Why Your Business Needs Content Marketing

It seems like there is always something new trending in the marketing field. As a person who makes a living helping other business professionals with marketing strategy, I am constantly following these new trends. One facet that continues to grow rapidly is content marketing. Do you have a content marketing plan for your business? Let me tell you what this is and why you should seriously consider integrating it into your marketing plan for this year.

What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is essentially the writing and sharing of valuable free content through blogs and websites. The ultimate goal of content marketing is to attract new followers and customers, thus creating profits for your business. Typically the content you provide relates to your business and what you sell.

So Why Should You Use Content Marketing?
While it’s true that content marketing requires the writing of new blog posts on a regular basis, the reasons for engaging in this trend are huge. Let’s take a look at the advantages of a content marketing strategy.

Perhaps the biggest reason to engage in content marketing is its effect on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Writing regular blog posts keeps your company information fresh and provides search engines with new words to mine for search results. Embedding keywords into the content helps search engines pick up on the trending words, bringing your blog – and brand – front and center in search results. SEO is one of the biggest ways to bring new people to your website.

Content marketing drives social media engagement. With social sharing on sites like Twitter and Facebook only becoming more popular, your business wants to have the ability to provide shareable content. Often times this type of viral exposure is more powerful than paid advertising.

Content marketing is easy and inexpensive. It’s easy to start a blog and publish content on a regular basis. Platforms like WordPress, Blogger,Typepad, and Tumblr offer free options or provide a blogging site for very little cost and ease of setting up. Plus these platforms have social sharing already integrated into their post publishing.

Easily build your company’s brand identity. Blogging and providing content often relates back to your business thus helping you solidify your brand identity. In fact, Hubspot noted that 58% of companies believed their blogs helped them gain credibility within their specific industry. Your content is essentially helping customers see the value in the content you disseminate.

Have you invested in a content marketing strategy for your business? If so, what have been your results?

Ivana Taylor is a recognized expert on DIY marketing (do-it-yourself marketing). She is the publisher of DIYMarketers.com, where she shares step-by-step marketing strategies for small business owners who are looking for ways to get and keep profitable customers.