In the age of Digital Marketing, consumers are slowly moving away from traditional marketing to the point of skipping traditional television, print ads and other expensive traditional marketing medium. To be effective in marketing once more, business owners should go back to the core of their digital marketing campaign – and that is good content.
Content marketing provides a solution to the perennial problem most consumers dislike about traditional marketing – interruption. Traditional ads interrupt them at a point in time when they really do not care or want it. Aside from interruption, most traditional marketing channels do not give the right kind of information consumers want, thus losing the ability to catch their attention or interest to be effective. Providing good and relevant content resolves all these and much more, and the following will give you a more comprehensive look into the dynamic world of content marketing.
Understanding What Content Marketing Is
In a very technical sense, content marketing is simply creating content that is deemed valuable and relevant to targeted audiences. These materials are then distributed through proper channels with the aim of attracting targeted customers’ attention, acquiring valuable contact information, and increase engagement to achieve the ultimate objective – consumer action that leads to profits. It is a non-interruption marketing technique that engages and interacts with customers without directly pitching your brand, products or services.
At the core of content marketing is the belief that if a particular business delivers valuable and relevant information that their consumers want and allowing them to access it when they need it, the business will be ultimately rewarded not only with sales but with long-lasting customer loyalty. The process is continuous, as business owners need to consistently create or curate the relevant content that their targeted customers want on a regular basis.
Many of the biggest names in the marketing industry are making extensive use of content marketing as the central part of their digital marketing initiatives. Why are they using content marketing? For the simple fact that this marketing technique works. Content is being used by these companies to actually enhance or influencing their targeted readers’ consumer behavior towards their profitable advantage.
Reasons Why Organizations Uses Content Marketing
In a survey conducted by Unisphere Research for content marketing provider Skyword, it was highlighted that 46% of total respondents are conducting formal content marketing campaigns as part of their overall marketing strategy. Another 37% of these respondents claim that their organizations have initiated or are planning on conducting their own content marketing programs. If asked for the primary reason why their organizations have opted for content marketing, 68% claimed it was intended to improve engagement with customers and other prospects.
In another survey conducted by eMarketer, lead generation was identified as the primary reason for conducting content marketing according to 44% of survey respondents. These figures only goes to show the importance and effectiveness of content marketing as a primary step in engaging with both new and existing customers.
Types of Materials Used for Content Marketing
The survey from Unisphere Research stated that 87% of respondents using content marketing create their content using in-house resources while 24% percent outsource their materials elsewhere. What kind of materials do they use for content marketing? According to the survey, articles landed on top at 76% followed by other types of content that include videos, blog entries, slide shows and infographics among others.
What do their content talk about? 77% of the respondents claimed that it is of vital importance to include product-related information with their content, followed by best practices and thought leadership. News is also very important for these respondents and these include news stories about the industry in general as well as corporate news readers would find interesting.
Channels for Promoting Content Marketing Materials
When respondents of the Unisphere Research survey was asked what are the channels used for promoting content marketing materials, 88% responded that the company website is still the main channel for engaging customers with their content. Email is still a very important digital marketing tool that is also effectively used for promoting content marketing materials. 
Benefits Gained from Content Marketing
Are their content marketing efforts paying off with the results they want? According to respondents of the Unisphere Research survey, they are gaining various levels of benefits from their content marketing programs. Benefits will depend on what the organization is focusing on, but 48% do say that they are engaging more with customers and targeted prospects because of content marketing. Brand awareness is another benefit that can be derived from content marketing, and this was realized by at least 41% of total respondents.
Content Marketing Statistics You Need to Know
The importance of content marketing in Digital Marketing is slowly being realized by businesses and organizations wanting to move away from traditional marketing that is simply losing its effectiveness. The numbers are getting bigger, as confirmed in an April 2013 survey by MailOnline conducted among executives from the United States marketing and advertising industries. According to the survey, 77% of marketing agencies used content marketing in the same manner as 70% of brands for their digital marketing campaign. These marketers are using different types of digital marketing channels to promote content, with 67% even purchasing ad space to promote their branded content.
This increase in the importance of content marketing as a primary digital marketing tool is further confirmed in the 2013 Content Marketing Survey Report, where it was highlighted that 49% of companies in the United States have conducted a formal content marketing campaign for their brand, products or services in 2013, almost double in figures from last year. This is expected to rise continuously, as 33% of respondents confirmed that they are planning or initiating a content marketing program of their own by 2014.
The Importance of Content Marketing
The statistics highlighted earlier only goes to show how companies and marketing agencies find content marketing as a very important tool for their overall Digital marketing campaign. There are many tangible benefits already realized by these companies as highlighted during the surveys, which can be reinforces by the following items describing just how important Content Marketing is.
1. Content Marketing Tells People What Your Products and Services are About
As mentioned earlier, content is at the core of every marketing campaign, for it is with your content will you be able to tell people, particularly your targeted visitors, what your brand, product or services is all about. Your content should be relevant to certain keywords that you are targeting for and which your targeted audiences will be using during their online searches. Content is your story, and if done right, can convey your message effectively to your targeted audiences to eventually entice them to do more – and that it to make a profitable consumer action.
2. Content Marketing Builds Your Relationship with Targeted Customers
When you deliver content that is relevant and important to your targeted audiences, you create a higher level of relationship with them. They will gain a better insight of what your brand, product or service is and understanding what you can do for them that they already need. It is a two-way process. You provide your customers with what they are looking for, satiating their need for relevant information or guides to make things easier and better. In return, they will repay you by making purchases or enrolling in programs or whatever offers you may have in your website.
3. Content Marketing Can Increase Your Website Traffic
When your targeted audiences love your content, they will not only keep coming back for more of the good stuff they can receive, but will let others know about the gold mine they found in your website. Content marketing that is shareable can create these viral phenomena, driving more and more traffic to your website as your content reaches farther and farther away into the digital stratosphere. That is why it is very important in content marketing to create or curate materials that people will really love to read, view or watch – and let others have the experience too by sharing it with them.
4. Content Marketing Improves Your Search Engine Rankings
It is mentioned here at Digital Marketing Philippines that good, original and high quality content will continuously drive traffic to your websites despite any changes in search engine algorithms. If these materials are updated regularly as part of your content marketing strategy, it will create a positive impact on your visibility with search engines, making it easier for them to rank your web pages higher in search results.
5. Content Marketing Makes Digital Marketing Possible
Again, it is important to reiterate that content should be at the core of your digital marketing campaign. Without content, there will be no digital marketing. Content marketing is what makes digital marketing possible. All the other digital marketing channels – social media, SEO, PR, PC, inbound marketing, etc – all these rely on materials that your content marketing strategies can provide.
As a conclusion, it would be important to point out that there are several ways for your business, brand, product or service get the marketing mileage it needs. But whatever channel you use or focus on, it will all still depend on good and high quality content. Content marketing is the NOW in digital marketing, and it may well be the FUTURE as well.
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.