Why Content Marketing is important for your marketing strategy

You may have heard that content is king. But with so many digital marketing services at your disposal, you might need some convincing that content is vital to running a business.

In this article, we'll discuss the role of content marketing in a digital marketing strategy. You'll learn about different valuable and relevant content types and how to use them. But first, let's look at why content marketing is essential.

The Benefits of Content Marketing in Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Content marketing is essential because it reaches customers at every stage of the buyer's journey. Those stages are:

• Awareness: The consumer realizes they have a problem and starts searching for products and services that might solve it.
• Consideration: The individual understands their specific need and begins comparing particular solutions.
• Decision: The potential customer compares shortlisted products or services in more detail, ultimately choosing one to buy.

High-quality content engages consumers where they are. It helps them develop an association with your brand, so they feel connected even before they're ready to buy. 

Here's how that looks in the real world.

Building Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is your memorability among your target audience. If you have high brand awareness, potential customers know who you are and what you do. 

Investing in increasing your brand awareness is one of the best steps you can take to boost customer conversions. If people know your business and can call it to mind, they can seek you out when they're ready to buy — not just when they encounter your ad.

How Brand Awareness Works

When customers recognize you and understand who you are as a brand, they're more likely to trust you with a purchase. Economic uncertainty has made brand trust more critical than ever. And awareness is the first step to building that trust. 

In a Global Banking and Finance Review report, 71% of consumers said it's important that they recognize a brand before buying. Content marketing achieves that recognition without overwhelming people with sales messages early in the buyer journey.

How Content Builds Brand Awareness

Content is unique among digital marketing strategies. Its short-term objective isn't necessarily to convert or sell. Content first educates and informs, providing value before it asks the reader for anything. In doing so, it cultivates trust and familiarity with a brand.

Content also drives brand awareness by subtly introducing a brand's values and image. A 2022 global survey showed that half of all consumers would spend more on a brand with an appealing image. By creating content that reflects your brand image, you can tell your story and connect with consumers on a deeper level.

Increasing Engagement Rates

The next step beyond awareness is audience engagement. An engaged customer connects with your brand emotionally and enjoys positive interactions across multiple touchpoints.

Why Engagement Matters

Engagement reinforces the trust and loyalty that awareness establishes. Aware consumers know who you are and what you stand for. When someone chooses to engage, they deepen that personal connection.

Engagement turns your digital marketing campaigns into a conversation. Individual connections strengthen, and the customer identifies more personally with your brand. Plus, according to Google, engaged audiences are likelier to share your content. Those shares widen your exposure and help you reach bigger audiences.

Engagement also offers valuable information about your target audiences. Track comments, shares, and likes to gauge what topics resonate most strongly. Use digital marketing tools like social media and pay-per-click (PPC) campaign analytics to learn what engaged audiences have in common.

That information helps you get more from digital marketing services. It tailor campaigns to your audience's interests, further increasing engagement and improving your conversion rate.

How Content Drives Engagement

Content encourages conversations in ways most digital marketing services don't. Blog posts and videos let you ask for responses in the comments section, and you can — and should — respond to those comments.

Boost engagement further by connecting these longer-form content types to your social media marketing. A quality digital marketing company can add social icons to your published content, allowing people to share pieces they like. You can reach even more engaged audiences by creating social posts promoting your content.

Building Relationships With Your Community

Engagement signals that your customers want a conversation. You build trust and authority with consumers by encouraging those conversations and turning them into long-term relationships.

How to Build Consumer Relationships

People engage in discussion when they feel someone is listening, and that goes double for brands. When you take time to respond to customers online, you show that you care about what audiences have to say.

For example, suppose you publish a YouTube video, and a viewer asks a question. If you're on top of comments and respond quickly, they may see you as a helpful expert. When they're ready to buy or comparison-shop, you have a better chance of being top-of-mind.

Content Types That Build Relationships

All content has the potential to create relationships, but digital word-of-mouth content is best. This includes online comments and reviews, which consumers read to learn about a brand's customer experience.

According to BrightLocal, 46% of consumers trust online reviews as much as friends and family recommendations. When reviews and brand comments read as conversations between you and your customers, potential buyers see the human side of your business. 

Reply to as many reviews and customer experience comments as possible. BrightLocal data also shows that 88% of customers are reasonably likely to use a business that responds to all reviews. Less than half (44%) are likely to use one that doesn't answer.

Content to Add to Your Digital Marketing Campaigns

Content is a broad category, even within the more general umbrella of digital marketing services. It's easy to feel intimidated when you're just starting out, but there's no need to do it all immediately.

Below, you'll find five content types known for their success in engaging audiences. 

Blog Content

Blog posts can engage diverse audiences by addressing a variety of topics. Each post targets a specific interest group and shows your expertise.

The key is to choose and incorporate the right target keywords — phrases a specific target audience uses to search. If your keywords address your audience's pain points, you'll be more likely to rank highly on their search results pages. 

Video Content

According to SEMRush's The State of Content Marketing Global Report, articles with video generate 70% more traffic from search engines. Yet only 8% of analyzed blog posts included video content. That's a lot of untapped potential for engagement.

Fortunately for small business owners, videos are more accessible than ever to produce. You can take engaging videos with an up-to-date cell phone and essential video editing equipment. Or, talk to your digital marketing services provider about alternative options.

Informational Content

Educating your audience is one of the main goals of a content marketing strategy. The key is choosing informational content pieces that match your audience's needs.

Case Studies

Case studies are detailed stories about a customer's success with your brand. They usually follow a specific format and show the reader how your solution addressed particular pain points.

Case studies are a great addition to digital marketing efforts that are already active. For example, say you have a blog post introducing a topic related to your services. The blog's call to action could be a landing page where readers can download the free case study.

"Lite" Infographics

A "lite" infographic is a visually engaging piece of content that presents facts or statistics about a topic. It is colorful, features minimal text, and offers valuable and relevant information to the brand's target audience.

Infographics are most appropriate for complex or technical topics you need to break down for easy reading. They're also an engaging way to share fun facts about your industry.

Customer Reviews

As you've learned, customer reviews let you share buyers' positive experiences with your brand. They increase trust by giving future clients an inside view of your business. Audiences learn what it's like to buy from you and — if you respond — how you handle customer service.

Reviews are easy to feature because you don't have to create in-house content. This process is simple if you already have customer reviews on sites like Yelp or Google. If not, it's time to add "review us" language to your invoices, receipts, and customer emails.

Contests and Giveaway Events

If you want to create buzz, attract attention, and supercharge your follower numbers quickly, a contest or giveaway is a smart idea. Contests are straightforward to run, even if you have minimal experience in content marketing. 

Choose a prize and decide how people can win. Develop clear rules, then announce and promote the competition on as many channels as possible.

Contests are easy to incorporate into your social media strategy. Create hashtags and encourage people to share the contest with their friends. Collaborate with influencers for extra reach.

Fast-Track Your Content Strategy: The Digital Marketing Agency Advantage

Expertise and a solid time investment will help your content marketing generate leads. If you're interested in embracing or enhancing your content strategy, contact us at Optimize Digital Marketing. 

We offer paid digital advertising, content marketing, and social media marketing. Plus, with years of experience in website design and development, we can help you build a site that's the center of everything.

To learn more about our digital marketing services and how we can help you grow, schedule a free demo today