Great content has always been the cornerstone of even greater communications. Whether for digital and social marketing, blogging, consumer and B to B marketing, print publications, or sales collateral, engaging content and a solid content strategy is just good business. Smart content – the type that is valuable and targeted to your audience – should not be just a want; it shouldn’t be something on a company’s “wish list.” Today, consistent and engaging content is a need for all businesses.

4 Key Benefits of Content Marketing

1.) Brand awareness. First impressions are everything, or so I’m often told. Every new visitor to your website, blog, e-newsletter or social media page will have a better impression of your brand if you look like the authority. Consistently sharing new and relevant content with your target audience not only keeps you in front of the people you want to influence, inform, help, or educate, but also establishes you and your brand as an industry thought leader.

2.) Trust. As you continue to share high quality content (there is a difference between high quality and high quantity), you will be building trust among your followers. Think of it this way: would you buy a product from a company whose reputation for quality you didn’t trust? Would you trust information you read from an unreliable or disreputable source? Probably not.  As in any relationship, trust is a major factor in influencing positive behavior and in building connections.

3.) Engagement. Valuable, informative and consistent content not only helps build relationships with your target audience, it drives people to take action. That means motivating people to visit your website, open your emails, pick up the phone, become a customer or start a conversation with your brand on social media. Content should include some type of call to action. Tell your audience what actions you want them to take and help move them through their engagement journey with your brand, whether that means reading your latest blog post or subscribing to your e-newsletter. 

4.) In bound traffic. Customized content that is thoughtful, thought provoking and relevant to your audience will drive more traffic back to your website. Blogs are one example of content marketing that have a big impact on inbound traffic and ultimately, lead generation. I found this statistic from HubSpot interesting: 60% of marketers say blog content creation is their top inbound marketing priority. (HubSpot, 2016). Just remember to share all that great content you’ve created so people see it on a regular basis.

Of course, there are many factors that go into a solid content marketing strategy, but starting with a plan and a vision for how you want to position your brand will help pave the way for content that truly connects.