Businesses have evolved a lot and are migrating to the digital world, with an increasing trend of 100% online companies. In this sense, content marketing has become one of the main tools to reach the target audience and leverage online business. In a world with easy access to information and at the speed of light, those who are not seen, are not noticed. So, you need to know about content marketing, if you don’t already know what it is, and how it can help your online business stand out.
This scenario can be scary at first, we know that, but the reality is simple: your company needs to be prepared to compete for its space in this universe. And digital marketing and content marketing emerge as two powerful tools to secure your space in the minds and preferences of consumers. In recent years, a lot has been said about content marketing, its benefits, models, and the path to success. However, as in any area, there are also many doubts, right?
To help you better understand this concept and, most importantly, how to apply it in your company and thus generate more revenue for your business, we have prepared a complete post on the subject. We explain in detail what Content Marketing is, what are the reasons for you to invest in it in your company, the benefits for your brand, how it can impact your sales and revenue, as well as numbers that reinforce this importance and a solution to help you right now.
What are content marketing and benchmarketing?
Content Marketing aims to increase your network of consumers and potential customers through the creation and distribution, in the most varied ways, of quality content, really valuable and relevant to your target audience. You must be thinking: but what is all this for? And the answer is very simple!
Because that way you attract the attention and interest of these people, making them engage with your brand and see value in your business, building a positive image of your company and, consequently, generating more sales. To produce content, all you need is access to an internet service, searching for frontier internet plans, a computer, and your mind.
Do you know what benchmarking means? Have you already applied this tool in your company? Benchmarking is a very common practice in the business world, which consists of a series of processes to compare and analyze the practices and processes adopted by other companies, whether they are competitors or not. The idea here is not to copy what others are doing but to learn new techniques and improve what is possible in your company.
When we talk about Content Marketing, benchmarking becomes essential. It is always very important to follow what other companies are doing, how they behave on social networks, how they provide their content, how their website is built, which keywords are well-positioned, what language they use, what materials they are providing, etc. All these are key points when thinking about your strategy.
Benefits of content marketing
The main purpose of content marketing is to engage and grow your customer network. It is a strategy that serves to increase brand visibility and interaction with consumers, nurture the lead base, reduce customer acquisition costs (CAC), gain public trust, and even improve the after-sales experience. However, it brings several benefits to online businesses. Check what they are.
1. Improve customer and lead experience
Good content can bring your customers and potential leads closer, due to engagement. From the moment you provide information that solves possible doubts from the public, your business is positioned as a source of knowledge, which facilitates the sales process. This benefit, in addition to bringing competitive advantage and bringing you closer to people, conveys trust and establishes your business as a reference in its field of activity. Thus, the chances of that consumer looking for your competitor or giving up the purchase in the middle of the process are much smaller. Point for you!
2. Increase engagement
One thing is a fact these days: people don’t want to create ties with companies that only talk about their products and try to sell their services in every way. And it is in this scenario that the strength of Content Marketing and a good performance strategy comes into play. With relevant content, your company establishes a relationship of trust and is present at different stages of your consumer’s life. Have you ever put yourself in your customer’s shoes? Can he count on your company to solve day-to-day problems and consume really valuable information? Thus, it becomes easier to get them to engage with your brand. And that brings us to the next point.
3. Have brand advocates
Have you ever heard the term: “brand advocates”? Do you know what it’s about? These people are your company’s ambassadors and become fundamental in the so-called word of mouth marketing. That is, they are people who will probably speak well of your brand to others, thus disseminating your business.
And it’s no use, word of mouth is still very strong and important for companies of all sizes. Each person who recommends your product and/or service to others generates many leads who will probably look for your business when they feel the need. And here, Content Marketing is crucial, both to create brand advocates and to be prepared to nurture and develop the trust of the people to whom they refer your business.
4. Visibility
Content Marketing is also quite a tool to increase your company’s visibility in this online universe. This includes blogs, websites, social networks, Google search, forums, etc. With a good positioning in these environments, you will be found more easily and will appear to your customers and leads. Always remember: “who is not seen, is not remembered”. This is one of the keys to success in such a competitive market!
5. Presence in your customer’s life in different ways
The good thing about Content Marketing is that it brings several ways to interact and deliver quality content to people: blogs, social networks, email marketing, SEO, e-books, webinars, podcasts, and so on. In other words, you have multiple possibilities to impact and be present in your target audience’s daily lives.
6. Lead nurturing based on information
Content marketing is essential to keep potential leads around. For this, the contents are shaped based on the channels to which they will be broadcast, such as social networks, websites, blogs, or sending emails. However, this works well when the content is analyzed based on the end consumer and the target audience, which must be well segmented. The use of emotional tactics is what has the best results.
7. Improvement in sales
Content marketing is essential for increasing sales, as it symbolizes customer support throughout the purchase process and for conveying authority on the subject. The decision-making by the client is based on how much the company was available to solve the doubts of its clients, which is done through articles that convey content. In this way, sales are motivated and customers tend to be loyal.
8. Work with your customers after-sales
The relationship of your online business with customers has no end with the sale made, make no mistake. What generates much of the revenue in companies, even in the most difficult times, is customer loyalty. In other words, when you close a successful sale, it is just the beginning of the journey that will be built with the engagement of other customers attracted by the loyal ones. Content is essential in this process, since showing authority on the subject, the product is sold more easily. In other words, after-sales is crucial and this built relationship needs to be nurtured so your company doesn’t fall into oblivion. This is where, once again, Content Marketing materials and strategies come into play. A customer’s trust needs to be nurtured always!
Content Marketing is the Guide to Online Business
Failing to invest and bet on content marketing is to become invisible to your target market. And who will take advantage of this situation, for sure, will be your competitors, who will stand out and conquer your space. Therefore, knowing your persona, designing a well-structured strategy, and starting to put it into practice, always measuring the results, are the first steps to walk a path towards success.
The content you produce is crucial to success in this endeavor. He needs to be assertive, of quality, and help his leads and customers with their pains and needs. In addition, all materials produced in your content marketing plan need to be easy to consume and read, dynamic and interesting.
The truth is that Content Marketing is here to stay. If your company hasn’t stopped to reflect and design its strategies, you’re wasting time. Today, people want more than just consumer products, they want to engage with brands that are there to help them when needed, they want to speak and be heard, they want responsible, truthful companies that convey trust in their relationships. In this sense, having a good marketing team and a good service of phone and internet bundles can be essential.