Why Content Marketing Is King

"Content marketing is all the marketing that's left" ~ Seth Godin

In previous articles (like our one on How To Start A Blog) we've said that we consider content marketing to be one of the most powerful ways you can promote your business.

In today's article, we'll explain why this is the case. First, some statistics.

What The Stats Say

The Content Marketing Institute put together an interesting list of stats that show the effectiveness of blogs and articles. Here are some of our favourites:

1. The average person sees around 5,000 ads per day
2. Content marketing gets three times the leads per dollar spent compared to paid search
3. Small businesses with blogs get 126% more lead growth than small businesses without
4. Websites with blogs have 434% more search engine-indexed pages than those without

Hopefully #1 explains #2-4! People are incredibly burned out on ads. This leads to something called "ad blindness". Modern consumers are incredibly adept at filtering out anything they realise is an advert.

On the other hand, blogs and articles are actually adding value. This is why they stand out so well in a world of banner ads and paid search.

Search Engine Optimisation

There are two ways to get higher up in Google's search engine rankings:

1. Pay for it (via Google ads)
2. Write compelling content

Paying to appear at the top of search engine rankings (pay-per-click advertising) can be very effective. We often recommend it to our clients who are looking for quick wins.

But wouldn't it be nice to rise up the rankings without having to pay for the privilege every time? If Google thinks your content is useful to people using its search function, you'll get to the top. No fees, no "campaigns", no complicated bidding strategies.

Of course there's lots of competition. But you can always work with a professional copywriter if you want some help getting started.

Social Media Visibility

Customers typically find your website in one of two ways:

1. Search engines
2. Social media

#2 is becoming more and more important. But that's no excuse to neglect content marketing! In fact, great content is essential to improving your visibility on social media.

The reason is "sharing". If you produce great content, people will naturally share it. They will do your marketing for you! By great content, we mean blogs and articles that are:

• Informative
• Unique
• Entertaining
• Thorough
• Authoritative (see next section)

Authority & Expertise

Content marketing really covers two different aspects:

1. Advertising - via search engines and social media (see above)
2. Sales

People often forget about #2. Having a great blog or archive is incredibly helpful for sales. When a prospective customer reads a well-written, knowledgeable article, they automatically accept your expertise.

Your blog can therefore work within your broader sales strategy. As well as explaining what you offer (goods and services) it allows you to show how you are qualified to deliver it.

If you'd like to talk to one of our experts about how to write blogs for your website, please get in touch.