Today, most businesses use content marketing for promotion. However, few businesses use it to its fullest potential. (BTW, I include my business in the “few”—I could do a lot better.)
Let’s look at a couple of statistics.
From Hubspot’s excellent post on digital marketing statistics: “82% of marketers actively use content marketing.”
Sadly, on the same page:
56% of marketers who leverage blogging say it’s effective and 10% say it generates the biggest return on investment.
That aligns with my own experiences as a content developer and marketer: half of those using blogging find it ineffective, and only 10% believe it generates the biggest ROI.
If you’re struggling with the why of content marketing, let’s look at the best reason.
The best reason to use content marketing
In a word: education.
Give your customers reasons to buy from you.
Let’s imagine that you need to buy a new stovetop. Perhaps the old one is broken, or maybe you’re remodeling your kitchen. You know little about stovetops. What do you do?
You become informed. Depending on your inclinations, you do a little research—if you just want the best price. On the other hand, perhaps you do a lot of research. Not only do you want the perfect stovetop for your family, and kitchen, you also want the most energy-efficient appliance.
Make customer education, information, and help a priority in your content marketing, no matter what you sell.
“Education” is a wide brief: identify your customers
What do your customers need to know about what you sell?
Staying with stovetops, you could start by segmenting your customers, into:
- “The best price” bargain hunters;
- “It’s broken, I need a new one” people;
- Remodelers;
- Energy-aware customers.
Creating content to inform your customers isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Start with your blog.
Building an information-rich website: start with a blog
You could ignore blogging, but your blog is the easiest way to keep your customers up to date with what’s new, and relevant to them.
As your budget permits, you could create additional website content for each customer segment. What kind of content you create depends on your goals, and your customers.
Some ideas:
- Develop marketing goals, and decide how content might help you to achieve them;
- Talk to your customers and suppliers. What do your buyers want to know? What content would help?
- Leverage social media. Use it to chat to customers, answer questions, and learn more.
No matter your business, content marketing has huge potential.
I wish you much success in using it.
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Copywriter and marketing pro Angela Booth maintains a busy copywriting and ghostwriting practice. Fascinated by online marketing, she wrote one of the first business books for internet marketing, published by Allen & Unwin. She’s been an enthusiastic blogger since the late 1990s.
