4 reasons content marketing is important to your business
As the world becomes more digital-oriented and more people spend their time online, it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to be on top of their game when connecting with customers and potential customers online. Since the rise of social media, brands now have to become closer and more communicative with their customers if they want their loyalty and trust in return.
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 information about your products or services, you need to be providing them with useful content that can help them make better decisions about products and services and can help them solve their queries.
Simply putting out advertising messages across multiple channels is no longer an effective strategy, and it won’t gain you valuable customers.
Whilst some businesses can find it challenging to adjust to the idea, and to the effort required to create content, there are a few reasons why content marketing is important:
1. You get to know your customers
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.
This allows you to gauge your customers’ attitude and get to know their needs and demographic better. Content at its best can inspire discussion, allegiance, provoke thought and get everyone talking.
2. Content improves SEO
This is one thing that we know all too well at Varn. Good quality content can really help to improve your SEO.
If you decide to generate a blog with quality content and connect it to your brand this can lead to positive repercussions. Quality is key though, you can no longer create, post, or share content that is of a poor quality and loaded with keyword. Genuinely well written and relevant content will not only be picked and shared by visitors to your site, but it will also be favoured by Google.
3. Content builds authority and trust
Quality content delivered on a regular basis can let 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, which is something that customers make purchasing decisions on.
Giving good free information out can also build customer loyalty and create a community for your target market. By giving your customer community valued content for following you, they have a reason to invest time in your brand. If you publish content at regular intervals, followers effectively ‘check-in’ with your brand.
4. Content adds value
There is a new rule in business – that whatever business you are, you now need to also be a publisher to be competitive. People expect your business, your website and your brand ambassadors (whether that’s managers, staff, hired freelancers or even customers) to deliver insight or entertain.
People want to go to your website and social media because they get something worthwhile back from the experience. Using video for short films, posting amusing pictures, delivering handy and helpful guides will make your website worth returning to as a routine.
For more information on content marketing and creating quality content that gets clicks, get in touch with the team at Varn today.
