Content marketing is one of the pillars of great, effective, and successful digital marketing – which, in turn, underpins a flourishing business by boosting sales.
This is why every company, regardless of size, industry, and location, should invest in content marketing.
Did you know that there are some tell-tale signs that your brand urgently needs help with content marketing?
Read our guide and discover seven of the most important reasons why you should implement a content marketing strategy ASAP.
1. You Are Not Currently Producing Any Content
It may sound obvious, but the main reason why you should seek professional help with your content marketing is if you are not currently producing any content at all.
You might be a solo entrepreneur, a start-up founder, or a small business owner who has just launched their new venture.
Whatever your specific circumstances, you will need to start investing in the creation of content almost as soon as you have incorporated your company.
2. Your Content Is Not Performing Well
Ok, so maybe you are producing content, and pretty regularly, too.
Why, then, aren’t you seeing any tangible results from this?
Because just creating content, unfortunately, is not enough for your brand to instantly jump to the top of Google search results and attract millions of online users.
For your content to perform well, it needs to be, at the very minimum:
- SEO-optimized
- Relevant, topical, and targeted to your audience
- Original and authentic
Now, go back to your content and take an unbiased look at it. Can you say, for sure, that you have used all the right keywords and other SEO elements? Is it catchy, convincing, and informative enough? Are you offering content that feels unique and genuine?
If you have answered “no” to at least one of these questions, go back to it and start working on improving that particular aspect of your content creation process.
3. You Are Not Using Social Media
Did you know that “content” doesn’t just refer to the written word? It encompasses elements such as photos, videos, and graphics.
And this is precisely why social media platforms work so well for content marketing.
By teaming up with a content marketing specialist, you will be able to make the most of social media by producing content that interests, informs, and engages your target audience.
4. You Are Not Prioritizing Your Audience
To be effective and enticing, your content needs to tell a story – not your story, but your customers’.
Yes, because content marketing has the power to elicit a strong emotional response in your audience, and the best – and only – way to achieve this is by turning your audience into the protagonists of your content.
Therefore, you should move away from company-centered posts and publications, and instead use your platforms as a way to give your customers a voice, and to show them how your products and services can improve their lives.
5. You Do Not Have a (Professional) Blog
Blogging is not just a fun pastime for influencers – it’s an effective way to create, publish, and share content for business purposes.
If your company doesn’t have a blog, then it’s time to seek some expert help to start creating one ASAP.
Similarly, if you do have a blog but it doesn’t look professional – for example, it doesn’t feature a unique domain, the layout is sketchy, and there are multiple spelling and grammar mistakes – you will also need a content marketing expert to give you a hand.
The good news is that you don’t need to build a shiny new website from scratch – you can simply hire a group of talented freelancers, work with an agency, or use a low-cost, customizable theme or template.
6. You Are Not Creating Content for Different Stages of the Buyer’s Journey
Ever heard of the sales funnel?
This is a metaphor that describes the journey of a customer – from simply being a “looker” to becoming a “booker” (and beyond).
Sales funnels consist of four main stages:
- Awareness: your prospect has just started to learn about your company
- Interest: your prospect is now showing an interest in your company, perhaps by spending more time on your website or social channels
- Decision: your prospect has now almost made their mind up and is in the final stages of deciding whether or not to purchase a product or service from you
- Action: your prospect has made a purchase from you
Just at a quick glance, you will easily understand how each stage of the sales funnel involves different emotions, different actions, and different messages.
If you were a well-established customer, for example, surely you wouldn’t expect to read content that is aimed at people who know nothing about the brand? Vice versa, if you are new to a brand, reading content that refers to lower-level aspects of the brand will feel at odds with your interests and needs.
So, put yourself into the shoes of your customers, and start producing content that seamlessly matches each different phase of the sales funnel.
7. You Are Not Creating and Following a Content Publishing Schedule
By now, you are producing great-quality content that is tailored to specific customer needs, features all the relevant keywords and SEO elements, and is original and informative.
If you think that you no longer need any help with content marketing, then you should think again.
It’s at this point, in fact, that your brand needs the assistance of a professional marketing expert to curate the actual publication of that content.
They will be able to put together a content publishing schedule that helps you to keep your content on track, your audience engaged, and your brand relevant.
You can schedule your content publishing either manually or by using automated software – it’s up to you and your budget and requirements.
In any case, make sure you keep posting consistently and predictably, and your credibility, reliability, and customer loyalty will soar.
Need Effective Content Marketing? Seek Help from the Pros
If you want your content marketing strategy to produce the desired effects, then you’ll need to engage a content marketing professional for expert help.
These figures can help you solve problems such as lack of consistency in your publishing schedule, non-SEO-optimized content, company-centric content, and content that’s not adapted to the different phases of the sales funnel.
Do you need any support with your content marketing? Call the team at Bell Interactive today.
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