It's getting increasingly difficult to hold your customer's attention. On any given day, companies inundate customers with emails, ads, and social media messages asking them to take action. That's why the savviest digital marketers use content marketing to drive more traffic and leads. It's at the top of every list about how to engage and nurture customers.
But in practice, what are the real benefits of content marketing? Is it worth waiting for results with organic, or are there quicker ways to get results?
These are questions that everyone asks before investing in a content marketing strategy. You want to make sure you're getting the best possible results from your efforts. With the amount of time and resources that go into an excellent content marketing strategy, you want a guarantee that all that work will pay off.
The Real Benefits of Content Marketing
The right kind of content marketing isn't a cakewalk. It requires thorough keyword research and analyses, an investment in better writing and consistent publishing, and an excellent distribution strategy. You can't write content and let it sit on your blog or website. If you want the kind of results that top brands are generating with content, you need to make a substantial commitment.
But you also stand to gain a lot from content marketing. If you haven't included content in your inbound marketing strategy, you could be missing out on the following benefits:
#1. Greater Visibility in Search Engines
"Visibility is about controlling and dominating search real estate." - Local SEO: 5 Advanced Tactics for Greater Visibility, Search Engine Watch
With exceptional content, you can improve your visibility in search engines and increase organic traffic. You will generate more qualified leads and customers, and with a regular blog cadence, you can sustain growth month after month. It requires selecting topics and keywords with the most potential, and the ongoing optimization of that content for SEO.
Marketing guru Neil Patel has a few other tips to help gain momentum in search results with content, such as:
- Using one of the various rank checkers and see how you're performing now, and set goals to improve.
- Studying your current site speed and seeing how long it takes for posts and images to load, then making changes.
- Checking your domain health and resolving any errors and issues.
You can read more about how to gain greater visibility in search engines on Neil's blog, or check a few of our go-to resources:
- Crafting a Content Marketing Strategy for Startups: A Beginner's Guide
- This Is the Best Keyword Research Tool, Hands Down
- SEO for Bloggers: How to Nail the Optimization Process for Your Posts - Whiteboard Friday
#2. Build Domain Authority
"When you get to position one, your CTR is going to be at least 200% higher than the closest runner-up, position 2!" - How to Boost Your Domain Authority by 5 Points in 2 Weeks, Neil Patel
Another benefit of content marketing is the chance to improve domain authority. You can use SEO and content marketing to generate high-quality links, which will increasingly make your domain authority better. To do this, you will also need a link-building strategy. Point Blank SEO has a few tactics to get you started, such as:
- Find relevant websites and blogs to pitch.
- Research websites and blogs that your customer trusts and uses for guidance.
- Conduct competitor research and study their backlink profiles.
To improve your domain authority, you want as many opportunities as you can to get your content out there. Here are a few additional resources to make your content ready to share:
#3. Increased Brand Recognition
"Providing on-going value to your target market is vital to better brand recognition and becoming the well-respected “go-to” person in your field." - 10 Ways to Better Brand Recognition, Forbes
If you create exceptional content, people will want to share it. HubSpot is an excellent example. I link to their content all of the time because it's incredibly useful, and I know it's the best of the best. That's how HubSpot continues to attract new customers and gain the trust of their current users.
If you're already creating content and not gaining any recognition, this can seem like a challenge. But you can quickly refresh and update your content strategy and get back on track. A few of our favorite resources to create more engaging content include:
#4. Increased Conversion Potential
"There is no disputing the power of a well-crafted, compelling, and authoritative blog post. Businesses with blogs get 67% more leads than those that do not!"- Blogging for Business: 3 Easy Tips to Attract More Leads, Lean Labs
With excellent content, you will increase conversions. Customer-centric content gains the trust and respect of potential customers, and guide them to your solution. They'll see the value of working with you over your competitor, and you can position yourself as an industry leader.
All you need to do is maintain a regular editorial calendar and be patient. Despite organic traffic being a slower play, the content you create today will compound over time and drive traffic, generating leads from your site.
You can cite the following sources to get your content conversion-ready.
#5. Integrated Approach to Marketing
"Marketers need to shift the focus, from “our space” to “their space” - the space where their customers are actually spending their time." - How HubSpot Empowers Integrated Marketing Communications, Lean Labs
With high-quality content, you can establish a more personalized approach for your current and ideal customers. The best way to weave this kind of material into your existing customer experience is with a buyer journey. You can use the buyer journey to find opportunities to support your customer at every stage.
You can also study the performance of your content to find the channels and mediums that drive the most engagement from your customers. However, this requires knowing your customer inside and out. We use a series of strategy documents to achieve this in our SprocketRocket Strategy Kit (for websites, but also great for content.)
There are a few additional resources you can also use to integrate content into your customer's experience.
What Determines Your Success With Content Marketing
For those willing to go the extra mile, there is a tremendous opportunity with content. It starts with basing your content marketing strategy on your customer and putting in a consistent effort. That's the best and only way to develop highly valuable materials that deliver consistent ROI for your brand. Otherwise, you may not get consistent results.
That's why making a plan to create your content is so critical. With the right approach, you can successfully create material that will contribute to cohesive customer experiences. To learn how we approach content creation, check out our free eBook, Conquering the Inbound Marketing Mountain. In this guide, you will learn how to master content development and integrate it into your inbound efforts.
As an Inbound Marketer at Lean Labs, Tyler concepts, implements, and manages strategic and growth-oriented marketing initiatives for industry-leading businesses and organizations. Tyler received a B.A. in English / Professional Writing from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Outside of Lean Labs, Tyler is an avid Philadelphia sports fan. Go Eagles!
