We’ve written a couple articles - Supplement: 2013: The Year of the Online Writer, 4 Digital Marketing Predictions for 2013 - on why content creation fuels your SEO practices and search marketing efforts; it ultimately gives authoritative online publications a reason to link to your website. Remember, Google’s sole purpose is to deliver the most relevant content to the user for a given query. This means that if you enter “st louis traffic lawyers” into the search box, Google wants to give the user the best information on traffic lawyers or traffic law for St. Louis. And if you’re selling traffic law services, then it’s in your best interest to create content that attracts both search engines and consumers to your website.
Content creation is all about sharing relevant information for the purpose of solving a problem, offering expert advice, or reinforcing a brand message through thought leadership. The content piece itself might not be specifically about your company or its services, but it will assist your prospects or leads in making a purchasing decision or coming back for more.
In today’s economy, businesses are finding success by increasing awareness and demand for entire industries, allowing the company who produces the content to benefit from a growing marketing and increased interests. Companies who market their content effectively will build their credibility amongst customers and prospects and will be able to claim authority of a larger part of market share. The information you produce will have you bonding and building rapport with your audience, making it easier for your prospects and leads to justify the purchase or your product or service.
At the core of every marketing department is something called lead generation, and content creation is a huge weapon in this process. When developing a content creation strategy for your small/mid-sized business, remember to put your audience’s interests ahead of your own. People know if they’re reading something with the goal of making a sale, and that’s why you need to help them solve a problem without using sales-heavy copy.
Content is more than just white papers, webinars, and infographics. It includes a lot of ways to educate buyers on your product or service. Your content can include:
- Articles (blog)
- eBooks
- Manuals
- Case Studies
- How-to Guides
- Webinars
- RSS Feeds
- Videos
- Workbooks
- Widgets
- Apps