Content Marketing: Why it NEEDS to be a part of your digital marketing strategy

Content marketing is often overlooked as a strategy for both acquiring and retaining customers. However, we’d argue that it’s one of the most powerful strategies to use.  

‍

There is sometimes confusion as to what exactly constitutes as content marketing and what it involves. We’ve previously written a blog post to provide clarification on what content marketing is. Check it out here.

‍

So, without further ado, here are 5 reasons why content marketing NEEDS to be a part of your digital marketing strategy.  

‍

1. Building relationships

Consistently creating valuable content under your brand can help build trust and loyalty amongst your audience. If you look at the customer’s journey to buying a product, you’ll most likely find that they conduct some form of research into the product. There could be many reasons for research, such as a desire to learn more about a product or how to use it prior to purchase. As a brand, you can use this opportunity to provide information and showcase your expertise, which if done effectively, can help you establish your brand as a trusted authority.

‍

In turn, you’ll find this helps build your credibility while also cultivating a loyal following that view your brand as a source for valuable insights.  

2. SEO

‍

Search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing are a classic dynamic duo. Mastering these two activities can bring powerful results, but I’ll be saving that topic for another blog (hint hint).

Quality content that is relevant, keyword rich and engaging is key to improving search engine ranking and thus boosting organic traffic. This is achieved through incorporating relevant keywords and crafting the content to answer users’ questions. When harnessed effectively with SEO at the forefront of the content, this can lead to increased search visibility, higher click-through rates, increased organic traffic and improved conversion rates (don’t mind if I do).  

3. Engagement

‍

Today, the internet is flooded with information, so what can you do to make yours stand out? Well, plenty of marketers have found power in storytelling. People are hardwired to connect with narratives, especially where these can evoke strong emotion and thus create a memorable experience. Utilising the technique of storytelling not only engages your audience, it helps differentiate your brand while conveying your message.

Storytelling can be harnessed through different content, for example through case studies, customer testimonials or even about the brand’s journey.

4. Nurturing

‍

Content marketing is a great opportunity for guiding potential customers through your sales funnel or the buying journey. If you map out each stage of the buyer journey (awareness, consideration, decision and evaluation) you can curate content that addresses each of the needs for each of these stages. For instance, say for a fitness brand that sells workout clothes, they can create a blog post on how to prepare when starting their fitness journey. This is aimed at bringing awareness to potential customers through providing education and information content, which in turn can add value to the brand.  

‍

5. Awareness

Following on from my previous point, content marketing is a brilliant strategy for building awareness around a brand, but this can be to a global scale. In today’s digital age, engaging content can be distributed to the masses with little effort. Thanks to social media platforms, it has never been easier to share content across audiences within minutes. But how does content marketing help with awareness exactly? Well, producing quality content is to produce helpful and shareable content, meaning that people will want to share content on their platforms. This means that shared content will reach across further audiences thus building on awareness of the brand who originally created it (as long as it's clear in the content who authored it).  

‍

And to conclude...

‍

There’s no time to waste when it comes to your own digital strategy, and we’d argue that content marketing is an essential part of any business’s growth toolkit. Not only can it act as a vessel for educational information that encourages sales, but it can also help build long and trusting relationships with your customers.  

‍

Unsure on where to start with content marketing?

‍

Contact us today for a discussion on how we can help, whether we fully manage your content strategy or provide you with a plan for action.