We all know getting traffic to your site is important. However, not all traffic is created equal. What you want is the kind of traffic that turns visitors into leads and business opportunities. You can attract that—the right traffic—through content marketing.
Content marketing has recently gained considerable attention, not to mention success, with the booming proliferation of online news outlets, industry bloggers, and social media platforms. With a goal of drawing in new customers by using interesting stories, peer recommendation, and other pull marketing techniques, content marketing can be a natural and nonintrusive way of getting prospective customers or clients to your website.
What exactly is content marketing? It is marketing based on creating and sharing information to attract and retain customers. Content marketing can take the form of sponsored stories on media outlet sites, paid placements on influencers’ social media profiles, or simply maintaining a blog on your business’s website.
Does content marketing have a place in your marketing strategy? If you’re considering adding this popular and effective technique to your marketing mix, consider the three main reasons why it might be right for you.
Reason #1: To Sell More
Content marketing has the potential to tell a story—a much more rich and engaging one than a traditional banner ad. A sponsored story that mentions your business in a seemingly organic way can resonate with a reader as much as an impartial recommendation. Think of this as a sort of product placement; you’re putting your business in front of the eyes of consumers who may not know they’re interested in you yet. Even on your own blog, offering a story or article of interest and value to your target audience helps portray your expertise in your field, gaining trust and, consequently, new customers.
Reason #2: To Make Your Company Memorable
Content marketing is a great way not only to get in front of new eyes but also to capitalize on established audiences. One way of doing this is being featured on a website with many readers from your target demographic. Reach out to writers or bloggers who focus on topics related to your field to introduce your business and explain why it could benefit their readers. For example, if you produce outdoor sports equipment, find a hiking blog to write about your products in a post. This approach to expanding brand awareness offers an opportunity to spotlight several aspects of your business as well as giving your target audience a bigger picture of what you’re about.
Reason #3: To Climb Up the Ranks in Search
Unlike banner ads, content marketing has the potential to give your business a big SEO boost. Oftentimes search engines crawl and index content, so search traffic from relevant keywords in an article can funnel through to your site. Links back to you from reputable or popular sources will also help your own site’s rankings.
If it seems like your business needs a new approach to advertising, content marketing may be a smart move as your next step in getting the word out. By pulling a user into a story while positioning your business as an authority, you can take advantage of their immediate interest in what you have to offer.
In fact, this blog post in and of itself is content marketing! Connection Marketing’s team of SEO experts and in-house content creators can help your business get started in content marketing. Contact us today for a consultation.
