According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action”.
The key part here is that content needs to be ‘valuable, relevant and consistent’. Instead of just bombarding users with sales focused content, you need to be providing them with insightful content that can help them make better decisions and will solve their queries.
Reasons why you need to invest in content marketing
Content is a great way to get to know your customers and potential customers, especially if you are sharing your content on social media and can get some feedback. It also has wider benefits for the organic performance of your website.
Take a look at some of the reasons you need to work on content marketing below.
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Content is good for SEO
Content is good for SEO, and this is a fact. Google likes to know that websites are providing users with relevant and updated content that will answer their search queries and provide them with solutions.
Having a blog on your website and regularly updating it can really help with your organic rankings, which will likely bring you more customers. Quality is key when it comes to content though, and it must be relevant to your site and to the issues your target customers may be facing.
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Content builds trust and relationships
As mentioned above, quality content is key and it should be delivered on a regular basis. As well as being good in Google’s eyes, it also lets others see that you are an expert in your field and makes your brand an authority on your subject. Being an authority is important as it builds trust between you and consumers, which will help them to feel more comfortable purchasing from you.
By giving your customers free and valued content, they have a reason to invest time in your brand and will feel more loyal to you.
Content is also a great way to get to know your customers and potential customers, as you can see what content they like but can also engage with them via methods such as social media.
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Content gives some added value
Gone are the days when people simply visit a shop and get what they need. Now, with the increase in online shopping and online users, there is a need for companies to add some value to their site in order to remain competitive. Your website and your brand ambassadors now more than ever, need to deliver insight or entertain visitors.
People will want to go to your website and social media because they get something worthwhile from a previous experience, and because as mentioned above they know that you provide good-quality and insightful content. Using short videos or delivering handy and helpful guides will make your website worth returning to as a habit.