So, Content Marketing is a buzz these days. The concept has gained tremendous fame recently. You can hear many business tycoons and digital marketers talking on effective content marketing techniques and sound content strategy boosting business. But why? What is content marketing and how it paves the way for business growth?

Above that, what has changed recently, making this existing member suddenly prominent? Well, today, we will try finding out answers to all such questions. Dive into the content and find out the contribution of content marketing in the success of the brand.

What is Content Marketing?

“Content marketing is more than a buzzword. It is the hottest trend in marketing because it is the biggest gap between what buyers want and brands produce.”

Michael Brenner

In the most simple words, content marketing is all about creating and sharing meaningful content with the target audience in a strategic manner, complementing the business goals. Moreover, the content should be relevant too. Because meaningful content is not a replacement for relevant content.

The Best Content Marketing Technique

There are numerous types of content marketing. Right from blogging, e-books, whitepapers, infographics, and case-studies to vlogging, everything comes under content marketing. Well, the hard question is which method of content marketing works the best?

What would be your answer? Blogs, infographics, videos…?

Well, there is no such thing as ‘the best method of content marketing. Because here, there is no one fit for all. Let’s take an example.

X is a motivational speaker. For him, vlogging is the best method, followed by blogs. But how can we decide?

The answer depends on the type of business, goal, and target audience. Accordingly, you can decide on the type of content marketing method to use. Besides, in cases where there are multiple suitable alternatives, then you must experiment to find the fittest way. And don’t forget to consider intent while selecting the technique. Remember, all content marketing techniques have own pros and cons. And you must not try to master or try all the ways at one go.

Why is Content Marketing Important?

Ignoring content marketing is a blunder! That’s the end of the story. Well, this question should not even arise because the content is the heart of the search. Without content, there will be no need for any search.

Imagine, there is no content at all!

What would you get upon searching? And why would you even turn to a search engine?

Does the above argument answer the question? It should! Content marketing is important as it lets you establish your brand identity in the digital cosmos. Besides, it connects you with the target audience and enables you to attract them. How? Simply by providing the answer to their queries. You are serving them with the needed information without asking for any favor. You can get enhanced organic traffic. Sounds great! Publishing good quality and appropriate content consistently leads to bonding between you and the target audience, which eventually turns into trust. Apart from this, content marketing can help you in other ways too.

Thus, you, irrespective of the business size, must go for strategic content marketing.

Anyways, how it helps in generating sales?

How Content Marketing Drive Sales?

Increase Brand Awareness – More Traffic – More Convertible Leads – Higher Sales – Better ROI

And now, it’s time to look at the ways of getting success with content marketing in 2020. Let’s see.

Creating content for the sake of doing so doesn’t work. Producing something to sell without knowing its demand is a waste of resources. Thus, you need to have a sound content strategy in place, which you should design, keeping in mind the ultimate goal.

So, you can’t have the sales-centric approach right at the beginning. In fact, just having a sales-centric attitude doesn’t make any sense at any stage. You have to have a customer-centric approach and keep delivering value throughout.

For example – A person can only accept tea, in place of coffee, if he just wants to have a hot beverage. But not when he wants Dalgona coffee. The same can be applied to content as well. Posting random content might bring some readers to you, but not clients.

So, first, you need to find what people want to have and what their problems are. Then you must try to solve it through the content. This way, you can get highly convertible leads.

Here comes into the picture – Sales Funnel. You can derive the benefits of content marketing only by going through the funnel. And what’s this?

SALES FUNNEL IN THE CONTENT MARKETING

Awareness

It is the first step, and thus, you should begin by publishing content that introduces you to your potential prospects. Inform them about you, your products or services. Let them a company as you exist.

Interest

Now, it is time to attract them towards your brand and offerings. The need is to create content that helps you gain their interest, and they get a sense of connection with you. Like storytelling and there can be other ways too.

Evaluation

Okay! Your target audiences know about your existence and offerings. Also, you have managed to ignite interest in them for you. You can feel a sense of liking. But that doesn’t mean they are ready to become your client. Remember, you are not the sole player in the particular industry. Then?

You need to help them know why you will be the best for them and how you can help them! For this, you can use your figures like the approx. number of clients served, returning client, success rate, etc. It will develop consideration for you in them.

Decision

Wait! Your prospects have evaluated you, but still, they have not selected you. To make their decision of collaborating with you stronger, you should drive them through your glory. Present to them the feelings of your existing clients, talk about your influence and followers on social media.

Action

Ah! You have managed to bring people to the last stage of the sales funnel, where they will make a purchase. Well, they can leave you here too! So, you need to drive their urge to buy your products or services. How? Again there are several techniques, including offering them a discount or freebie on immediate checkout and other such things.

Retention

Now, when you have them, you should take steps to retain them. 

Why?

Upon calculating the cost of losing customers, you would know the importance of customer retention. The cost of gaining a new customer would be much higher than the cost of retaining a customer.

Conclusion

To conclude, there can be many content marketing techniques. However, for finding the most beneficial content marketing strategy as per the context, it is cardinal to have one-to-one analysis and discussion. Also, you must have a content marketing calendar to ensure you are present at the right place at the right time in the appropriate manner.