Hi there and welcome to Content and Coffee.
Today, I’d like to talk to the 1 in 4 marketers who are choosing to forego a content strategy this year about why content is so important for your marketing strategy.
We already know that three-quarters of B2B and B2C marketers are planning to ramp up their content strategies in 2016, but for those who have not made plans to do so yet, it’s time to get on board. Let’s take a look at why you can no longer omit content from your marketing strategy.
Maybe your concern is that a good portion of online content goes nowhere or falls flat, with no one sharing, liking or even seeing it. While that may be the case for 50 percent of online content, the other half is successfully engaging readers, leading to improved brand awareness, conversions and ROI.
Why can’t you ignore content anymore?
Rather than getting discouraged by the idea of failure, let’s consider some of the reasons having a content marketing strategy in place is integral for your company. Primarily, content plays a huge role in nurturing new leads and propelling potential buyers toward a purchase.
In most cases, buyers are already 70% to 90% of the way through the purchase process before they will reach out to vendors.
So what are potential customers doing before you hear from them? Researching and reading content online. More importantly, Forrester found that they are reading an average of 11.4 pieces of content prior to making purchases.
Solid, well-researched content can lead to conversions
A Nielsen study found that 85 percent of consumers turn to trusted content when researching products and services, and if you rank among those trusted sources of information, the odds of buyers returning to you to make a purchase are going to be much higher than if they have to seek you out separately, especially if you lack content that could compel them to choose you over your competitors.
Considering Nielsen found that content is five times more important to consumers making a purchase than it was just five years ago, there’s not going to be much room for success for companies without content in the very near future.
Developing effective content requires careful planning and research
The key to crafting compelling content that will establish your brand as a trusted source of information is to go above and beyond. The days of short-form, barebones blogs stuffed with keywords are long-gone. Now, top content includes a variety of eye-catching and informative elements, such as infographics, rich images and short, to-the-point videos.
Other strategies that will improve content optimization include:
- Planning a content calendar.
- Keeping your SEO strategy up to date.
- Including well-placed, relevant CTAs
- Ensuring the user experience is optimized.
- Targeting the right audience.
- Providing downloadable assets (whitepapers, eBooks, case studies).
- Cultivating a strong social media presence
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