Content is king, we all know that. With the rise of organic link building, content is playing a more important role than ever for increasing brand awareness, boosting search ranking and improving conversion rates. Yet still content is so under-utilised by businesses handling their own online marketing activities in-house.
The power of content however shouldn’t be underestimated. 9 out of 10 B2B marketers use content marketing to generate results on behalf of the companies they represent according to the Content Marketing Institute, so why shouldn’t you use content to advertise your business a little more discreetly online. With the vast array of content marketing opportunities currently accessible, reaping the rewards that so many marketers like myself do for their clients is easy.
Using content to promote your business isn’t just a great way to boost traffic and subsequent sales. Proven benefits of content marketing use include increasing on-site content, securing higher visibility within the search engines, achieving higher domain authority, improving brand reputation, and building tighter, longer lasting relationships with your new and existing customers.
Here we take a look at just five of the ways you can advertise your business online using content, so you can get started on your own content marketing journey.
Blogging
Maintaining a blog on-site is no doubt a time consuming task that requires lots of creativity, writing skill and talent. Whether you are handling the content creation process in-house or outsourcing to a copywriting professional, blogging with relevant and high quality content garners great results promotionally.
It’s a fact that buyers consume content before making a purchasing decision. HubSpot revealed that 47% of consumers read up to five pieces of content before taking a well-thought-out step towards checkout, so your blog could just be a portal to even better sales. You don’t have to be too pushy with the blog topics you choose either. Even if your post isn’t shouting about the latest product or service you’ve got to offer, the right topic will offer value to your readers and cement your brand in its respective marketplace.
Long form how-to guides work particularly well on blogs, and unlock a number of benefits for the businesses behind them.
Email Marketing
With the soon to be introduced General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), many may think that the ease of marketing your company has by email has to come to an abrupt end. Email marketing is still a worthwhile way of advertising your business online, and with the right content and the right delivery timing (Tuesday is the best day of the week to send your mail) you can infiltrate the inboxes of new and existing customers directly.
Often regarded as one of the more traditional online marketing methods, email promotion still packs a punch. Email marketing is in fact the third most influential source of information for B2B audiences, third only to referrals from colleagues and recommendations from industry influencers. Even sending a simple welcome email is incredibly effective, with 320% more revenue attributed to the humble “hello’ email than any other type of promotional email.
Presentations
The power of presentations is another underrated content marketing method that so many people dismiss as an overwhelming task that harnesses little results. The reality, however, couldn’t be further from this assumption. SlideShare in particular is one platform where you are encouraged to showcase the content you create, and with 60 million users worldwide, you could get a bigger audience than you first thought. SlideShare isn’t just used to exhibit presentations in their simplest form with users clicking through each slide. The platform now enables you to upload and share all manner of content, including documents, PDFs, infographics, webinars and even videos.
Distributing your presentations through platforms like SlideShare is an excellent route to building awareness and establishing your business as a market leader. However, the marketing potential of your content doesn’t end when you upload your presentation. Users are encouraged to become active members of the SlideShare community. Monitoring your account for comments can be a direct path to communicating with the platform’s huge audience and unlocking various business opportunities.
Infographics
Blogging, email marketing and presentations don’t have to be just words and pictures. Visual content marketing has grown increasingly prevalent in recent years, with brands finding formats like infographics easy and effective ways to communicate and connect with their audiences. Eye tracking studies conducted by evidence based user experience research specialist Nielsen Norman Group unveiled the true power of infographic use in the modern day. The study found that information carrying images were more attractive to readers, and readers actually spent more time looking at the images than reading any of the text present on the page. Infographics are also liked and shared three times more on social media than any other content type.
This infographic from MacFly Pro is an excellent example of how this visual content marketing tool can be used to not just present valuable information in a specific area of interest, but stay true to the brand and promote the products or services that it offers discreetly.
Video
Content doesn’t have to be restricted to words and pictures, video is another engaging way to connect with your audience and succinctly communicate exactly what your brand is all about. Videos are particularly easy for audiences to digest, which makes broaching the most complicated subject matter a consideration. Explainer videos are excellent choices for those looking to harness powerful promotion whilst answering common customer queries.
Content is integral to the way individuals and companies promote themselves online, and with so many content marketing opportunities out there, the possibilities are endless when it comes to promoting your business, the alternative way. Make content work for you, whatever your brand objectives, target audience, marketplace or budget.
