No doubt you have heard the phrase ‘Content is King.’ Did you know it was Bill Gates that first coined this expression back in 1996?
His belief back then was that the real winners from using the internet would be the content creators. Why? Because the internet would be used by ‘consumers’ who would have an insatiable appetite for new and fresh content.
The last 20 plus years have only affirmed Bill Gates’s prediction. The internet now contains over 6 billion indexed pages. For the content marketer that is a triumph.
For the average business, that is a massive challenge. Why? Because unless you have a robust online marketing content strategy, your business will disappear or drown within an ocean of content.
In this article, you will learn why content marketing is important and why it should be a fundamental part of your online strategy.
Get Smart, Get Seen
This has got nothing to do with Steve Carell or Anne Hathaway but everything to do with visibility. There is only one way to get visible and stay visible, and that is by creating smart, new, and fresh content for your website.
As you generate new content, your digital footprint grows and your website is more likely to be returned in search engine results like Google. Users will only click on websites on the first or second page of Google. So getting on those pages is what will make your site visible to others.
Content Marketer – Digital Handshake
A robust handshake has been one of the hallmarks of peaceful relations for thousands of years. In more recent times we associate it with good business etiquette.
How do businesses ‘shake hands’ online?
The simple answer is by creating excellent contact that is worthy of being in contact with by creating a link to that page. In other words, using link building to improve page authority.
This means that other sites will want to link to your site because it has something really good to offer. The more sites that link to your site is ‘flag’ to the search engines like Google that your site is authoritative. This excellent news as your page will rank higher up search results.
No Content No Brand
It is one of the basic principles of marketing. You may have a product, a service or anything else that you want to sell but if you do not have a brand then consumers are left guessing as to why they should use you and not someone else.
A strong brand is essential. It gives your product or service motion, and momentum. The only way to create brand awareness is through marketing content.
There are no shortcuts. A steady stream of informative, trustworthy and authoritative content is required to capture, engage and convert users of your website. Content marketing is a must.
More Bang for Buck
Let’s be honest, general marketing is not synonymous with being cheap. However, the internet has changed that. Now there is a world of competitive providers for your marketing who are easily performed-managed using key internet metrics.
Some of the best forms of content marketing create core information and knowledge about your product that your consumers and others will want to refer to time after time. It is a sort of perennial content piece.
This type of content requires significant work, research, and preparation. Yet, when it is complete it will be so useful that it will continue to ‘work’ for you for many years to come as consumers and potential customers keep returning.
‘Lead’ Them out of the Maze
The internet is like a huge complicated maze. Consumers are searching for their way out of the maze to find the product they are looking for.
Great content is like a signpost that says ‘come this way.’ To put it another way, your content can lead people to your site and hopefully to buying your product.
Lead generation is a fundamental part of content marketing. Every business needs to generate leads. If your business is offline then you have the opportunity to interact with your leads in the real world.
If the majority of your business is online then those leads are even more precious. It is well thought out and delivered content marketing that will create that initial interest that can be further developed and converted to a sale.
Build Long-lasting Relationships
Sales are the lifeblood in most businesses. Depending on your business model and product, what you want is a long-lasting relationship with your customers. This means they will come back to you time and again and repeat their sales.
These are the golden relationships you want with consumers. You have already invested in that relationship and it will continue to reward you over time. However, to achieve that you must not only have a product they want but you must also remain on their radar.
Content marketing is the tool you need to stay relevant and on the radar of your existing clients. They will keep coming back because they trust you and the prosperity of your offering.
Listen to Experience
Bill Gates may not have created the internet but his words have led to the creation of the content marketer. His foresight and wisdom in this sector are remarkable.
The future of successful business continues to be dependent on content creation. Don’t get left behind. Listen to the voice of experience and get onboard with online marketing.
Check out other helpful articles on our website for your business, as well as some excellent forms that will make operating your business easier.
