When it comes to marketing, business owners have numerous strategies and tactics they can try since many have proven to be helpful.
Content marketing is one popular strategy that has over the years been successful in attracting and retaining customers through the provision of useful information. Content marketing has replaced the ever annoying direct advertising. Unlike before, where businesses depended only on advertising to drive profit, the current trend is connecting people by linking them with infographics, eBooks and blog posts. This helps to builds credibility and trust while still helping to solve problems and educate the clients about the product. The relationship then turns visitors into frequent paying customers.
Even with many positive results from business owners who have incorporated content marketing, some business owners aren’t sure whether they can increase profit through this strategy. There have been numerous researches done comparing outbound and inbound marketing strategies and most research papers from reliable platforms such as Paperell, among others highlight that compared to outbound methods; inbound marketing creates over 54% leads. Here are eight different ways in which business owners can drive profit by implementing a firm approach to reliable content marketing;
#1. Content Attracts Site Traffic
One way a business can increase sales is ensuring that the clients know that the business exists. In the past, businesses used flyers, billboards and other ads to make them known and reach their customers. The method was effective then but doesn’t work effectively today. People are no longer waiting for the companies to reach to them through advertisements. Instead, they use search engines such as Google to get information about how a company or a certain service can help solve their problem. Even though some clients will search for products or brand using their specific name, many searches using general terms such as ” how much a mattress cost” or ” which is the best insurance plan.” A person searching using such catchphrases is undoubtedly a prospective client. Once your site has contents featuring such phrases, there is a high possibility of turning the visitors to clients.
#2. Contents Answers Client’s Question
As mentioned earlier, contents attract clients to your site. Helpful contents provide the information they need, which, as a result, will create trust with the potential clients. They may not make a purchase right away but will know where to go when the need arises.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 80% of businesspeople prefer to seek advice from published articles instead of advertisements. Clients are always in search of answers. 60% say the contents in the company site help them make decisions. Thus, contents help to build a good relationship with the customer. Once a customer is informed about the product, they will be confident enough to make a purchase. Besides, they won’t have to waste time asking basic questions.
#3. Demonstrates Expertise
Content helps to showcase the product or service, thus helping the business to connect with the audience at a higher level. The potential clients will see you as a trusted person they can do business with. Different companies have different exceptional solutions and stories to share. Your organization is no different. Sharing a story or giving a solution helps the client understand that your services are different from your competitors. Failing to teach or educate your potential clients will make them start comparing some aspects of your products, such as prices. Use contents to demonstrate your industry expertise, experience, and it will be easy to convert visitors to customers.
#4. Reduces Time Wastage
The main aim of content marketing is to provide valuable, entertaining and educational information to your prospect clients in some way. Making a list of frequently asked questions can be a good starting point for your potential customers. They become a recurring asset in your business, saving you a lot of your time. From time to time, clients will ask similar questions. Instead of your customer support, giving them a long email response to every customer, they will send them a link to an already written article. This will save much time to both the client and the support agent. Besides the content featuring frequently asked questions will help minimize the number of support phones calls coming in. If the website gives answers to their inquiries, they will appreciate it more as it will save them calling expenses and time.
#5. Doesn’t Have Expiry Date
The beauty of content marketing is that once published; it will be online permanently as it doesn’t have an expiry date. Even if you close it off, it could be already be uploaded mostly by those who share your content.
#6. Builds Long Lasting Relationship
Customers will feel more connected to you once you communicate more frequently. Online-contents features comment sections where your customers can comment freely. Engaging the customers in a conversation makes the customer feel connected to you. Creating this kind of connection improves customer relationship helping you acquire new customers cyclically driving your overall profits. As you provide value to your customers, they will have the confidence to tell their friends and colleagues about your services or products.
#7. Increases Purchasing Frequency
Content marketing allows you to reach your customers often. Once you publish new information, you can email them to remind them about your service or products. It inspires customers to purchase regularly. Clients who purchase the product once after every six months they will prompt to purchase after three months thus, doubling their value as customers. Customers in need of their next purchase may forget about it for a while or push the thought aside. Touching base with them through content marketing will increase their buying regularity, thus escalating your profits.
#8. It Reduces Costs
Compared to traditional marketing, content marketing costs less with 62% advertising expenditure while generating three times as many leads according to the Content Marketing Institute. In terms of driving sales and brand awareness, it’s no surprise that content marketing has become a cornerstone to many marketing strategies. Even with minimal investments, start-up businesses can launch a content marketing campaign and still get increased profit.
Conclusion
Content marketing is an approach that has taught many how to increase profit and has proved that it pays off everywhere around the globe. Just like other marketing plans, all it requires is consistency. While there are other marketing strategies you can implement to grow your business, content marketing has proved not only to be cost-effective but also to be extremely results-oriented. Over 90% of online marketers have used content marketing to reach their audiences according to a recent report. 72% of those who used this strategy to reach their audiences have attributed their success to content marketing.
– Written by Olha Porterm –
[…] However, inconsistent messaging, where you appear to go between ideas one after the other that contradict each other, even just tonally, can completely derail a business’ success. […]