Content marketing is essential to driving sales and establishing brand loyalty in today’s digital world. Customers are bombarded with sales messages, and content marketing allows companies to stand out from the noise and communicate their message in a meaningful and impactful way. Content marketing can help businesses reach potential customers, build relationships, and drive sales. However, it is crucial to have well-thought-out content marketing tactics specifically tailored to your target audience. In this article, our copywriting agency in Chicago will show you exactly how content marketing drives sales. You’ll also learn the key elements of a successful content marketing strategy, so you can make your content marketing efforts more effective.
Table of Contents
- What is Content Marketing
- 5 Things Why is User Generated Content So Effective
- What role does content play in your selling process?
- How do you turn content into sales?
- Why is content marketing so important to sales?
What is Content Marketing
When creating a long-term marketing strategy for your business, it is first important to get a deep insight into native advertising vs. content marketing. Content marketing is a marketing approach that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to draw in and keep the attention of a target audience and ultimately drive sales for businesses. Content marketing attracts and engages an audience, which can then be converted into customers. This marketing strategy typically includes creating content such as:
Blog posts
Blog articles are an essential part of content marketing because they can help generate organic traffic to a website and help build trust with potential customers. Blogs allow businesses to showcase their expertise in a given field and provide valuable information to potential customers. Additionally, they are a great way to boost SEO, as they allow businesses to target specific keywords and phrases that can help them rank higher in search engine results. Blog articles can also help to build relationships with customers, as they provide content that is both educational and entertaining, making customers more likely to visit a website or purchase a product or service. As 61% of online shoppers make buying decisions based on blog posts, it is safe to conclude that this type of content is a driving force behind content marketing sales.
Videos
Videos can engage customers in a way that written content just can’t. They draw people in with visuals and sound, allowing them to learn more about a product or service in an entertaining and interactive way. With videos, companies can explain complex concepts quickly and clearly, showing people the value of their product or service in an entertaining way. Additionally, videos can be used to create social media posts, ads, and other content that can be shared to reach a wider audience.
Infographics
Infographics are an essential tool for content marketing. They are visually appealing, easy to digest, and can help to quickly convey complex information in a way that is easy to understand and remember. Infographics can also help to engage your audience and draw them in with exciting visuals. Additionally, infographics can help you strengthen your social media marketing. That’s because they are highly shareable, which boosts your reach and visibility. You can use infographics to showcase data, highlight trends, and demonstrate how your product or service solves a problem. As such, they can be a powerful addition to any content marketing strategy.
E-Books
Many companies use e-Books as a part of their content marketing tactics. That is because e-Books are a great way to provide readers with in-depth and valuable information on a specific topic. You can use them to showcase your company’s expertise and thought leadership in a specific area. E-Books can also help you generate leads by providing readers with valuable content that they can use to make informed decisions. They are also easy to share and can be used to reach a wider audience. That usually results in increased brand recognition and higher engagement rates with potential customers.
Case Studies
B2B companies often use case studies to drive sales. Using this type of content is a great way to demonstrate the real-world application of your products and services. Case studies give customers a better understanding of how the product or service can be used by providing detailed examples of its success. They also provide the opportunity to show potential customers the tangible benefits of a product or service and demonstrate credibility, which is crucial for increasing sales.
These content pieces are distributed to relevant audiences across various marketing channels, such as social media platforms, websites, emails, and more. Content marketing tactics can build a strong brand, increase customer loyalty and trust, and drive sales.
Why is User Generated Content So Effective
User-generated content (UGC) is any content created and put out into the digital world by unpaid contributors or users rather than by brands and companies. It can be anything from product reviews, blog posts, photos, videos, social media posts, live streams, and much more.
User-generated content is so effective and drives sales because it comes from the people who are actually using the product or service. It is an honest reflection of their experience and can be incredibly valuable for a business. People are more likely to trust the content of actual customers rather than marketing messages from the business itself. That is because UGC is often seen as more authentic and genuine.
Keep in mind that you should never try to fake user-generated content. People will see through your intentions. To collect UGC, look for online product reviews, create surveys, start forum discussions, and work on your social media marketing strategy.
To get a better idea of how content marketing drives sales, it’s crucial to understand different ways user-generated content can benefit your business in practice:
Increase authenticity
Only authentic content marketing increases sales in the competitive online sphere. Ironically, by sounding too salesy, you probably won’t make too many sales. That’s because dozens of other companies within your niche use the same tone or even the same sentences, hoping to win new customers. But in this process, they lose their unique brand voice and start sounding inauthentic. User-generated content is positioned on the opposite end of the marketing spectrum. By showcasing real-life experiences from people who have actually interacted with your brand, you can create an emotional connection with potential customers. Remember, emotions drive sales.
Establish brand loyalty and grow your community
User-generated content can help you build brand loyalty with current customers as they can see their own experiences and stories shared by others. And once you establish a loyal audience, generating UGC should become a much easier process for you. All you’ll have to do is reach out to your most loyal audience segment, and you’ll find people interested in writing product reviews for you.
Show potential customers that they can trust you
Statistics suggest that 84% of shoppers trust recommendations from other people more than any other form of advertising. And as UGC works as social proof, it provides you with a perfect opportunity to send trust signals to potential customers.
Make the final push toward buying decision
Using UGC can be a very powerful way to drive sales. It can help you influence potential customers at the final stage of their buying journey. When customers can read reviews from other people who have already purchased the product, it gives them additional confidence in their decision and helps to reduce any hesitation or fear of making the wrong purchase. That is especially true when customers are considering a purchase of a higher-end item or something that may be a more significant investment than a typical purchase.
UGC is cost-effective
User-generated content is an incredibly cost-effective way to create content for your businesses. Not only does it require no financial cost, but it also saves time and energy by leveraging the creativity and enthusiasm of the many people who make up the business’s customer base. Instead of investing in expensive ads and marketing campaigns, businesses can tap into the power of their customers to create content that is both relevant and engaging.
What role does content play in your selling process?
Content is the cornerstone of any successful selling process. It’s a way to bring potential customers into your funnel and help them along the journey to becoming paying customers. More is needed to provide a product or service – you need to build relationships with your customers and prospects. Using the right content types for targeting the right audience can help you enrich your selling process. Here is a short summary of how content marketing drives sales:
- Create awareness
- Educate leads
- Build trust
- Convert leads into customers
Sounds simple, right? Well, once you understand how content marketing tactics fit into the selling process, you can create content that has a greater impact and helps you to drive sales. In the following section, we’ll discuss in more detail the process of turning content into sales.
How do you turn content into sales?
Content marketing increases sales only if used strategically. Some business owners find it challenging to turn content into conversions. That is mostly due to their lack of understanding of different audience segments and what drives people’s decisions. Luckily, by understanding your potential customers’ needs, you can make your content more compelling to your target audience. Here are some tips for turning content into sales and seeing the desired results.
Create content for each phase of the buyer’s journey
Understanding the buyer’s journey is essential for content marketing success. It helps marketers create content that resonates with their target audience by understanding their needs, wants, and motivations. By mapping out the buyer’s journey, marketers can create content that meets the needs of each stage of the journey, providing valuable information that helps guide consumers along the path to purchase.
This kind of content helps to build trust and credibility, increases brand visibility and authority, and drives conversions. By taking the time to understand their target audience’s needs and motivations, marketers can create content that speaks to their needs and gets them to take action.
There are three stages of the buyer’s journey – awareness stage, consideration stage, and decision stage. To help you understand how content marketing drives sales, we’ll show you content marketing tactics successful companies use to guide customers on their journey toward final buying decisions:
Content marketing tactics for the Awareness stage
At this stage, potential customers are faced with a problem or an opportunity. They are doing research with the hope of better understanding the nature of their problem and giving it a name. Beware that, during the awareness stage, people may not have even heard about your brand yet. It’s time to give them enough useful material to make them more curious about your company. Remember, your goal is not to close sales yet. Focus your content marketing efforts on educating your target audience about the topics they are interested in. That will help you establish authority within your niche and gain people’s respect.
Focus on creating blog posts, social media posts, videos, and infographics when targeting people who just became aware of their problem. If you need help producing high-quality content for your website regularly, there are several ways to improve blogging productivity.
Content marketing tactics for the Consideration stage
At this stage, potential customers have a deep understanding of their problem. Now they are comparing various available methods for solving their problem or taking advantage of an opportunity. People will start connecting your brand with the solutions you offer. However, it’s still not time to make the final push toward buying decision, as you still need to work on building trust with them. To successfully craft your content marketing strategy, you must be aware of your competition. Use that knowledge to educate your target audience about the pros and cons of various products.
Create case studies, product comparisons, webinars, podcasts, whitepapers, newsletters, and similar content types for this stage of the buyer’s journey.
Content marketing tactics for the Decision stage
If your content marketing system works well, a large number of potential customers will still consider doing business with you once they reach the decisions stage. By now, potential customers have already chosen the desired method. It’s time for them to decide between various products or service providers that fit their strategy. Your goal at the decision stage is to convince people to choose you over your competitors. Aim to make the whole experience as smooth as possible. Remove any obstacles preventing your target audience from buying your product. For example, having a complicated checkout page can significantly decrease your conversion rates. That’s why understanding how web design impacts content marketing is crucial for doing any serious business.
At this stage, offer your potential customers free trials, live demonstrations, consultation calls, and even coupons.
But the job is not done yet. You should polish your content marketing system to allow you to retain as many existing customers as possible. So keep providing them with high-quality content, and allow them to share their experiences with the community.
Create sales funnel
Despite their similarities, the buyer’s journey and sales funnel are two distinct concepts. The buyer’s journey is the process by which a customer moves from awareness of a product or service to purchase. On the other hand, the sales funnel is a specific marketing strategy designed to funnel potential customers through a series of steps, from initial awareness to eventual purchase. It is a more structured approach you can use to guide customers along the path to purchase. Creating a sales funnel will provide potential customers with a more personalized experience.
The sales funnel has three stages; let’s see how you can create content for each:
Top-of-the-funnel
This will be the most crowded stage of your sales funnel, as it includes people who have not even heard about your company yet. You need to grab their attention, provide them with helpful content, and slowly start introducing them to your brand. At this stage, try to appear as authentic and honest as possible. Feel free to provide people with other resources they might find helpful. You can introduce them to your products, but don’t push too hard.
Creating “how-to” guides, e-Books, attractive landing pages filled with infographics, and similar content proved to be the most effective way to attract people’s attention.
Organic search, social media marketing, and email marketing are the most effective way to attract leads at this stage. It is a good idea to keep an eye on key metrics such as website visitors, social media shares, the amount of time people spend on your website, subscriptions, etc.
Middle-of-the-funnel
You’ll notice that fewer people have reached the middle stage of your sales funnel. Don’t let this disappoint you – it means that they are more likely to do business with you. Try to give them a deeper insight into how your products can help you solve their issues.
You can still keep providing potential customers with “how-to” guides; however, consider introducing other content types as well. Product reviews, success stories, webinars, and case studies will come in handy for building deeper relationships with your target audience. But keep in mind that those who have reached this stage of your sales funnel are not convinced of the superiority of your products yet. So make sure to provide them with helpful material.
You’ll still be generating most of the leads at this stage through organic search. However, you shouldn’t forget about other efficient channels such as email marketing, social media platforms, PPC advertising, etc. To measure your middle-of-the-funnel content’s success, pay close attention to your conversion rates and the number of leads.
Bottom-of-the-funnel
This is where you’ll make the final push and see how content marketing drives sales for your business. Focus your content marketing efforts on demonstrating the superiority of your products and brand. But remember to keep building trust. By now, your potential customers will have very specific questions they want an answer for.
The most effective content types for this sales funnel stage are product reviews, success stories, and customer reviews. You’ll also need to create visually appealing landing pages and product pages.
Email marketing, organic search, and PPC advertising are the most effective channels for reaching people who reached the bottom of your sales funnel. Make sure to measure conversion rates, the number of purchases, and your return on investments.
How can content marketing increase sales?
Content marketing is an invaluable tool for any business that wants to get more attention and reach more customers. Content marketing increases sales by helping you:
Bring more traffic to your website
Content marketing can be a great way to bring more traffic to your website. By creating content that is relevant and engaging, you can draw in more visitors who are looking for the information you are providing. And obtaining more website visitors will naturally translate into more content marketing sales. However, to improve your visibility in search engines, you’ll have to pay close attention to search engine optimization. If you lack resources, feel free to contact our SEO agency in Chicago.
Build brand awareness
Content marketing is a powerful tool for increasing brand awareness. By creating content that is relevant to your target audience and distributing it through various channels, you can increase your reach and get your brand in front of more potential customers. Additionally, content marketing can help build relationships with customers and establish you as an expert in your field. That is crucial for achieving long-term business goals.
Generate leads
Content marketing is an effective way to generate leads for your business. Through the use of blog posts, social media, and email newsletters, you can keep your brand top-of-mind and provide helpful information to your target audience. That will allow you to nurture them through the sales process. You can also use content marketing to promote products or services and encourage potential customers to take action by signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. Lead generation is a powerful way in which content marketing increases sales.
Establish authority
Establishing authority is another important way in which content marketing increases sales. It is how you can build trust with potential customers. Quality content not only provides customers with the information they need to make an informed purchasing decision but also helps to establish an emotional connection with the brand. By providing relevant and helpful content, brands can demonstrate their expertise and establish an authoritative presence in their industry, giving potential customers the confidence to trust their product or service.
Why is content marketing so important to sales?
Content marketing is an essential part of any successful sales strategy. It aims to create an ongoing conversation between the business and its customers, creating a relationship based on trust and loyalty that leads to increased sales. Additionally, the right content marketing strategy can help you increase the website’s traffic and SEO rankings, which will benefit your business long-term.
If you need help creating a powerful content marketing system for your business – feel free to get in touch with us. After introducing us to your company and its goals, our expert team will help you with each step of creating and executing a successful content marketing strategy.
