In the business world, content serves numerous purposes. First, it should grab a user’s attention at the onset. Second, it must provide value, whether in regard to education, entertainment, or otherwise. Third, it has to be effective in driving said user to perform a given action, including signing up for a newsletter or completing a transaction. To put it simply, content must be carefully crafted and shared. This is where content marketing, a common practice in the business world, comes into play.
Of course, there’s more to know about content than simply what’s being created. A social media agency is just as adept at understanding an audience as it is at curating press releases, blog posts, infographics, and the like. They will be able to determine user behaviors and interests, meaning that they won’t waste any effort during content marketing. With this information in mind, though, what exactly is content marketing? Furthermore, why does it matter in today’s digital landscape?
Generally speaking, this is the process by which content is curated to facilitate certain user actions. Think back to the newsletter and transaction examples mentioned earlier; these are just a few possibilities that content marketing can yield. Content marketing isn’t limited to text and images, either. If crafted with the idea of generating user activity in mind, even podcasts and videos can be used to further one’s content marketing efforts. If it exists in the digital space, content can be optimized for marketing purposes.
With this basic understanding in mind, it’s important to know why it’s so beneficial. Why do businesses, regardless of their products, services, or the industries they’re involved in, continue to utilize it? Here are a few key points to consider if you’re a business owner that is looking to prioritize their digital content moving forward.
It positively impacts different areas of marketing. If a business is looking to implement a full-service approach to their promotional efforts, it pays to invest in content marketing. This strategy has benefits that carry over into numerous departments. For example, content marketing has been known to bolster search engine optimization. In other words, a company with such a strategy is likely to see greater search engine visibility. Any web design agency will attest to how content marketing plays into website development, providing content that increases site efficiency. Simply put, content marketing is diverse in how it benefits business.
It helps connect businesses to consumers via different vehicles. Despite the efficiency of content marketing, not all types of content will perform the same. Users have different expectations concerning how they consume content, meaning that multiple formats may be required. These include, but aren’t limited to, blog posts, press releases, email newsletters, podcasts, and video interviews. All the while, a company can build content so that the tone and branding are consistent across the board. If a user isn’t interested in reading a long-form press release, perhaps they will gravitate to a podcast they can listen to in the background while performing other tasks. Content marketing reaches people in multiple ways.
It bolsters brand awareness. One of the major goals of any business owner is to get their brand out to as many people as possible. Content marketing can aid one’s brand awareness efforts through the content itself. To illustrate this point, consider when an article or YouTube video goes viral. The more people that read the article or watch the video, the more attention the brand associated with the content generates. In this scenario, more people have been exposed to the brand. From there, users may research the brand further, learning about what it provides, the products it sells, and any other related information. When it comes to increasing brand awareness, content marketing plays a notable role.
It creates trust between businesses and their audiences. One of the intangibles associated with digital marketing, in general, is trust; to be more specific, trust between a business and the audience it caters to. There are multiple ways that trust can be fostered and maintained, ranging from excellent customer service to well-informed content. The latter can be especially useful, as it instills confidence in users. For example, if a user clicks onto a website’s blog section and sees a litany of entries answering questions and offering vital information, they will recognize that the site is reputable. To build trust over time, content marketing shouldn’t be overlooked.
About fishbat: fishbat is a full-service online marketing company based in Long Island, New York. Utilizing the latest technologies and forward-thinking strategies, fishbat is able to create marketing plans that are tailor-made for specific needs and goals. The services that fishbat provides include, but aren’t limited to, social media management, search engine optimization, content marketing, email marketing, and branding. With these, businesses will be able to market directly to their audiences, increasing traffic, engagement, and ultimately, revenue.
