Updated 23rd march 2023

It’s well known among digital marketers that content is king. This has been the case for many years, and it’s a trend that will continue well into 2022 2023 and beyond. But why is content so important? Here, we’ll examine the reasons why you should be ensuring that your content marketing is a primary focus.

What is content marketing?

Content marketing, at its most basic, it’s about being authentic, helpful and leading with value. It is the creation and distribution of valuable content that’s designed to attract and retain your desired audience. It includes everything from blog posts and infographics to videos and podcasts. It’s all about creating a connection between your brand and your target customer, that captures attention and adds value to their lives. 

It’s important to be consistent with your content marketing, however. This is in terms of frequency, content, branding and message. You want your customer to really understand what it is you stand for and that it aligns with their own beliefs and ethics. 

Establish a strong brand

Effective branding is everything. Many markets are already saturated with brands and noise so standing out from the crowd is essential for survival. A strong content marketing strategy will help you establish your brand’s individual identity among your target audience. It’s far easier to communicate your tone, style and personality with content marketing than with traditional advertising so that you can build a solid brand identity. 

An attractive return on investment

Advertising and other above the line marketing cost money. They’re expensive. But content marketing is far more effective – both in terms of results and monetary outlay. Studies show that not only does content marketing cost 62% less than traditional marketing, it generates up to three times more leads, generating a greater return on investment. It’s also a way of leveling the playing field between the big brands and smaller companies, as the internet allows everyone equal opportunity to express themselves. 

Builds trust

Content marketing is an ideal way to build trust with your target audience. It’s a way of interacting with them, albeit asynchronously and providing them with the information they need to become an advocate for your brand. By creating valuable content without expecting reciprocation, your would-be customers come to know and trust you far more quickly than with advertising, as your voice speaks through with sincerity and genuineness. 

Become an expert in your industry

You want your brand to be the ‘go-to’ for your preferred customer base, the brand they turn to when they have a problem that needs solving. Content marketing is the ideal way to achieve that appearance of expertise as you address their pain points, perhaps ones that they didn’t even know they had until they came across the answer in your content. 

As an organisation, it’s important to think of the questions your potential clients have. Then figure out how best to answer those questions. This anticipation will grow your reputation within the marketplace as the expert. 

Vital for Search Engine Optimisation

If your target audience can’t find you, you won’t survive. While this is a more technical reason for creating strong content, it’s also vital for your business’ success. Imagine you want to buy something, but you don’t know where from. Chances are that you’ll use a search engine with keywords to search for suppliers. Those businesses with effective content marketing will appear higher in the search results and so receive qualified traffic to their websites. This organic traffic is essential for winning new customers who are actively looking for a product in your marketplace.

Increased social media presence

Social media is now a key part of people’s lives. Globally 57.6% of the population use social media with the average daily usage lasting two hours and 27 minutes as of October 2021. By ensuring that social media is part of your content marketing strategy, you’re increasing your potential audience.

Social media is also a great way of identifying the needs and wants of your target demographics as it’s interactive. People share their thoughts and feelings more freely than with other media. This information can be utilised to inform your content marketing strategy and answer those burning questions, developing trust with your audience. 

Better audience retention

Attracting new customers is expensive. Keeping customers – or audience – is far more cost effective than constantly trying to seek out new potential clients. With good content marketing your audience will stay with you for longer as they trust you, ultimately generating a much better return on investment. 

Link building

To drive more traffic to your website and pages, you need good quality links to other websites on the internet. Why? Because search engines use such links to establish the authority and reliability of your offering. A strong content marketing strategy will ensure great content that others want to link to. This then strengthens your visibility on the internet for greater interaction with your target audience, and all the benefits that it provides.

Boost conversions

Ultimately, building a community of brand advocates isn’t enough. You want conversions – buying a product, using your service, or signing up to an email list, for example. This is what drives your business after all. Creating a strong connection with your audience will ultimately create customers for your organisation. 

Every piece of content marketing should have a call to action, but this doesn’t need to be too obvious. Often with content marketing subtlety is best. After all, you want your audience to believe that you’re providing good content with nothing expected in return to build that level of trust. The main point is to entertain, inform and delight so that your potential customers want to follow that call to action, however nuanced. 

The truth is that content marketing is here to stay and it will remain critical to any business’ success in 2022 2023 and beyond. Understanding the why and how is vital to establishing your online brand and reaching your target audience. Ensure you know what your brand is about and communicate this consistently and regularly for success.