Content marketing has come a long way. It has gone from being just a buzzword to an integral part of many businesses marketing plans.
And for good reason. The internet has become a busy marketplace where businesses have to fight for attention. Amongst the heaps of click-bait and deceptive content, high-quality content stands out. At first, the idea of paying for content seemed ridiculous. But as the amount of content increases online, the need to gain people’s attention became top-priority. And what better way than through content that is actually able to attain and retain customer’s attention?
Thus, the idea of paying for content arose. While this strategy is on the rise, there is still a long way to go. According to data from the Content Marketing Institute, 39% of B2C marketers are using a documented content strategy, while on the B2B front it is 44%. We are talking about roughly 50% still remaining. If you are in the 50%, here are some reasons why you should convince your business to invest in paid content marketing:
People prefer content over ads: Consumers tend to favor content over ads. Ads are less viewed less favorably by customers, and are generally ignored when doing a search. When people are doing a search, it is usually to find out more about a particular subject, or see whether they should purchase a certain product. Running into ads is not really in their spectrum. Content is viewed as a more credible source of information, so you want to put your money where the actions really is. Lots of content marketing tools exist nowadays to help ease the process for businesses.
SEO depends on it: More and more, the worlds of content marketing and SEO are intertwining. Great content can actually increase the traffic and leads to your website. And one clear sign that SEO is taking content marketing into serious consideration is Google and Facebook’s recent changes. Both have begun to implement measures to find and detect quality over quantity. Google’s algorithm for example favors content that is high-quality and original. Their recent roll-out of a In-depth article search feature further proves my point.
We also realized the growing importance of content marketing in different aspects of SEO and after a meating with our content marketing team in Vancouver, decided to include them in our SEO plans.
Content marketing delivers a high ROI: This is probably one of the strongest points in convincing management to invest in paid content marketing. A lot of the struggles in online marketing is that the ROI cannot be measured or proven. This is not the case with content marketing – as long as you have a clear content marketing plan, of course. The ROI is higher when it comes to content marketing, not just because it requires less investment to get measurable results, but because it is more effective in comparison to other methods of advertising. The ROI of content marketing outweighed that of paid search by more than three times! Similar results are when it comes to generating leads and blogging on a regular basis. The cost per leads for content marketing is significantly less than the one of paid search. Another good thing about content marketing is that the content does not disappear, unlike in ads or other temporary methods.
Less expensive than other marketing methods: Next time someone tries to tell you that they don’t want to spend on content marketing because it is “too expensive”, remind them that content marketing is less expensive than other traditional forms of marketing. Yet we can’t avoid the cost question. No business likes to spend extra money on things, and this point will be one of first things brought up. But as I mentioned in my last point, content marketing is more effective at bringing leads and sales than other methods. The point should not be so much the cost, but on how much you will save by investing in it. If the discussion becomes about time and resources, you can always outsource your content marketing services. That way, employees will not have to take time away to write articles or blog.
Increases customer trust and retention: Any marketer/salesman/business person knows the value of a customer and how expensive it is to lose one. Content marketing is a great way to retain customers. By providing them with customized content, you are able to speak to them and build a relationship with them. Customers that are engaged with your content are going to be more likely to see what you have to say. Getting their attention is key. Another point where content marketing wins is at the point after purchase. Sending them content in the form of say, a newsletter or through your blog can really make them turn into a repeat and loyal customer.
Businesses don’t like to pay for things just for the heck of it. Make sure your content marketing plans have a clear goal and results are measurable. And if you need help, you can always get some from an external source. Many digital marketing companies can aid in the creation of a strategy, as well as create content and promote it for it. We are one of them.
Our Vancouver content marketing team can help you create a strategy and produce different types of content for your brand’s promotion. We are experienced in creating and writing blog articles, videos, or any other type of element of visual marketing that will help boost your brand in the online sphera.
If you a business that needs help with your content marketing plans in Vancouver, or in any other part of the world, do not hesitate to contact us!
