In the past, we’ve talked quite a lot about content marketing. From why it’s important and how to use it to generate leads, to upcoming trends and how to create a successful content marketing strategy. But in all of that, we’ve not really addressed the biggest question of all outright – does it work? After all, if you’re going to invest a lot of your time and money into content marketing, you want to see results, right? So, here’s the answer to our most asked question, Does Content Marketing Work? And a couple of others too.
What Is Content Marketing?
Really, content marketing does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a marketing strategy built on content. Content can take many forms, from blog posts like this one to podcasts, videos, social media posts, infographics and even e-books, but the goal is still the same. To let as many people know about your business and your products as possible and convince them to buy from you.
Why Is Content Marketing Effective?
At this stage, you might be wondering how content marketing could be effective, and how it’s different from traditional advertising – which is also about telling people about your business. Thankfully the answer is really simple – it’s all about telling vs giving. In traditional advertising, you are telling people about your product or service, telling them why they need to buy it, and how to buy it right now.
Content marketing is the complete opposite. Instead of pushing your offering directly to the customer, you’re providing them with information and resources they might find useful. Interesting, engaging content that gives them advice, tips, information, and tells them a story. Whatever form it takes, you’re giving something valuable to your audience. You do this so that when they are ready to buy, they know what to buy and whom to buy it from – you.
This is the single biggest reason content marketing is so effective. It takes the ‘push’ out of marketing that modern generations hate and gives more knowledge and power to the buyer.
Would Content Marketing Benefit My Business?
We’ve touched on this slightly already, but there are a whole host of benefits to investing in content marketing. Some of them are quick and obvious, while others are a slow burn that might not be so easy to see on the surface. Some of our favourites include:
Build Relationships
The most successful content marketing strategies are all based on building a relationship with the people who are most likely to buy from you, which can then lead them down the road to purchasing.
Earn Trust
If you put the right content out, it will showcase your knowledge, skills and unique approach, allowing customers to feel safe buying from you. This trust is an important part of the purchasing cycle, and content marketing is still the most effective way to achieve it.
Increased Engagement
Regular content creates more and more touchpoints between your business and your customers, helping keep them engaged over a long period of time. Engaged customers turn into brand advocates and loyal customers who spend more money with you.
Boost Awareness
Putting more content out into the world means it has the chance to spread further, reaching new audiences, boosting brand awareness and winning you more customers.
Tell Your Story
Content marketing gives you the opportunity to craft your brand story and tell it your way. This is a big factor in helping you stand out from the crowd with your unique ROAR.
Encourage Repeat Purchases
It can cost you 5 times more to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones, so repeat purchases are always a good thing. Content marketing allows you to keep your audience engaged and excited about your brand for longer, encouraging them to purchase more than once.
Great ROI
Ok, you so probably won’t see this one straight away. But given some time, content marketing could (and should) be your most cost-effective lead generation strategy. The ROI might not be the easiest to measure, but when you do you will see that the numbers are high.
Common Content Marketing FAQs
How Can You Tell If It’s Working?
Content marketing is one of those things that seems as though it would be difficult to measure because the aims are so nebulous. However, if you know what you’re trying to achieve, then it’s easy to set up targets keep an eye on the right metrics. For example, if your goal is to build awareness, then you’ll want to look at your website traffic, page views, document downloads and social chatter. If your goal is lead generation, then you’ll be looking at form completions and downloads, email subscriptions and conversion rate. Knowing what you’re trying to achieve will give you the metrics you need to see if it’s working.
How Long Does It Take For Content Marketing To Work?
As we mentioned before, content marketing is a slow burn, meaning it won’t give you instant results. In fact, according to the experts, it can take around four to five months to start seeing substantial results from your content marketing strategy. And that depends on what your goals are, how much effort you put into the strategy and how thoroughly you promote it. A business that is generating a lot of content but not promoting it well will probably take longer to see results than a business producing half the content but investing in its promotion. So a good ballpark is around 5 months, but it might be longer depending on your approach.
Is Content Marketing The Future?
YES! Content marketing has been around for a while now, and in that time it’s proven to be an effective way to reach and engage with customers. And it shows no signs of slowing either. As Gen Z start to enter the market and exert more purchasing power, content marketing may well become the only way to market your products and services effectively.
At Lion Spirit Media we love content, and we love content strategy. Understanding what makes your customers tick and how to get on their good side is the bread and butter of what we do, and we would love to show you how well it can work. With our help, you can craft a unique ROAR that reaches every corner of the jungle, making sure your business voice is heard. Interested? Just get in touch to book your free consultation.
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