Is Investing In In-Depth Content Marketing Worth It?
As language grew, word of mouth became the best communication tool. Words had taken over caveman pictures! Soon, it was the best way for a story to spread in small communities. Someone would return to their hometown after a journey abroad, and the news would be all over the place before they had even reached their own doorstep.
It is said that the first instance of marketing, more specifically content marketing, can be dated back to the year 1732, when Benjamin Franklin published the yearly poor Richard’s Almanack for marketing his printing venture.
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. Where marketing would once only consist of constant pitching of your commodity, using content as a marketing tool implies that you are now creating content to actually help solve your customers’ problems.
By reaching out to them, every leading brand and many small ones too, are increasing familiarity with their brand name, and enjoying the benefits of rising sales, saving on costs and having more loyal customers. For instance, Benjamin Franklin’s almanac had jokes, puzzles, anecdotes, and information that the townspeople would enjoy and learn from!
When Google first started ranking webpages on its search engine results pages (SERP), it would analyze the use of relevant keywords on your page. Yes, Google was all about checking your content, its images, descriptions, and links, etc., but today, it looks at SEO criteria’s and more: you need detailed, rich content that would tell all what’s needed by your Google searcher, in one place. Studies have found that longer content, ultimate guides and even eBooks sorted into chapters, rank better on Google’s SERP than your short, precise articles. So should you just start spewing words upon words and trust that your marketing will soar?
However easy producing long-form content may seem to you, it is not. According to blogger and marketer Neil Patel, if you wrote non-stop you’d have a 2,300-word piece in about an hour. But you are sure to end up with gibberish that way, unless you are very comfortable with your choice of topic, can quote brilliant sources on the go, and have the flow of the article down pat in your mind. So how do you go about it?
Consider your approach. What are the key points you wish to deliver? These will have to be the nuggets that people are looking to get from your topic of choice.
Gather your sources. Credibility matters and so does the content’s relevance to the present time and near future. You do not wish to make your reader flee or be disgruntled because of outdated advice!
And finally, write it. About 2000 words that have been researched thoroughly, read well, and have a comfortable flow should come easily to you, right? And who will take care of the business?
Bringing in professional content that gives valuable information to the target audience of your choice, and ranks well on Google’s SERP is usually better left to someone who has already gained expertise in writing SEO friendly content, rich in the required keywords and excellent links. Search engine algorithms for ranking content are variable, but there are tools and marketers who provide their services just so your content can be specifically tailored to Google’s requirements.
Also, it is not just a one-time deal; to keep a consistently high position, one has to keep churning out fresh content that is meaningful, and relevant to the searches run with those keywords.
Such content also leads to better business leads, because your webpage will then attract backlinks, and shares on social media, thus generating the desirable traffic to your site.
A study has shown that 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads. Although ads may serve to remind the user of the brand name and usability, perhaps it feels less crude and more memorable to the human brain when useful information is given by a particular brand, rather than sheer marketing guises of yesterday. You get loyal customers on your side, and the brand name leaves a pleasant after taste.
Fresh content does not come easy, and there are multiple amazing soft wares that help to generate it. There are companies that help with content creation, and there are those that use artificial intelligence to help you get your desired results by analyzing your article against the top 20 webpages for your given keyword. Set aside your available budget, and then choose your software accordingly. Let wisdom (and content specialists) be your guide!
Conversion consists of the science that involves visitors to your website to convert. And what does that imply? Well, the process of conversion means that you form a general theory or understanding (create a hypothesis) of how people reading your content are going to react to it. Can you get them to respond to a call to action, i.e. subscribing to a newsletter or signing up for a class?
Content creation and conversion are two distinct camps with the best results being those that harmonize together. If the content is engaging in terms of readership and ranking (because that is how people are going to visit your site in the first place!), conversion optimization experts are going to ensure that the reader wants to take the next step, by clicking on the button that is promising a free trial. In-depth content marketing has been shown to drive your conversion rates even higher. Instruments of engaging content like blogs, videos, high-resolution photography are great instruments to drive up your conversion rates according to the Content Marketing Institute.
Successful branding and high traffic are the keys to any flourishing business, and there is no doubt that in-depth content is driving the flow of the market today. Satisfy your target base of customers, and prosper.
Sohail Rupani is a senior SEO strategist at PNC Digital, a digital marketing agency based in Orlando. He specializes in SEO and SEM techniques. He is passionate about technology and loves to analyze the tech industry in his spare time and stay in touch with the latest happenings. He also writes technical articles about SEO and digital marketing. Follow @sohailrupani for more updates.