Digital content marketing is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. It can help your business connect with your target audience (ideal client) and build relationships and trust that lead to sales.
If you’re not utilizing content marketing as part of your digital marketing strategy, you’re missing out on a powerful tool that can help you reach your target audience and achieve your business goals. Below are five reasons why you should be using content marketing to supercharge your digital marketing strategy.
When it comes to your business, content marketing can take many forms. Think of all the blogs you’ve read (like this one), social content you’ve liked, podcasts you’ve subscribed to… it is all content marketing. It can include:
- Blog posts
- eBooks
- Infographics
- Webinars
- Videos and more
The best format for your business will depend on your industry, target audience, and goals. But no matter the format, all great content marketing has one thing in common: it provides value for your audience.
I’m guessing you already knew that. So let’s get to the real question… why should you care enough to invest your time and marketing budget into content marketing?
Why should every business care about content marketing?
You already know that content marketing can be used to generate leads, build relationships, and drive sales, but so can a lot of other things these days… I get that.
Here’s the thing though, according to Hubspot, consistent, high-quality, and engaging content impacts decision-making more than any other technique.
Modern buyers are more aware of advertisements than ever before. And they want to see them LESS than ever before.
That means your advertising campaigns are getting more expensive and less effective. Where it used to take your audience 4-5 impressions (views) to click on your ad, now it’s taking 7-10 impressions!
The “Know, Like, Trust” Factor in Your Marketing
Before you can convert prospects into clients they need to know, like and trust you. But what does that really mean?
First, your ideal clients need to know who you are, which means they need to know you exist and what services you offer. Then they need to determine whether they like what they’ve learn about you. Buyers are human after all and you are not their only choice. Your prospects need to feel like you are someone they can connect with.
And finally, once they know and like you, trust can begin to develop as they decide whether or not you seem to be an honest, dependable person or company upon whom they can rely.
5 Reasons You Should Be Using Content Marketing in Your Marketing Strategy
We firmly believe that implementing an omni-channel marketing strategy is the only profitable option. And as the cost of ads rise, content marketing has become more important than ever.
Organic content marketing can help improve your ads. Plus if you have a great marketing strategy, you know that the content you’re creating can be used across multiple channels including ads and social.
Here are five reasons why you should be using content marketing to supercharge your digital marketing strategy:
1. Content marketing helps you build trust with your audience.
When you provide valuable, relevant content to your audience, you’re building trust and credibility with them. This is essential in today’s digital world, where there is so much noise and competition. Content that is helpful, informative, and trustworthy will help you stand out from the rest and build a relationship of trust with your audience.
2. Content marketing can help you drive traffic to your website.
One of the main goals of any digital marketing strategy is to drive traffic to your website. Content marketing can help you achieve this by providing valuable, relevant content that will encourage your audience to visit your site. The more engaged and interested your audience is, the more likely they are to click through to your website.
3. Content marketing can help you generate leads and sales.
If you’re selling products or services online, content marketing can be a great way to generate leads and sales. By providing helpful, informative content that addresses your audience’s needs, you can encourage them to take the next step and purchase your product or service.
4. Content marketing can help you build brand awareness and credibility.
When you produce high-quality content that is relevant to your audience, you’re helping to build your brand and establish yourself as an expert in your industry. This can go a long way in terms of building brand awareness and credibility, both of which are essential for any business.
5. Content marketing is an affordable way to reach your audience.
One of the great things about content marketing is that it’s an affordable way to reach your target audience. There’s no need to spend a lot of money on paid advertising when you can produce quality content that will reach your audience organically.
Here are a few content marketing formats to consider:
– Blog posts: A blog is a great way to share timely and relevant information with your target audience. You can use a blog to drive traffic to your website, build thought leadership, or establish yourself as an expert in your industry.
– Ebooks: An ebook is a long-form piece of content that can be used to educate your target audience about a specific topic. Ebooks are typically used as lead magnets, or incentives for customers to sign up for your email list.
– Infographics: Infographics are visual representations of data or information. They are a great way to communicate complex information in a simplified, easy-to-understand format.
– Webinars: A webinar is an online seminar or presentation that you can use to educate your target audience about a specific topic. Webinars are usually delivered in real-time, and they allow for interactive questions and answers between the presenter and the audience.
What is a Digital Content Marketing Plan?
Content marketing at its core is simple. It does 3 things:
- Drive traffic (awareness)
- Proves your expertise
- Converts
A successful digital content marketing strategy requires you to create content at each phase of the content marketing funnel.
But it also requires more than just publishing great content. You also need to have a plan for how you’re going to market your content and ensure that it reaches your target audience.
You know that saying “If you build it they will come” …. yea, that doesn’t work so well in marketing. (Thanks “Field of Dreams”!)
So how do you make sure that the hours you spent POURING over the perfect piece of content actually gets seen?
Research, research (yes, that’s two researches), repurpose, distribute, research some more and distribute again.
Here’s an overview of what you need to do to create a successful digital content marketing strategy:
- Define your goals and objectives. What do you want to achieve with your digital content marketing strategy? What KPIs do you need to hit to make this time worth it?
- Do your research. Who is your target audience and what are their needs and wants? What questions are they asking on google, Quora, social media and YouTube? What questions are you getting on sales calls over and over?
- Create remarkable content. This is the cornerstone of any successful digital content marketing strategy. (In part 2, we will break down the creative ways we have taken 1 piece of content and created 10 new posts, landing pages, infographics, podcasts and more.)
- Promote your content. Once you’ve created great content, you need to promote it through social media, email marketing, and other channels.
- As always, our favorite: measure your results. Keep track of your digital content marketing results so you can gauge what’s working and adjust your strategy accordingly. It can also tell you what your audience cares about (study which blogs they read so you know what product to make next) and which CTA is strongest (track them religiously and then use them in paid ads).
By following these steps, you can develop a successful digital content marketing strategy that will help you achieve your business goals.
Final Word
Content marketing builds customer awareness, generates leads, and increases conversions. With the advancement of the digital age, content has become an essential part of any marketing strategy. There will always be strategies that generate quick, short-term returns, but content marketing has the potential to increase your business’s effectiveness for years to come. A well-executed content marketing campaign can save your digital marketing efforts.
