People on the Web search for relevant information – content marketing provides it!

In today’s digital world, people are inundated with advertisements. As a result, businesses struggle to get their corporate message noticed by consumers. More than 80 percent of users prefer to get their information from articles rather than from advertisements. Now, to reach their target audience, an increasing number of businesses are relying on a promising new strategy: content marketing.

What is Content Marketing?

The purpose of online research is to find relevant information and high-quality content. That means that text, imagery and video content have to provide information that is relevant and interesting to people searching for information on the Internet. Content marketing is the practice of creating and distributing content that is entertaining, informative and helpful to potential customers.

Good content then directs those customers back to your brand website, where you can capture leads and sell products. Successful content marketing creates positive associations to your brand – without the hassle of product marketing.

Good Content Endures

Having captured potential customers’ interest, your biggest priority is to continually reinforce the connection between them and your company. Content marketing has an especially long-lasting effect as high-quality content entices users to continue reading, clicking and exploring. A website that has been properly outfitted with good content can potentially generate traffic over the course of months or even years. In addition, Google rewards websites that feature good content with improved rankings in search results.

Content Marketing in Practice

Looking at this graph, it is clear that the popularity of the search term “content marketing” has risen steeply since 2011.

Because of this increase, many large companies, including giants such as Red Bull and IKEA, have placed their bets on marketing with content. According to a recent survey conducted by the renowned “Content Marketing Institute”, B2B companies in the United States invest, on average, about 30 percent of their marketing budget in content marketing.

In addition, an increasing number of smaller and mid-sized companies are taking advantage of opportunities the Web provides for efficient content marketing. Communication channels today are more diverse than ever, meaning there are almost no limits to a publication’s potential reach. Also, it has never been cheaper for a business to publish its own content. For that reason, many companies maintain their own blogs; publish white papers, e-books and infographics; or produce videos to demonstrate their expertise.

The content generated by businesses is as diverse as the types of publication used to circulate it. Web shops offer professional product or purchase advice; members of upper management comment on current developments within the company on the corporate blog; and brand-name product manufacturers publish e-books providing tips on the best way to use the company’s products.

What Can Content Marketing Do?

Many marketing decision makers have come to recognize the benefits and efficiency of a good content marketing strategy. According to a study by PR agency Waggener Edstrom Communications, 61 percent of marketers polled noticed increased sales figures after implementing a content marketing strategy.

Content marketing also helps businesses to achieve a number of other corporate objectives, including:
 

• Lead Generation
  If customers are impressed by the content provided, there is a high probability that they will be willing to leave their contact details – whether out of an interest in the product or simply a desire to get to more content.
  
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• Increased Reach and Name Recognition
  Often, high-quality content that addresses current or controversial topics is disseminated via social networks. By taking advantage of this trend, a company can increase its prominence and reach.
   

• Image Development
  Releasing high-quality publications on a regular basis allows businesses to establish themselves as thought leaders, which strengthens the corporate brand.
  
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• Customer Development
  Content that offers useful information connects the customer to the company for the long term. By consistently offering good content, companies generate interest in their website and entice users to return.
   

Checklist for Successful Content Marketing: 

What interests your target audience? From the perspective of content marketing, only content that is truly relevant to a given target audience can contribute to your company achieving its goals. 
 

• High-Quality Content
  Well-written, appealing content demonstrates the business’s competence. And it should go without saying that the text be error-free, structured and reader-friendly.
   

• Unique Content
  Unique content improves search engine rankings. On the other hand, sites with copied content or content that is of no real use to users is relegated to the back pages. 
   

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  Successful online content is not just unique, well-written and focused on a specific target group, it is also search engine optimized with keywords, headlines, clear structure and useful links.
  
  RELATED: SEO: It's Not Your Size that Counts. It's Your Visibility. 

Your Turn

According to the Content Marketing Institute, the biggest challenges facing companies trying to break into content marketing are insufficient time and a lack of opportunities to produce enough content.

Have you tried to develop your Content Marketing discipline?  What challenges have you faced?  Have you met with success and how?  Leave your feedback in Comments or on Facebook or Twitter.  

Do you lack the resources to produce high-quality content at scale?  PHANTOM POWER Marketing is your partner for high-quality, customized content – the foundation of every good marketing strategy. As vetted content marketing professionals and published writers, we have both the knowledge and the means to make your marketing campaigns successful. 

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