Content marketing is cheaper than other forms of marketing, more appealing to consumers, and an essential tool for SEO and improved search engine rankings.

It works primarily by building and improving your business’s relationship with your customers. It also gets your brand out there, helps establish your company as an authority in your industry and, at the same time will have a positive impact on your search engine rankings.

By building trusting, two-way relationships with your customers and increasing brand awareness, content marketing is a growth strategy that will see your audience grow, your sales increase, and your bottom line improve.

8 benefits of content marketing:

1. Content marketing is comparatively cheaper

Initial costs for producing content can seem high, but content marketing is comparatively cheap when compared to other marketing strategies, such as paid advertising.

According to research published by Demand Metric content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing. Content marketing has also been shown to be 13 times more likely to generate ROI.

Content marketing can deliver long term value too, by repurposing and reproducing the initial content in various forms for sharing across multiple platforms. Doing this can further extend reach and brand awareness without incurring any significant costs, unlike paid search and social ads which have cumulative, ongoing costs. With content marketing, the same content often continues to generate leads well after it is published.

When HubSpot analysed where their leads were coming from, they found 90% came from old posts, and that 75% of post views were also for old posts.
 

2. Increased conversions

By giving consumers the information they need to make a purchasing decision, and by building trust and brand recognition, content marketing increases conversion rates.

Demand Metric published research that shows 60% of people are inspired to seek out a product after reading content written about it.

So long as you create relevant, effective and engaging content, consumers will become more familiar and trusting of your brand, which means they are more likely to click on your call to action and buy from your company.
 

3. Increased brand awareness

Through sharing quality, engaging content, consumers become familiar and trusting of your brand. Quality, engaging content also leads to consumers associating the satisfaction they got from viewing it, with your brand.

Both on-site and off-site content can be used to draw potential customers to your site. Publishing quality content across various sites, gives a higher chance of getting your brand in front of people and encouraging them to visit your site.

Increasingly, consumers are also looking for the humanity or the story behind a brand. Research published by Demand Metric found:

• 82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content
   
• 70% of consumers feel more connected to a brand as a result of content marketing

Content marketing gives you the opportunity to convey your brand’s values and story and establish your unique voice, which leads to more sales and brand-loyal followers.
 

4. Builds trust and loyalty

63% of marketers report successfully using content marketing to grow customer loyalty according to CMI’s ‘B2C Content Marketing 2019 - Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends’ report.

Demand Metrics also determined that 78% of people also report feeling closer to a company after reading custom content. Consistently providing quality, compelling content reinforces a positive brand image with your audience.

Consumers are also more likely to have increased trust in a brand which provides them with valuable content without asking for anything in return. Content marketing can also provide validation to customers that they have made the correct purchasing decision when they regularly see your company’s content.
 

5. Establishes you as an authority

Consumers are more likely to purchase from and follow businesses that come across as an authority or thought leader in their field. Expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) are often essential for content to be considered by search engines.

Content marketing works by building trust and familiarity with your brand, and trust is built by publishing authoritative content. To create authoritative content, it should demonstrate your expertise and comprehensively answer your target audience’s questions (They Ask, You Answer).

Providing more in-depth content, such as white papers and e-books, also establishes you as an authority and improves trust and brand loyalty.
 

6. Improved search engine rankings

Content marketing is fantastic for reaching a larger audience and growing the current audience that you have. It is also critical for improving your SEO and getting your business more frequently listed in the top search results.

According to a Databox survey of marketers 70% of marketers view SEO as more effective than PPC (Pay Per Click).

Put simply, the more quality content you create and share, the higher you will rank among search engine results.
 

7. Increased organic traffic

Content marketing improves your search engine rankings and increases organic leads that can be converted into satisfied customers:

• Results from a 2019 HubSpot survey found that 33% of total ecommerce sales were generated through organic search.
• Google research shows 49% of shoppers surveyed use Google to discover or find a new item or product.
• Surveys carried out by SEO consulting firm Moz found 88% of consumers carry out searches to research products they are interested in purchasing.

Whether a potential customer is simply surfing the internet or searching with intent, if they come across your content and it answers their questions or leaves them with a positive impression, they are more likely to visit your website.
 

8. Increased referral traffic

Content marketing helps increase referral traffic. Creating and distributing high-quality content that ranks highly and establishes you as an authority, increases the possibility of other website owners referring traffic to your website and promoting your content.

The increase in referral traffic has a positive impact on your authority and improves your search engine ranking. It also demonstrates that brand awareness is growing and that your content marketing efforts are working.
 

Summary

Really successful content marketing must engage with your audience, answer their questions, position you as an authority in your field, and use SEO.

Creating and sharing effective content improves brand awareness, helps grow stronger relationships with your customers, increases organic traffic, and improves your search rankings.

With a growing, loyal audience, greater customer satisfaction, and higher brand visibility, content marketing delivers more conversions and leads, which improves your bottom line.

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