The Importance of Adding Value through Content Marketing

With so much emphasis on content marketing and inbound, oftentimes marketers feel pressure to churn out stacks upon stacks of content, in the form of blog posts, videos, downloadable resources (don’t forget to gate the content!), social media posts, infographics, and more. The demand for such content can be daunting, and most marketing teams aren’t set up to keep up with the pace.

The result? Too much of the same. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read the same headline about “Millennials and Snapchat” or “Measuring Marketing ROI.” A lot of “experts” will tell you to publish a certain amount weekly to help with SEO. Others argue the more content the better. All this information makes it difficult to understand how to approach content marketing for your organization. The most important consideration? Always add value.

Focus on your personas

So much time can be wasted creating content for *everyone* when really, all you need to be focusing on are your core personas. Spend some time getting to know which groups of consumers move the needle for your company. Learn about the questions and needs they have. Use your expertise to help address them. It seems simple, but you’d be surprised how often people miss the mark.

Forget about not-giving away the farm

To that note, stop being afraid of “giving away the farm.” Now, more than ever, people are looking for quick information. We get frustrated when it takes us more than one google search to get answers. If you can be the provider of the answer (even just to your sometimes small target audience) you’ve already won. Each time you add value through your content you build a little more trust with your consumer. Instead of being frustrated and leaving, perhaps they explore your website, follow you on social, even subscribe to your email list. Each of these things helps keep you top of mind without them feeling sold to. In fact, Content Marketing Institute recently reported that 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus in an advertisement.

Don’t be afraid to repurpose your content

Sometimes something you wrote a year ago might come back to the foreground. Perhaps there’s a news story relevant to your industry. You happened to publish something addressing the subject a few months back. Dust it off, ensure it’s still accurate, and republish or change the date. Voila! Work it into an email send or share it on your home page and social media properties. Each of these things helps make the most of your time and content generation efforts, aiming to drive more traffic to your digital home.

Why it matters

The proof is in the pudding. Content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing & generates 3x as many leads. Not only that, but it also drives higher conversion rates. While it’s not the only effective way to market your business, it should certainly be on the top of your list.