There’s one very good reason your business needs a content marketing strategy, and that’s because Google says so. With almost 70 percent of global online search traffic passing through this portal, it behooves an online marketer to do what Google says.
These days, the Google algorithm is tilted strongly towards rewarding well-crafted, relevant website content. But what’s the best way to get all that content in place? Throw all kinds of stuff up there and hope something sticks? Umm, no. Actually, you should be working within the constraints of a finely-tuned plan.
Here’s why.
Complements What You’re Already Doing
Unless you’re doing business under a rock and have never heard of the internet, your current marketing strategy probably includes any or all of the following: social media, SEO, PPC. The good news is that adding a content component to a plan already in place makes a whole lot of sense.
Consider that all the above strategies have a goal of directing a potential customer somewhere, hopefully your website. The reality is that they may be more in the information gathering than buying stage when they arrive. Having informational blog posts on the topic comes in handy and might turn a browser into a buyer.
Keep That High Quality Traffic
Having a coherent content plan in place gives you an opportunity to access higher quality traffic than most interruption-based advertising. Some estimates say traffic generated by content is twice as likely to turn into bonafide leads. This is good for business. More leads means more money for you, which is a pretty good reason to implement a strategic content approach.
You need to think of your website like a chief editor thinks about a publishing a magazine. He or she has topics, a schedule, and writers planned out weeks, maybe months, in advance. This is the only way to insure you don’t fall off the pace.
Better Brand Awareness
A formal content strategy assures you will continue to steadily build your brand’s awareness. The time-honored Rule of Seven tells us that a potential customer needs to be exposed to your message at least seven times before they will respond.
Guest blogging is part of your content plan that assures you will always be reaching for new audiences with an ever-expanding network of content that all leads back to your website, which just happens to be populated with even more engaging content.
Become the Industry Authority
In the online (and offline too) world, it’s all about becoming the authority in your niche. Or even if you aren’t actually the authority, you need people to think you are.
Content marketing helps establish you as a person of knowledge and substance in your field. Think about it like this. Are you more likely to convince a potential customer you’re legit by bombarding them with advertisements or by authoring dozens of helpful articles on the topic? We’re going to go out on a limb and guess the latter. But, once more, it all comes back to the plan.
Don’t just start throwing content out there. You’ll look like a squirrel. An industry authority needs to roll out content in a targeted, methodical manner. In other words – with a plan in place.
The Bottom Line
Google’s main algorithm is tweaked by the powers-that-be almost daily. Right now the search engine’s main focus is on rewarding good content. That means you should be focused on providing good content but not in a haphazard way.
Your ultimate goal should be to blend content marketing into your overall online marketing strategy. It’s free and it works.
