Content marketing is far more than just the latest Internet buzzword. It’s a huge movement in the marketing world that focuses on creating value for audiences while promoting a business on the web.
The idea is that by creating interesting content such as blog posts, videos, web articles and infographics and sharing it across the web using social media and search marketing, businesses can benefit from increased engagement with highly targeted audiences. Not only that but they can also benefit from wider exposure for their brand and improved SEO.
Content is king – a vital part of your digital marketing strategy.
The saying ‘content is king’ has been floating around for a little while now but in 2015, it has never been truer. Whilst search engine marketing and social media marketing are still crucial to a business’s success, without great content these strategies would simply fall flat. With content at the centre of all marketing activity, it’s not hard to see why content marketing is taking over the Internet.
In the past if you wanted to improve your website’s search engine rankings, it was a case of the more backlinks the better. However today, it’s a whole other story and in fact multiple backlinks from poor quality sources could (and most likely will) get your website penalised.
Google in particular has become increasingly focused on content, so much so that it has become a key part of what is known as ‘white hat SEO.’ Creating compelling content on a regular basis will contribute to a sustainable SEO strategy and long-lasting search ranking improvements.
You can share content on your website and blog, as well as on other high authority, relevant websites to generate shares and natural backlinks.
Social media marketing isn’t all about sharing links to your website and products. It’s about creating and sharing great content that will increase your click through rates and engagement. The better your content is, the more likely people are to visit your website and buy your products.
Socially shareable content includes how to articles, videos, infographics and much more. It’s all about sharing content that holds value to your audience.
The more social signals you get (likes, shares, retweets etc.) the better your SEO will be. Don’t forget that content marketing, social media marketing and search engine marketing are all linked and should be integrated, in order to achieve the best results for your business.
One of the main reasons why content marketing is taking over the Internet is because it’s important to consumers. At the end of the day, every marketing move businesses make is to engage with consumers and the same goes for search engines like Google, who exist to help and satisfy searchers.
Creating captivating content on a regular basis is a great way to engage with your customers and show off your expertise. The more useful information you provide them with, the more trust they will have in your business, which will ultimately lead to more sales.
One of the best ways to create engaging content for your customers is to start a blog. Updating it on a regular basis will also get your website crawled and indexed by search engines more frequently, which could potentially result in improved search rankings.
With so many benefits, it’s hardly surprising that content marketing is taking over the Internet. If you want your online business to be a success in 2015 and beyond, make content marketing a vital part of your overall digital marketing strategy.
Image credits: Aaron Gustafson and Go Local Search