Content Marketing

One of the most effective ways to market your business’s services, brand, or products is through content marketing. Content marketing is a really effective technique because it allows businesses to form stronger relationships than they could with general advertisements.

With content marketing, businesses might generate news, videos, white papers, eBooks, info graphics, case studies, hoe-to-guides, QA’s and photos. Then businesses would make this content available to their target audience whether it’s via search engine optimization or social media marketing. Now when a potential customer is looking for a certain service or product, they’ll find the business’s content on the topic. Since the business controls the content they can choose to upsell any of their products within the content.

Sounds confusing? It doesn’t have to be. An example of content marketing would be an auto mechanic business creating quick-to-read articles such as one titled “Finding The Best Car Mechanic in DC.” Potential customers would reach this site through Google or social media, and while reading about the steps for finding a great car mechanic, the content would offer the business’s own services.

The reason content marketing is so effective is because it reaches a laser-focused audience. Marketing a car mechanic business on TV might reach non-car owners, children, retired people that no longer drive as much, etc. With content marketing, the business will reach the audience that is interested in relevant topics, products, and services. After all, it’s much easier to upsell auto mechanic services on an article that someone found while looking for mechanic services than it is upselling auto mechanic services to someone that was watching Seinfeld re-runs.

A painting shop for example could create short videos on painting tutorials and then offer their supplies at a discount. A lawyer office could create short videos on steps to starting a business, and then offer their business start-up lawyer services.

The added benefit of content marketing is that it helps with SEO. A business website posting articles about “auto mechanics” every week is going to rank much higher than a website that doesn’t do such a thing at all. An art store posting videos about art tutorials will also rank much higher than one that doesn’t. Google is all about getting their users the most relevant and helpful content possible, if you create that content then it’s guaranteed that your visitors will find you when searching for similar topics.

Not to mention that while consumers block advertisements online and on TV, they aren’t used to blocking out marketing that is subtly integrated into helpful content. Content is also much easier to promote through PPC advertising campaigns, inbound marketing, and PR campaigns because consumers won’t be blocking out the ads. An advertisement for “Finding the best car mechanic in DC” for example is going to convert much better than “Cheap Car Mechanic – Fix Car, Oil Change, Etc.”

The Benefit of Content Marketing

What’s really beneficial about content marketing is that it doesn’t expire. Even five years after an art shop making a video on painting, people can still visit that video and visit the same art for discounted supplies. With advertisements, once you stop displaying them people stop seeing them. Content marketing on the other hand lives on through search engine results and social media. Imagine someone finds that “Finding the best car mechanic in DC” article helpful five years after it was written, and they tweet it. Now that company has essentially marketed their services years in the future without even writing a new article.