The past two years have seen the world brought to its knees. People are either self-isolating, or in lockdown, or scared and worried about going outside. This new status quo has led to an unprecedented, staggering increase in online marketplace transactions. According to Forbes, Amazon has enjoyed explosive growth in 2020, as its market capitalization has gained more than $570 billion in one single year. Amazon has managed to skyrocket its worth, not in lieu of the pandemic, but because of it.
There is a lesson to be told here: as more and more people turn to online shops for even their most basic daily purchases (groceries), content marketing has become one of the most critical factors that make or break a business. If this is not enough to convince you of how critical your content efforts are in light of our new reality, here is a list of 7 more reasons to ponder.
1. Content Marketing Yields An Excellent ROI
According to the Entrepreneur, ROI (return on investment) is the most common profitability ratio and the one used to determine how much your profit weighs in light of your expenses. One of the permanent expenses a business has is the one relating to advertising their products or services. They can increase or decrease the amount spent on advertising, but they cannot forego it altogether. If your buyers do not know about your product, how will they buy it? And if you do not advertise it efficiently, how will they know about it?
However, statistics show that content marketing costs less than half than traditional advertising but delivers three times the traffic. Your return on investment is far greater when investing in content efforts, and the visibility and awareness of your brand increases.
2. Content Marketing Will Push Your Audience Through The Sales Funnel
Every potential buyer’s journey passes through the sales funnel. It begins with the awareness stage, whereby your buyer realizes they need to buy products or services similar to those you are selling. Proper content marketing will help these buyers discover your brand and make them aware of your products or services as an option that will help solve their problems or satisfy their needs. From then on, content marketing will push your audience through the consideration phase and lead them towards their final purchase. Content is a powerful tool at every step of your customer’s journey, and when done appropriately for each step, it will lead to conversion.
3. Content Marketing Improves Your Search Rankings
There is a lot of fuss over search rankings, and for a good reason. The higher your page ranks on a search engine’s results page, the greater the visibility of your page, the traction, and the overall brand awareness. Search engines more frequently index businesses that invest in multiple content channels. You should invest more in your content efforts and create a blog along with your webpage. Now is the time to increase your social media presence and craft your content in such a way that will answer your buyer’s search intent. These efforts will improve your search rankings and strengthen your presence and help you stand out from your competitors.
4. Content Marketing Gets Potential Customers On Your Website
If no one knows about your product or your services, they cannot buy it. Traditional advertising no longer grabs the attention of your potential buyers. As everything is becoming digitalized, and as more and more people spend their time in front of a screen, it makes sense that content marketing is the way to get potential customers on your website. Blogs, newsletters, social media posts, tweets, etc., help make your brand visible and spread your brand message broader and faster. Once customers become aware of your brand, they will land on your website. And this is where you should strategically use content to keep them there and provide them with the information they need until they are ready to convert.
5. Content Marketing Helps You Build And Foster A Closer Relationship With Your Buyers
Content marketing helps you boost your engagement rates. Social media posts are a cost-effective way to reach out to your audience daily. Blogs can help you convey your brand’s philosophy and pass on your brand’s message in a more friendly, casual manner. By identifying which of your posts receive the highest traction, you can understand a lot about your buyers and what they want. Having this insight information, you can then use it to build and foster a closer relationship with them, thus turning accidental passers-by into buyers and buyers into return buyers.
6. Content Marketing Allows Itself For Storytelling
People find themselves in an unprecedented global pandemic. Covid has wreaked havoc and has brought the world to its knees, leaving behind it financial, emotional, psychological, and health problems. Buyers are, therefore, no longer where they used to be. They no longer need to be told what to buy. They do not want someone to shove his product or services in their face.
Instead, they need a lending ear—someone who understands their worries and their concerns. Someone who shares their problems and is willing to help solve them. And this is where the beauty of content marketing lies; it allows itself for storytelling. It helps marketers create stories that will place the buyer as the protagonist of these stories, making him feel cared for and not exploited.
Buyers are more likely to convert if they feel that your brand genuinely cares for their wellbeing and not just their pocket.
7. Content Marketing Is What Your Competitors Are Doing
Everyone else is doing it. Your competitors are certainly doing it, and now is the time to invest more into your content efforts. Content Marketing will get your brand noticed, increase your traction, improve your leads and bring higher profits.
Unless you jump on the content marketing wagon along with your competition, you will be left behind wondering why your ROI is not so impressive and why your sales are not off the charts like your competitors’.
So what are you waiting for? Invest in your content efforts, get your content right, and reap the rewards!