Step into 2023, where content marketing wears the crown and wields the quill. In this wild digital kingdom, businesses have discovered that ‘content is king’ is not just a catchy phrase, but a survival tactic. Join us as we unveil the enchanting world of content marketing and how it reigns supreme in the battle for attention, conversions, and the occasional chuckle.
“71% of B2B marketers say content marketing has become more important to their organization in the last year.” Source: Content Marketing Institute.
With the rise of digital marketing and online communication, businesses have turned to content marketing as a way to attract, engage, and convert potential customers. It’s becoming a crucial aspect of B2B lead generation to create and deliver valuable and relevant content to attract and retain a specific audience. Unlike traditional advertising that explicitly tries to promote products on the spot and screams at you to “BUY THIS NOW!”, content marketing is more of a “Hey, here’s some info that might be relevant to you, and if you’re interested, we’re here to help!”
But, what makes content marketing important?
1. Builds brand awareness:
Brand awareness is the process of getting your customers to know you and recognize your brand resulting in building your brand’s overall reputation. So, it’s crucial for any business to have a strong online presence which results in more brand recognition and generating leads. According to a study by Content Marketing Institute, 89% of B2B marketers use content marketing to increase brand awareness.
But how does content marketing build brand awareness? As we mentioned earlier Content marketing is a strategic approach to providing your audience with informative and relevant content as a way of letting them know that you’re aware of their needs and that you’re there to help. By creating and sharing valuable content, you can demonstrate your expertise and knowledge, and position yourself as a go-to source of information for potential customers. In other words, you’re establishing your business as a thought leader in its industry.
Another way content marketing can help build brand awareness is by generating Social Media engagement. A business with a strong Social Media presence will attract likes, comments, and shares which can help increase their visibility and reach on these platforms. For example, a company that sells project management software could create a series of infographics on the benefits of project management, and share them on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. If the infographics are well-designed and informative, they could generate likes, comments, and shares, which could help the company reach a wider audience and build brand awareness.
Finally, content marketing can build brand awareness by boosting a business’s SEO. By creating high-quality content on your website, you can rank in search engines thus helping potential customers find you more easily.
2. Generates traffic and leads:
According to a study by Demand Metric, content marketing generates three times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing but costs 62% less. In other words, content marketing is a proven effective strategy for driving traffic and generating leads in B2B. It’s all about providing sharable content that can be shared on different social media platforms which can lead to more visibility and traffic to your website.
Content marketing is also a great opportunity to include effective Call-To-Actions (CTAs) in your content to direct your readers to the next step in the buying journey leading to increased leads and potential customers. Remember, it’s all about creating high-quality, informative, relevant, and valuable content that addresses the pain points of your potential customers. This is a magical tool to build trust with your audience. This trust translates into increased traffic and ultimately, leads.
3. Supports the Sales process:
Another way Content Marketing helps businesses is by supporting the Sales process. According to a study by Aberdeen Group, companies with strong content marketing have a 9.7% higher conversion rate than companies without. So, again, great content that understands your audience can help move them through the sales funnel which is a visual representation of the journey that a potential customer takes before making a purchase.
We can break the sales funnel down into three main stages:
- Awareness.
- Consideration.
- Decision.
It’s important to understand the concept of the sales funnel as it helps businesses create content that addresses the needs of their potential customers at each stage of the three.
- Content marketing in the awareness stage: This is the first stage which is all about introducing potential customers to your business and making them interested in what you have to offer. In this stage, customers are searching for information to solve their problems. This is where content marketing comes into play as it can help you capture the attention of your potential customers by addressing their pain points and answering their questions.
- Content marketing in the consideration stage: The consideration stage is all about convincing potential customers that a certain business is their best choice and the ultimate solution to their needs. In this stage, customers are comparing different solutions. This is where good content makes a difference. By creating valuable and informative content, you can help your business stand out among your competitors.
Some of the most effective types of content in the consideration stage include:
- Case studies that showcase how your business has helped other customers which can provide social proof and build trust with potential customers.
- Product demos to demonstrate how your product works and how it can meet your customers’ needs.
- Webinars that provide in-depth information about your products and services which can help your potential customers have a clear understanding of your business.
- Content marketing in the Decision stage: This is the “closing the sale” stage. This is where your potential customers decide that your business is the best solution to their problems and are ready to make a purchase. One of the most powerful tools that can be used in this stage is testimonials. Testimonials are a great way of proving to your potential clients that your products and services have seen positive results.
Another tool that’s very effective in the decision stage is the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which provide answers to most common questions that your potential customers may have. This type of content provides clarity to your potential customers and helps remove any doubts or objections that may arise during the sales process.
4. Establishes credibility and trust:
Another benefit of content marketing in B2B is establishing credibility and building trust with potential customers. It’s essential in converting them into loyal clients. As we mentioned earlier in this blog post, strong and valuable content can help you position yourself as an expert in your industry. According to a study by Edelman Trust Barometer, 65% of buyers research a company online before making a purchase, and 81% of buyers say that trust influences their purchasing decisions.
Not only it is important to provide your audience with valuable information that they can use, but it is also significant to always be consistent. Being consistent means creating content regularly. This is a way of showing your audience that you’re committed to helping them which will make them see you as reliable and trustworthy.
5. Improves SEO and online visibility:
Finally, content marketing can improve your business’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which can help you rank in the first pages and attract more traffic to your website. According to a study by Search Engine Journal, content marketing generates three times as many leads as paid search advertising and costs 31% less.
Now, we need to understand that SEO and content marketing are related. Here’s how effective content can improve a website’s SEO:
- Generates high-quality backlinks: As you might know, backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. And what happens when other websites link to your content? Search engines will get a signal that your content is valuable and authoritative which will lead to more visibility which will eventually lead to more traffic to your website.
- Targets specific keywords and topics: Content that targets specific keywords that the audience is searching for can increase the chances of your website appearing in search engine results and ranking higher resulting in attracting more traffic to your website.
- Improves user engagement: This is a very important factor in SEO. When people spend more time on your website and engage with your content, it signals to search engines that your website is informative and valuable. You can only acquire that by creating strong content that keeps your visitors engaged and interested in your brand.
- Provides fresh and relevant content: It’s important to know that search engines prioritize relevant content in their search results. So, by regularly creating and publishing relevant and informative content, you’re proving to search engines that your website is active and up-to-date. This means that your visitors are always interested and like to come back to your website which can improve your website’s visibility and ranking.
Writing The Success Story, One Word at a Time
In a nutshell, content marketing is a game-changer when it comes to generating B2B leads in 2023. By adopting a content-focused approach, businesses can attract and engage interested audiences and turn them into paying customers.
Content marketing can help businesses establish their brand and become authoritative figures in their industry. It can also lead to more website traffic, better search engine rankings, and higher conversion rates. That’s why businesses need to stay updated on the latest trends and continuously refine their content marketing tactics. By doing so, B2B organizations can fully utilize the potential of content marketing and achieve sustainable growth and success in the years ahead.
