10 Benefits of Content Marketing – Here are some benefits to help get you off the fence:
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Content marketing is cost effective
The root of content marketing is information that you already have. All you need is to put it in a format that can be easily shared and digested by potential customers. Some of those formats are free to create and distribute as will be discussed later. They do take time but once you’ve created a strong piece of content, it can often be used multiple times to generate income. So while the initial time investment may be fairly high, over time the benefits gotten from that piece of content will make that investment worthwhile.
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Content marketing helps you build a relationship with your audience
Any time you communicate with your audience, you make room for a dialogue which leads to a relationship. Brand loyalty comes when consumers have a relationship with a brand.
Before content marketing, that relationship usually took years to develop. Now you can do it in a much shorter amount of time by sharing content that helps put a face to your company and brand.
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Content marketing lets you be a resource
By sharing valuable information and insights with people, you can demonstrate the value that your company can provide. By presenting yourself as a resource, it gives you the opportunity to build a level of trust before people become customers. When customers trust you, they’re much more likely to become long-term clients. They’re also much more likely to refer other potential customers to your business.
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Content marketing gives you a competitive edge
If you’re not a multinational corporation with a huge marketing budget, it can seem daunting to get into the marketplace and compete effectively. You may feel like you don’t have the ability to compete especially if it’s in an industry with a few major players. Sharing content gives you an edge because it levels the playing field. You have a unique perspective and can provide professional insight just like someone at a larger company. Multinational corporations don’t have a monopoly on knowledge.
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Content marketing isn’t industry specific
Every industry can benefit from sharing valuable information and insight with consumers. You don’t have to be in a creative or entertainment oriented field to benefit from sharing content. As long as you are providing value that people can use, you will benefit from content marketing.
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Content marketing creates educated customers
Sometimes as a business you spend a lot of time answering the same questions over and over again. This is why many business websites have frequently asked questions pages. It’s done in an attempt to field some of the more common questions asked to ensure that when consumers make contact, they’re knowledgeable. By sharing content, you help increase that level of knowledge even more. It makes your interactions with customers more focused on how you can help than and less focused on why they need your help.
7. Content marketing creates empowered consumers
When people are informed and knowledgeable about something, they’re empowered to make informed decisions. When your customers are empowered, they can be more savvy and easier to work with. People can be appreciative when they are given the ability to become empowered, especially when it’s through the sharing of information. Appreciative customers can turn into long term clients.
8. Content marketing can lead to a viral campaign
While it’s not a great idea to make content solely for the purpose of it going viral, you increase your odds that it will go viral by creating it. It can be tough to make a piece of content go viral largely because the factors that lead to that kind of exposure can vary and are tough to pin down. However, by creating content, you are much more likely to experience a viral piece of content than if you don’t create content at all.
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Content marketing lets you control your message
When you are the one creating the content being used to represent your business, you can control what that message is and what it says. You can determine who your ideal audience is and craft messages solely for them. You can also determine which piece of content will work best. Content marketing gives you the flexibility and control to do what’s best for your audience.
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Content marketing allows you to recycle information
When you create a valuable piece of content, it’s always possible to reuse that information for additional purposes. You can turn a white paper into a series of articles and then turn those articles into short videos. The possibilities for what you can do with your content are limited only by your own creativity and imagination.