If you have a business website, you’ve probably heard someone mention ‘content marketing,’ but you have no clue about what exactly it is. This article has been written explicitly for you.
The term ‘content marketing’ can be defined as the art of creating and distributing consistent, relevant, and valuable content to attract, acquire, and retain a targeted audience to increase clients or customers. The keyword in this definition is ‘valuable.’ This keyword is what distinguishes content marketing from any other form of marketing or advertising.
Unlike advertisment, which are often avoided, people intentionally seek and consume valuable informative content. The primary goal of content marketing is to offer as much value as possible to your target audience. If your target audience receives value from your content, it will be hooked to your products or services.
For instance, if you hired content writers for your website, and they create valuable content, your website will most likely rank high on Google and obtain huge traffic. This means that you will get numerous visitors, who may probably be converted to customers or clients.
Five Examples of Content Marketing
There are many types of content marketing. Below, we will discuss five methods that you can use to create valuable content to attract and acquire a specific audience:
1. Infographics
These may include charts, graphs, and statistical tables. If you create a good infographic, you can post it on your website and social media channels for several years. Generally, infographics provide immense value, and they can quickly hook your target audience.
2. Webpages
A well-written webpage that provides valuable content can bring in countless clients and customers, who may have never come across your business before. Make sure you hire expert content writers who will work with you to create high-quality content, which addresses your target audience’s pain points.
3. Podcasts
According to Podcast Insights, over 16 million people in the USA are avid podcast fans. Also, 50% of USA homes listen to podcasts regularly. You can imagine the number of potential prospects you are most likely to attract if you give valuable information via podcasts.
4. Videos
Most people believe that creating videos is hard and expensive. This belief is not true. Thanks to the cheap professional-grade video equipment in the market today, creating a high-quality video is now an easy task. You never know – you could create a video for your business that will make you get immense profits overnight!
5. Books
Savvy entrepreneurs use books to sell their products and services. Take advantage of self-publishing, and publish on your own. Even if your book doesn’t become a best-seller, you could still bring it up when showing off your expertise.
Importance of Content Marketing
You need to know why content marketing is essential for the growth of your business. But, before we explain to you the importance of content marketing, you must first learn about the four key steps that make up a buying cycle:
- Awareness – A customer or client has a problem, but he/she does not know how to solve it.
- Research – Once the customer or client has a clue about the solution to the problem, he/she will research more about it. For instance, a laptop buyer may research the best models available in the market.
- Consideration – The customer or client compares different products or services from various businesses to ensure that he/she gets great value for his/her money.
- Buy/Hire – The customer or client makes his/her decision and processes the transaction.
Traditional advertising and marketing can be useful in the first two steps. However, content marketing is more beneficial since it helps increase awareness of the possible solutions and educates consumers about products or services they couldn’t have come across.
If a potential client or customer finds value in your content, he/she will be super convinced that you offer high-quality goods or services. This means that you won’t have to employ any more tactics to convince the customer or client to process the transaction.
As a content marketer, you should capitalize on building trust. If you’ve already built trust in the buying cycle, you will get phenomenal results.
How to Get Started
First, decide on which type of content marketing can quickly accelerate the growth of your business. If your business needs a strong online presence, you should consider setting up a blog or a website.
Next, you can choose between hiring a content marketing firm or doing everything by yourself. You can hire a firm if you are too busy and have limited time to create valuable content.
The easiest way to get started with content marketing is to set up a blog or a website. Then, you can find reputable content writers who will help boost its traffic and conversion rates.
Start Incorporating Content Marketing into Your Business
Now that you are familiar with content marketing, you should try to incorporate it into your business. It won’t be long before you see its tremendous benefits.
