Great content gives prospects and customers a reason to interact with your organization or brand. It gets you noticed. This is considered “Content Marketing.” According to the Content Marketing Institute, Content Marketing is a “marketing process to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating content in order to change or enhance a consumer behavior.” In short – keep your content updated and interesting to gain a following.
Good content marketing can generate website traffic and improve search engine page rankings. Content marketing is a way to engage prospects or clients, and social media serves as a delivery channel for your content. While social media can help build awareness and relationships, it can also serve as a vehicle for driving engagement and education—and consequently, web traffic. Most social media channels are designed for brief messages. These brief “teaser” messages can drive people to your website or to contact you for more information.
Nearly half of all consumers will look up information on blogs before buying. These consumers are far more likely to look at reviews, referrals, and other information if the content does not appear to be a blatant sales attempt. Blogs generally have a more informal appearance and do not seem to be generated by “the corporation.” Over half of all consumers who look at blogs before they buy find that blog content impacted their purchase decision.
Over 85% of all B2B marketers deliver content through social media. Business-to-business marketers believe that social media can increase traffic and bring consumers of content. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are used by the majority of B2B marketers to deliver content.
Companies that blog are able to generate 67% more leads. According to Social Media Today, companies that allocate some of their budget to blogging will generate 67% more leads than their non-blogging competition. Blog articles are the most common form of content marketing. We have migrated from “dialing for dollars” to “blogging for bucks.” Blog articles that are informative, relevant, and engaging will achieve the highest results and generate the most leads.
Social media, like blog posts, can play a strong role in helping your information get found. If you do not have a strong content marketing strategy you are missing a critical tool in your marketing toolbox. Content marketing is a way to generate leads and get noticed. Strong integration of content marketing with social media allows for maximum exposure and effectiveness. So, if you are not blogging and using social media channels to get noticed—Get hopping!