A cost-effective way to generate leads
Lead generation is very important for businesses, especially startups. The challenge for startups is how to get more traffic with limited resources. This is where a strong content marketing strategy plays a key role. With good content marketing, small businesses can generate steady traffic, get new leads, and thus increase sales. Plus, unlike other marketing platforms, it doesn’t require a lot of money.
According to a survey conducted by DemandMetric , content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates 3 times more leads per dollar spent. The affordability of this marketing method makes it a great strategy for small businesses that want to make the most of their budget.
However, content marketing is a time-consuming process, which means it may take some time to yield promising results. Content quality also plays a major role in this regard. The higher the quality, the faster you can generate leads. According to Social Media loan database Examiner, more than 81% of marketers spend only 6 hours per week generating social media content, which results in an increase in traffic. Nonetheless, the ROI of content marketing is worth the time and effort.
Here’s how to maximize your ROI with content:
Create a content marketing strategy focused on your target audience.
Don’t just create content for the sake of writing something, make sure it provides value to your audience.
To get the most value for your money and time, create content that complements your other promotional methods.
If you’re still skeptical about the effectiveness of content marketing, take a look at these conversion statistics and you’ll see just how valuable quality content can be to your marketing strategy.
74% of companies surveyed attributed the increase in the quality and quantity of their sales leads to content marketing. (Kurata)
Content marketing has a conversion rate about 6 times higher than other digital marketing techniques. (ABG Essentials)
HubSpot states that inbound marketers are able to increase conversion rates by 6%-12% in part due to content marketing.
61% of US consumers have purchased a product or service after reading a recommendation on a blog.
The statistics mentioned above show how much content is correlated with conversions. The reason it works is that content helps you connect with potential leads and educate them. Hence, this fosters an honest relationship. Also, it empowers consumers to make informed purchases, thus encouraging conversions.
How do you optimize your content for conversions? It’s simple, just include a strong and clear call to action (CTA). It tells the consumer what they need to do in order to make a purchase and walks them through the conversion process step by step. Conversion can mean different things to different businesses. For some, it means getting in touch with the sales team, for others, it means getting more information. Make it clear to potential customers what they need to do to complete the conversion process with your CTA.
Customers want more premium content
Have you ever wondered why content marketing works? Well, that’s because people want to read good content. This can be seen from the following facts:
20% of Internet users’ time is spent reading online.
68% of people are interested in reading about their favorite brands.
80% of Internet users look for information about brands through brand-tailored content.
Make your target audience want to engage with you by giving people what they want through valuable content. Use this as an opportunity to show your audience what your brand is all about. Give your content a brand voice and wow your audience.
When creating content, choose topics that will help you connect with an audience that is eager to read about you. Focus on their interests, challenges, and requirements. Find an element that represents your brand and differentiates your content from the millions available on the web.
Optimizing content improves SEO
SEO plays a vital role in making your business appear in the top search engine results. Good SEO relies on quality content. Without optimized content, your website has no chance of making it to the top.
Tech Client claims that content creation is the most effective SEO strategy. According to another source, commercial websites that publish content consistently have their pages indexed by search engines 434% more than websites that don’t publish any content. This suggests that the more content you have on your website, the more likely Google is to index your pages and have your website appear in the first page results.
How does it work? By creating more optimized content, you can increase the chances of your website ranking for more keywords. To do this, you must create blogs and articles using keywords that are relevant to your target audience. Therefore, the more people search for these keywords, the higher your website will rank in the search results.
Don’t forget that more content on your website gives your potential customers a chance to stay and explore your products/services. This means a longer dwell time, which has a positive impact on SEO.