Content marketing is a marketing strategy, a way to market your business to your target audience.

It is:

"A type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services" - according to Bing.

As I am sure you have heard me say time and time again, content marketing is a KEY marketing trend for future marketing. Yes, it might be a buzz word, but for good reasons.

Top marketers and entrepreneurs continue to talk about content marketing, and if they don't directly talk about it, they are practising it with their content creation.

We know marketing and sales go hand in hand, and the more you market your business effectively and engagingly, the more sales you will generate.

How can content marketing generate sales?

Creates brand awareness

You know this one. Marketing helps with the brand awareness you want to attract the sales you need! Never underestimate brand awareness for your business!

People actually call me the “Content Queen”, this is AMAZING brand awareness, and I have gained SO many clients from this brand awareness. Think referrals!

Brand awareness is all about getting people into the top of your marketing funnel. Once they are in the funnel, you can use your knowledge through your content to convert this audience into clients.

Gains the trust and loyalty you need

Once your audience moves through the funnels, it is the trust and loyalty that will convert them into paying clients. They need to trust you! Once you have the trust you need, it can turn into loyalty and brand advocacy.

How do they trust you? Of course, through your amazing skills/products/services. BUT to get them to buy, you have to fill them up with your knowledge, so they have the confidence to invest.

You can do this through blogs, podcasts, long-form social media, videos! You gain the trust by providing the content that adds value and by showing up to serve.

Adds value to your target audience to promote sales

Content adds the value your target audience needs to have the trust to buy from you! Investing takes education and time.

Think about when you made your last purchase. You would have thought about it (unless you impulse bought on some online sales). But you always want to ensure the brand you invest with has the knowledge and the skills for what you are looking for.

You find this out by reading and engaging with their content! It is the same for your business too!! Provide what your target audience needs!

Is an educational tool on what you offer

Your content is free promotion! It is the way you educate your audience on who you are, what you know and what you can offer.

Of course, you don’t need to constantly talk about what you are selling, but talk about the niche around what you sell! Educate and add VALUE! People are listening, you just need to be consistent.

Helps with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is all about how you show up on Google. When people search the keywords related to your business, will Google provide your website as an option?

SEO takes time and energy, so please don’t assume you will be on page one within weeks or even months of creating content for your site.

It is a long term strategy but my gosh it pays off!! The way you do this is by creating blogs, promoting your content on social media and updating your page. If Google can see you are trying to provide value to the searcher, they will reward you by showing your site. We have more resources below on SEO for you!

It is a marketing strategy

Content marketing is a form of strategy! Just like digital marketing, there are many forms of marketing strategies you can use in your business to help boost awareness and to ultimately, generate leads. It is a type of marketing you generate leads and create sales.

What you need to remember about strategy is, they are long term for your business and they need to be consistent.

According to Lyfe Marketing, not having a marketing strategy can have the following consequences:

Losing to competitors
Losing market share
Gaining and retaining fewer customers
Missing out on opportunities for leads

Attracts a new audience

Content helps attract a new audience. The more you show up, the higher chance you will be seen on social platforms.

Using the correct hashtags will help you get engagement on social media, opening you up to a new audience. When you are showing up with content, you open up to people seeing your content whether that is on social platforms or through a Google search.

Promotes “User Generated Content”

Okay well this is a simple equation:

The more content you produce + user generated content = more exposure for your business, which also = more trust and loyalty, then = more sales.

The more content you produce and the more content you create that encourages others to produce content on behalf of your business, the more UGC you will receive for your business!

User Generated Content is HUGE! Find the ways you can encourage others to create.

Nurture your current and potential clients for recurring sales

How do you nurture?? You engage in conversation!! Always talk to your clients and produce content that can help in their business! Those little extras go a long way!!

Recently I was looking at updating my website, the girl I ended up going with got over the line because she offered lifetime access to video tutorials on updating and maintaining the website!! Now that is nurturing me with content!! Think about what value you can add.

How do you take action?

Blogs and optimised content to increase engagement and SEO

Think about your website. What do you have on it right now? Do you have a blog?

Yes: how much do you post? Weekly?

No: well you should make sure you are adding content on your site to keep it relevant

Not only do blogs add value to those coming to your site looking for information, but it also helps with your Search Engine Optimisation (how Google etc rank you in the search listings). The more value-added content you provide and the more consistent content you add, the better chances you have!!

But remember, this is a slow burn but is VERY worth it!! The higher up on Google, the better chance you have at being seen by your target audience, which leads to more sales. SO it does add value!

Look at more information on how to produce great content for your business from Omega Digital here. There are the SEO experts!

Convert with call to actions (CTAs)

Make sure your content has an action attached! On your social media, videos, blogs, podcasts. It doesn’t have to be BUY FROM ME! But even, if you want to learn more about XYZ, click on the link. The link can lead to a page on your site (maybe your blog).

Once customers are on your site, they are more inclined to take a look around. Also don’t be afraid to ask for a sale, just do it in a connecting way and don’t have it in every post!

Offer information (guides and tutorials)

So I have spoken about creating the trust and loyalty that will help with sales in your business. To do this, you need to offer information! This is the education stage of business. Create content that adds value! You can do this through guides, tutorials, video, blogs, podcasts, the list is endless.

When you start adding information, you are educating your target audience, which works as a technique to engage them with your brand! We know engagement increases sales.

Show your talent with client love and stories

You always want to share, share, share!! So start sharing your talents by showing what you can achieve!! This can be through client testimonials, stories and examples!

These types of methods help build that trust and loyalty and also show you as an authority in your industry! People want to work with others that KNOW their niche!! So show you are the subject matter expert, it will go a long way.

Create interactive content

One of the key marketing trends in 2020! Create content people can engage with! Think quizzes, polls and all those types of content methods on IG, FB etc that promote people to interact! It also puts the power back to the people!!

Continue to create that two-way communication and you continue to build your brand! The more people who enter your funnel, the higher chance you will have getting those conversions.

Distribute across your channels (cross-promotion)

Once you have created pieces of content, you want to cross-promote across your platforms! If you create a blog, promote it across your socials, but do this in a way that is adding value instead of “here read my blog”.

By cross-promoting, you are ensuring all your content relates and is consistent across your platforms. Plus, the more you promote, the more leads you generate to your site!

Don’t just post and expect people to see your content.

Competitions

People do love comps!! These are great for brand awareness AND increase your following/engagement. Be careful with the Facebook algorithm with these, but maybe encourage people to create content for your business using competitions! They don’t have to be overly expensive to run and they offer insight into your business!! Even if it is a service-based.

My business coach recently did this for podcast reviews (reviews help more people see your pod) and it worked so well for her!! The person who won got some free coaching from her, win-win!!

Use the content pillars for content creation

You know I LOVE these!! Let me educate you on what they are!! The pillars will help you create content with purpose and consistently, so your target audience will see what you offer!

What are they?

Inform: This is information around yourself, your business and your offers

Educate: the tips and tricks you provide to add value

Engage: the conversations and two-way posts you provide so your target audience can join in on the conversation

Fun: this is your entertaining posts and your behind the scenes

Have a good mix of these in your content plan!

Find out more about them here.

Be consistent

If you want to sell using your online platforms, you need to be consistent!!! People need to see what you have to offer, if you aren’t consistent, how can you expect people to know who you are and what you offer?

Have a strategy for your content (including your social media) and stick to it!