There is a shift going on. Consumers are becoming more and more educated about products before they buy them. The online world is the consumer’s classroom these days. Their teachers are their friends and even people they have never met before. Right now, small businesses have a huge opportunity to become leaders in this shifting marketplace. Through content marketing, they can be the leaders who educate those who are educating. And all of that can translate into much higher sales revenue!
So why are small businesses focusing on advertising over content marketing?
In the old school days of online marketing, online advertising brought in sales. Today, it’s your content that will bring in the sales. According to a study by ContentPlus, 70 percent of consumers prefer getting to know a company via content marketing rather than ads. Foolishly, businesses spend more on advertisements than on content.
Need more reasons to ramp up your content marketing efforts? Here are a few stats that can’t be ignored.
10 Content Marketing Statistics
* 61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom content and they are more likely to buy from that company. (via Custom Content Council)
* Interesting Content is a top 3 reason to follow brands on social media. (via Content+)
* 78% of people believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them. (via TMG Custom Media)
* 73% of people prefer to get information about an organization in a collection of articles rather than in a traditional advertisement (via TMG Custom Media)
* Blogs on company sites result in 55% more visitors (via HubSpot)
* Blogs are 63% more likely to influence purchase decisions than magazines. (via SlideShare)
* Clicks from shared content are 5 times more likely to result in a purchase.
* Consumers who receive e-mail marketing spend 83% more when shopping. (via MyOptimind)
* 68% of consumers spend time reading content from a brand they are interested in (via ContentMarketing Association)
* Content creation ranked as the single most effective SEO tactic by 53% (via The Marketing Sherpa)
Get the point? The bottom line is — content marketing rules. Now it’s your job to deliver what your customers want. And clearly, it’s content driven.
What Is Content?
1. Blogs
2. Articles
3. Videos
4. Tweets
5. Facebook Posts
6. Infographics
7. Email Newsletters
8. Print Newsletters
9. Contests
10. Images
11. GIFs
12. Podcasts
13. Interviews
14. Testimonials
15. Reviews
16. Presentation
17. Survey
18. Poll
19. Interview
20. Google Hangouts
Content is everything and everything can be content that you can use for your benefit.
Tips For Your Content Marketing Strategy
1. Educational & Informative
Remember: your content should be consumer focused, not corporate focused. Think about your sales process and try to answer as many questions that you get when talking to live customers. By creating informational blog posts, articles, and email newsletters you are letting your customers and future customers know they can count on you. Would you go to a doctor who didn’t know where a femur bone was? I hope not. The same is true in your business. You need to put your customers at ease and let them know they are in good hands.
2. Humorous
Humor is a good approach if it fits your customers. Humor is the most commonly shared content on social media. 43% of Americans are more motivated to share “funny” rather than “important” content. While humorous content is a good thing for its viral nature, it shouldn’t be the only strategy. You don’t want to be the class clown. You still need to be impacting.
3. Visual Content
Visuals go far on your blog, in social media, and pretty much everywhere else on the web. If you can get your point across both visually and in words do it. Visuals grab your customer in, but your words will keep them there.
Are you ready to get started with your content marketing?
If you’re still struggling with your Web Marketing, you should stop making all the classic mistakes trying to “game the system” and start moving forward by doing real, value-centered Content Marketing.
Want to learn more about value-centered content marketing? Join us for our content marketing webinars.
