IS CONTENT MARKETING WORTH IT?
Woman using mobile phone in hotel lobby
Most businesses these days are spending over a quarter of their budget on content marketing. And while we are told all the time about its importance, there are some days we ask ourselves how exactly that one tweet or blog post actually benefits the company in the grand scheme of things. Then comes the question: is it really worth the money? We believe it is, and here’s why.
WHAT IT IS
According to the Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”
Valuable is the key word here for 3 main reasons:
- If you’re creating content people genuinely connect with, they’re more likely to read, enjoy, and share it with friends, therefore making your efforts go further organically.
- Every little bit of content creation is an opportunity to shape your overall brand, which is important (see: Why Branding is Important).
- Most of us want to make the world a better place. So instead of contributing to the unwanted clutter of the world, add something valuable instead.
HOW IT HELPS
A study from Capitora demonstrates the benefits well:
- 61% of consumers prefer companies with custom online content (they like us, they really like us!)
- 90% of consumers find custom content useful
- 78% of consumers believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them
- 80% of decision-makers prefer content marketing to advertising
- 50% of all online consumer time is spent engaging with custom content
Furthermore, an article on V3B adds,
“While most B2B marketers agree that live demos still bring in the most qualified leads, the study shows that content marketing can bring in the quantity and quality of leads you’re looking for. In fact, B2B companies with blogs generate 67% more leads per month on average than non-blogging firms. And studies show that the average cost to generate a lead through inbound marketing ($143) is about half the average for outbound marketing ($373) – talk about a worthy endeavor!”
THE CHALLENGE
Although content marketing does not fall under a one-size-fits-all category, it can be very effective for certain companies. Make sure you’re able to track your success. The digital world is changing often, and it can be difficult to keep up. But there are plenty of tools to help you tailor your strategy to these changes. Finally, spending the money and time on a company who knows what it’s doing is key to making sure you get the most out of your efforts.
THE BOTTOM LINE
When done right, content marketing can be an integral part of your overall marketing strategy. It can become a powerful method of creating leads and help your company grow and adapt to the 21st century. Contact us to see how we can help you create an effective content marketing plan.
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