Content marketing has taken center stage as part of marketing campaigns in companies around the globe, and for good reason. A study by Mintel titled American Lifestyle 2015 reported that 69% of Americans seek out advice and opinions on goods and services before purchasing. A study by Demand Metric reports that 60% of consumers are inspired to seek out a product after reading about it.
The truth of the matter is that people don’t want products and services pushed on to them. They don’t want to simply be sold a product, but rather make informed decisions, and content is the perfect vehicle to allow companies to educate consumers and encourage them to make a decision that favors their brand.
Building Trust
Generating relevant content creates the opportunity to establish an interactive engagement with the customer that builds trust in the brand and ultimately supports the sales process. Through interesting and engaging content, a company can share its corporate culture, tell a story, share knowledge and expertise and provide information that enriches the customer’s experience thereby establishing trust with their potential customers. Consumers are much more likely to buy from a brand that they believe cares about their interests more than they do about advertising their products.
Building Credibility
Buyers want to work with companies that add value and insight, as well as with sales representatives who can give them sound professional advice. Consistent and insightful content is the key for companies to showcase their knowledge and expertise and put forward an image of credibility. According to a study by Forbes, 59% of top producers make use of content that helps differentiate their company from others, and 52% of them work hand-in-hand with their marketing team in order to support value selling with content.
Tracking Leads
One of the greatest benefits of generating content is the ability to measure its effectiveness against the company’s KPIs. Using in-depth analytical platforms, companies can leverage their content to track the development of interest of potential leads, which provides sales teams with insight into which leads should be nurtured. One study performed by Demand Metric shows that companies who have a blog platform produce 67% more leads per month than those that do not have one.
Content has become a valuable tool in modern marketing and sales. If you are not communicating with your audience through every touchpoint, including blogs, emails and even invoices, it’s time to begin now, or you’ll get left behind.
