As content marketers, there’s one question we never stop hearing from clients — “Does content marketing really work?” While people can easily see how content marketing propels brands to success, they often doubt if it will work for them. That’s usually because content marketing doesn’t always have a very direct correlation between effort and result. What’s more, it usually takes some time before the results start to show. However, a sustained content marketing effort is one of the best ways to build a brand in the long run. This infographic takes a deep dive into what makes content marketing one of the most powerful brand-building techniques of our time.
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“Content marketing is the only marketing that’s left.” – Seth Godin
91% of B2B marketers use content marketing to reach customers. And 86% of B2C marketers think content marketing is a key strategy.
Is this focus on content marketing warranted?
- Content marketing has lower long-term costs and deeper long-term benefits than paid marketing. It generates 3X the number of leads and costs 62% less.
- Content marketing brings 55% more visitors to the website
- 72% of marketers say content creation boosts SEO ranking
- Businesses with blogs receive 97% more backlinks, leading to more authority and higher search engine ranking
So why does content marketing work so well?
Reciprocity
Content marketing creates value for your customers without pushing them to buy your products. This creates long-term goodwill that pays off as a loyal customer base.
Establishes Authority
It establishes you as a problem solver and thought leader vis-a-vis a product pusher. Content marketing showcases your expertise and builds your brand voice.
Unity
Good content equals good stories. And good stories bring people together. The more people can relate to your brand and identify with it, the more long-term equity you build.
- Why content marketing remains a big challenge
- 65% of companies find it a challenge to produce meaningful and engaging content
- 62% of companies don’t know how to define the ROI from content marketing
- 60% of companies can’t produce content consistently
Tips to make Content Marketing work for you
Personalize
Use words like “You” and I to make the content more relatable.
Produce visual content
84% of all online communications will be visual by 2018. Use infographics services, informative videos, and illustrative images to amplify the impact of your content.
Subheadings
Divide the body of your content into subheadings so that readers can skim through your content.
Short paras
Short paras with less than 5-6 lines make for much easier reading.
Long form content
Google prefers ranking content that’s at least 1890 words on Page 1. If you’re in a competitive industry, try to make your blog posts between 2000-3000 words.
More data
The more stats and data you use, the more authoritative you sound.
Encourage engagement with your conclusion
End with a question, inviting answers from the readers. This is a great way to get comments and build engagement.
Mind-blowing headlines
8 out of 10 people will read your headline. Only 2 out of 10 people will actually click through to your article. To get that number up, you have to write headlines that are absolutely compelling.
Know more about our content marketing agency and content creation services.