their business succeed online. Ready to dive in?
Yes?
This post will provide information on the benefits of using content marketing as an advertising strategy for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
What is Content Marketing & How Does it Work?
Content Marketing is an advertising strategy that emphasizes creating content for the purpose of attracting customers by providing them with useful information about your company’s products or services. This content can be in many formats including videos, blogs posts, how to articles etc.
Content marketing can be seen as a form of content production. It is one type of inbound marketing that generates content for the purpose of educating readers about your company’s products and services or to provide them with information they need to make an informed decision on whether or not they should purchase from you.
Does Content Marketing Work?
In relation to search engine optimization, content marketing is the best way to make Google happy.
Content marketing is really just another way of doing advertising. But instead of using annoying ads and sales sketches, it uses informative articles and information to get a message across without sounding like they’re trying to sell something.
The research has shown that people are more likely to stay on a website if there is valuable content on there, and so one common use for content marketing is boosting areas where conversions are low by making the website design eye-catching with multimedia elements on the site.
There are some other advantages as well such as an easier time ranking well in search engines because well designed sites rank higher than poorly designed or spammy ones.
“The key thing to remember about content marketing is that it’s all about quality over quantity!”
On social media, content marketing is the best way to connect with your audience and drive business revenue. Given that people trust content more than advertising now, it’s become the preferred method for both personal and professional branding reputation management alike.
When Did Content Marketing Become Popular?
Content marketing became popular through the age of television, but it was always powerful even before then.
Content was king before anything else – for anyone who wanted to make an impact on society and to grow a business, content led the way from the beginning. Some people managed to do well in sales without any kind of marketing or promotion at all (think Leonardo da Vinci), and this only goes to show how much value there is in high-quality content production.
But as soon as TV came along there was no turning back; companies had to find ways of grabbing attention in a noisy marketplace, and eventually honed in on forms of marketing that work. And now more than ever, it’s a key driver for online communications, because it enables us to tell our story at scale and across channels like never before.
Content marketing has always been an intrinsic part of small business success because written words fill a void that cannot be filled by anything else.
And the best part? It’s easier than ever before!
Content marketing has always been an intrinsic part of small business success because written words fill a void that cannot be filled by anything else.
Is Content Marketing dead? Is it Even Worth it?
Content marketing isn’t dead!!!
It remains a powerful force in the world today. Content marketing is alive and well and always has been, it’s simply now being done on a wider spectrum of digital platforms to reach a greater share of the population. And that’s a good thing.
You want your content to reach as many people as possible, right? The truth is there are some exciting new trends happening in content marketing, like native advertising, which can be hugely beneficial for brands looking to compete with their counterparts for attention on prospective customers’ social media feeds.
Let’s not omit app marketing agencies. This B2B Marketplace has everything you need to find the right agency for your project.
“Content marketing will only grow in importance in the future as consumers continue to become more reliant on digital channels for information about products and services.”
So Yes. It definitely is worth it because it allows small businesses to improve the customer experience with their products.
It creates a personal connection amongst the business and customers, thus helping to better boost sales and engagement rates!
Here are some other great benefits of content marketing:
- Content marketing is free- this helps small businesses get started without any upfront costs .
- Brands can easily spread awareness due to the viral nature of content marketing
- It improves product branding and reduces expenses spent on advertising . . marketers also have “control” over what type of information they want their target audience to focus on or what type of themes they want them to identify with, which may increase conversion rates from visitors.
How Can Content Marketing Help a Business?
It could do any one of the following:
1) Drive more qualified traffic to your site.
2) Reduce your customer acquisition costs.
3) Educate customers on how to use and pay for your product by partnering with influential people in the space and building an engaged network.
4) Tell unique stories about their experience using/paying for products designed by the company they’re promoting.
5) Get a good rating on google and yelp thanks to strong reviews that really stand out.
6) Share insights with other companies via think tanks or consulting work.
7) Help businesses attract top talent through job postings.
8) Boost morale
Why Content
Marketing is Important for
Business?
In one sentence, content marketing is about creating valuable and informative content instead of ads.
Not only that but it unifies the art of storytelling with the science of optimization. It’s the future of online advertising with higher return rates and better customer engagement. By staying fresh, relevant, and interesting–year-round–you’ll keep your target audience interested in what you have to say.
Tip: Share what matters most. Information about your products or services can cross over into content very easily by creatively sharing a real life story associated with it. It’s also important to remain top of mind by writing on topics related to relevant trends or news stories in current events as well as specific industry related subjects and needs through blogs, articles and videos.
Perception studies show that brands which invest in content marketing are perceived as more trustworthy, authentic and knowledgeable than their counterparts from other industries who largely depend upon traditional advertising methods. That means they’re able to drive significant increases in traffic, referrals, conversions…and sales!
Lead will become customers themselves and they’ll share your story with other potential customers you might never reach on your own!
The bottom line is this: all businesses need storytelling techniques for inbound lead generation; but if you want an effective solution to uncovering and capturing new prospects, content marketing is the answer.
What Are Examples of Content Marketing?
Examples of content marketing would include interviews with influencers, conference calls and webinars, blog posts, and social media campaigns.
Content marketing is a way that businesses can to promote their brand without being restricted by traditional advertising formats within the entertainment industry that are expensive and time-consuming. As Gary Vaynerchuk said in “Jab Jab Jab Right Hook” – content is king!
The goal of every page should always be top-of-funnel metrics – but share-ability metric is something you should have in mind from the start when creating a piece of content for any type of company.
Anything can be turned into an opportunity for promotion if it resonates well with your audience so long as it meets 4 key points:
- it is content your audience needs
- content that your audience wants to watch, read or listen to
- content with the right message and voice
- content where you have a platform for distribution in place.
Which Content Marketing is Best?
The truth is that every company that does content marketing has a different goal in mind.
What are your goals? How much time do you have to dedicate to a content marketing effort each week? What’s your knowledge and expertise in the topic that interests you the most?
You can’t always choose to do the “right thing” in your personal life, but when it comes to growing a business you really have the opportunity to be intentional in making decisions that create sustainable and substantial growth.
It’s not about what feels good – it’s what generates more leads, revenue and profits for the long haul.
When we get away from short term gains and focus on creating systems with positive ROI, things work out better over time. It means that you’re only invested in generating great content at a rate where you know for a fact it will make money back because of all of that initial heavy lifting (search engine optimizing) gets done first.
Why Should I Use Content Marketing?
Haven’t convinced you yet huh? Let me add and reiterate:
Content marketing bridges the gap between an organization’s message and its audiences by creating media content that provides added value. It has been proven that this form of marketing out-performs traditional advertising, generating higher customer satisfaction and a greater return on investment.
Content marketing allows you to:
- Define your niche and create an online space that defines the industry you service.
- Tailor your website or social media network to cater specifically to customers who are looking for exactly what you provide so they are more likely to come across your business.
- converse with your customers and prospects, which creates a sense of community around shared values rather than just products or transactions.
Content marketing brings people into the purchasing cycle at different points in time by offering relevant information on topics that might not otherwise spark interest in your visitor(s). You should definitely consider adding content to your strategy if you’re struggling to distinguish yourself and build authority on social media networks like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
How To Be A Good Content Marketer?
The first and most important quality of a good content marketer is urgency and timeliness. It’s essential to have the content be fresh and on-time with the latest news for your industry or niche. This should all also be combined with great storytelling skills so that it’s not only entertaining but informative in some sense.
The best content marketers are people who love what they do, research their audience so the content is as relevant and personalized as possible, share authentic stories to engage others with similar passions or lives, simplify complex ideas for broad audiences, focus on providing solutions rather than listing the problems and lastly writes in a captivating voice that keeps readers entertained as well as intrigued.
Great content marketing is about two things: crafting great copy that stands out from the noise of social media updates and getting creative with social media posts.
That might mean more images or videos shared across different platforms like Facebook Stories or Instagram Live video streaming. In other cases it may be finding new ways to engage followers like using multimedia to create quizzes or challenges for them to complete.
How To Start a Content Marketing Strategy?
Be passionate about what you do. Know your audience. Listen to their needs and wants. Be consistent with your message in all channels of communication, judging the ROI over “likes” or “shares.”
Focus on the quality of content, not quantity, knowing that one high-quality article can generate more leads than three mediocre ones.
Create a real community around your subject matter rather than spamming one-time consumers with promotional offers or enticing them into buying something they don’t need right now. Have fun! What good is it if you’re not enjoying your own party?
Lastly, know when to pull back and get some fresh air–remember that marketing’s a marathon, not a sprint; few things are worse for content marketing than content burnout.
In this article I’ve covered why content marketing matters for all businesses as well as some tips on how to get started. Content marketing is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing. It can help you grow your business, provide a more personal connection with customers and potential clients, and generate leads that convert into sales.
Content marketing is a strategy that will continue to be popular in the future. You could see it as an investment rather than as a cost. When you invest your time and effort into creating great content, people are more likely to become customers of yours down the road because they trust what you say about your business.
Take some time today to think about how content marketing might work for your company or organization. If you want help getting started with this strategy, I’d love to help! Book a consultation right now so we can get started on making sure that your business has a stellar digital presence and strong customer base!
