Figuring out the best way to grow your business can be challenging. 

After all, there are so many available methods for raising brand awareness, encouraging conversions, and building customer loyalty. You might just find yourself torn between the dozens of marketing methods and the various benefits they promise.

But here’s the thing. In this day and age, 63% of the world’s population is online. People spend more than two hours per day browsing the internet on their smartphones. So, it’s safe to say that focusing your attention on digital marketing is the way to go. And if you want to make sure that your efforts actually yield results, your best bet would be to concentrate on content marketing. 

If you want to learn more about the importance of content in digital marketing, read on. We will also provide a few excellent examples of content marketing done right that you can look up to for inspiration.

People’s Content Consumption Is on the Rise

The best reason for getting started with content marketing is that today’s consumers want to get their hands on as much content as possible.

First and foremost, people are spending an increasing amount of time on social media and SVOD platforms.

Secondly, Forbes discovered that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, people’s content consumption doubled. And, sure, the easing of lockdowns and restrictions caused people to cut back on screen time (and go back into the world). Nonetheless, the numbers for content consumption are still pretty high.

Thirdly, it’s important to that most brands plan to increase their content marketing budgets in 2022. 

So, if you wish to help your brand stand out from the competition, you will have to develop an effective content marketing strategy. And doing so will allow you to reach your audience and convince them to convert.

It’s not a bad idea to become familiar with the content formats that deserve your attention in 2022. According to HubSpot’s research, the most popular formats amongst digital marketers include: 

• videos
• blogs
• images
• infographics
• case studies.

Image source: hubspot.com

Now, keep in mind that you don’t have to invest in all of these formats. 

What works best for your company will, after all, depend on your audience’s preferences. However, the five options mentioned here make for an excellent start as you begin your digital marketing journey.

Utilize Content Marketing to Position Your Brand as Authoritative & Trustworthy

One of the most impactful benefits of investing in high-quality content is that it can help you position your brand as authoritative, reliable, and trustworthy. 

Now, this may not seem that important at first glance. However, today’s consumers are losing confidence in brands. This should be reason enough to look for ways content can help you hold onto their valuable trust.

By producing, publishing, and distributing content that addresses your audience’s questions in a way that shows your expertise, you can prove that you’re a brand they can count on. They’ll know they can turn to you not just for valuable information but also for products and services that will match their expectations.

For an excellent example of how you can drive trust and build brand authority with content, check out this article from Turkesterone. Not only does it give readers an in-depth guide to Turkerstone. It even goes a step further. It provides a list of references for those readers who want to go into even more detail about the benefits of this natural compound.

Image source: turkesterone.com

Boost SEO

Another reason to include content in your digital marketing efforts is that it can be a powerful tool in driving organic (and relevant) traffic to your website and landing pages.

Publishing great content that is optimized for the right keywords offers several benefits:

• It increases visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs).
• It boosts the likelihood of your audience visiting your website. 
• Last but not least, it encourages people to become your customers by showing the unique value your brand offers.

By investing in helpful content that addresses (and potentially solves) your audience’s pain points, as done by Odie, you can effectively secure one of the top three positions on Google, which get a whopping 75% of all clicks on the search engine.

Image source: google.com

Provide Your Audience With Value (& Boost Conversions)

How about content marketing benefits that translate into sales?

Did you know that publishing educational content boosts your chances of converting website visitors by 131%? That’s right. Producing and distributing content that helps your audience (in any way possible) significantly benefits your business in a way that’s immediately felt.

Knowing this, you should definitely aim to write (of record) pieces that your potential customers will find helpful on their buyer’s journey.

Are you targetting customers in the top stages of the sales funnel? If that’s the case, you should focus on awareness-stage content. Try to focus on how-to blog posts (like this one from Canva), infographics, social media updates, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc.

When targetting buyers who are closer to making a purchase, on the other hand, your best bet will be to invest in content that will make it easier for them to convert. You can, for example, put together product comparisons, like this mattress shopping guide from BestMattressBrand. Or, you could film a webinar and put together product demos. It’s also a good idea to re-post -generated content that provides social proof and gives your target audience that final nudge towards making a purchase.

Image source: bestmattress-brand.org

Don’t forget about utilizing content marketing to keep your existing buyers engaged with your brand. Something as simple as using content marketing to keep your products at the top of your customers’ minds can go a long way in encouraging customer loyalty. Plus (from a more sales-oriented point of view), it can be helpful in maximizing customer lifetime value.

Achieve a High ROI

Finally, as you explore the importance of content in digital marketing, don’t forget that content marketing makes for one of the strategies with the highest possible return on investment.

Content production is something you can do by yourself (or outsource if you prefer professional results). Plus, great content is also easy to update or re-use on many distribution platforms. Just check out how Artifox creates a variety of posts around the same topic, using each distribution platform to drive traffic to its website.

Image source: instagram.com

Moreover, don’t forget that great content continues driving traffic and encouraging conversions long after you’ve hit the publish button. So the benefits of investing in it are not just immediate. You can expect your investment to deliver returns for years to come.

Final Thoughts

Yes, there are many more benefits to investing resources into content production and distribution. However, the ones covered in this article should be enough to get you started with content in your digital marketing journey.

To get the most value out of your hard work, make sure that your actions are driven by data. So don’t forget to cover your basics. Define your target audience, do your research, and keep a close eye on KPIs. Even a quick glance at your analytics will inform you whether the content marketing choices you’re making are working out for your brand or if they still need tweaking.