Today content marketing is a critical part of your sales process. Dig in to find out how website content marketing can help generate sales.

Think for a moment how people in your industry search for information. More often than not, chances are they open their laptop or pull out their smartphone to find what they need.

It’s something we all do. Today’s consumer is well educated, and they have no problem taking it upon themselves to find the right content to solve their problem. In fact, there’s probably a good chance you personally have gone online today to find something you needed.

So, it begs to ask the question, “Is the content on your website delivering the right information to fulfill the need of your visitors?”

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at content marketing to make sure the answer is a resounding yes. Plus, you’ll learn how the content on your website can become one of the greatest lead generation tools you own.

Why Content Marketing is Key

When you think about how your company approaches marketing, the term content marketing (or digital marketing) should be top of mind. Your content marketing strategy should align with the goals of your company to deliver fresh, relevant content to your readers.

A high-quality content marketing strategy goes beyond just creating a blog to help bolster your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts. The content on your website says a lot about what your company does (or doesn’t do).

Content does many things for your brand, such as giving you authority online, drives curiosity for your readers, and creates a relationship of trust. Before we explore those topics in detail, let’s first touch on who you should be marketing to.

When designing your content marketing efforts, consider who you are targeting. Your goal with content is not to develop content for the masses, but rather, provide solutions that solve a specific need in your industry. If you’re not sure, a good exercise is to create buyer and user personas to help identify the needs of your customers.

Content Gives You Authority

So, you want your website content to appear higher on search engines, preferably the first page? Content marketing is the answer.

Authority is the term used to describe how search engines determine your website is a reliable and trusted source for content. This is achieved by developing a regular cadence (we suggest 2-3 pieces a week) of unique content. Find out how people in your industry like to engage with content and develop a strategy around that. For example, content is more than blogs – it’s infographics, videos, interactive polls, and case studies. In other words, your content should be relevant in a way that your visitors can’t get what you’re providing anywhere else. You want to generate “link-worthy” content, so to speak, where your readers are curious to learn more.

Content Drives Curiosity

An important goal to achieve with your content marketing efforts is to create high-quality content that drives curiosity with your visitors. Remember, when someone visits your website to read an article or watch a video, they’re seeking information to solve a problem.

A key to driving curiosity is to satisfy the needs of your target market with educational content that’s conversational. Your content should not be a 500-page sales pitch for your services, but it should give your reader the desire to learn more about what you do.

When designing your strategy, think about ways to include a call-to-action that gives your readers a way to learn more. Good examples of call-to-actions include things such as worksheets, e-books, and infographics. You may consider “gating” extra content to require a user to enter information such as their email address to access additional resources. Gated content allows you to learn more about your visitors so you can reach out to them to learn more about their needs.

Content Generates Trust

We all have that special someone in our lives who has our back. We look to them for their expertise, and we can always trust them no matter what. Don’t you want customers to look at your company the same way? The good news is that you can.

Content marketing is your biggest opportunity to generate trust within your industry. It all starts with having a rock-solid marketing strategy geared towards solving a need. As we discussed earlier, your website should be the ultimate go-to place for content that your readers can’t get anywhere else. Not even from your competitors.

What’s next?

Going back to our original question, if the content on your website is not fulfilling the needs of your customers, we can help.

Developing a high-quality content marketing plan in-house is doable, however many companies run into issues with longer implementation due to resource limitations and digital marketing expertise.

We recommend working with an agency such as ours because we have the experience and proven results to deliver exceptional value to your organization.

Contact us to learn more.