109 Hard-hitting Content Marketing Statistics Every Marketer Needs to Know
Want to drive more traffic to your website? Or boost your revenue with content marketing? Click here to see our roundup of the latest content marketing statistics.
How to Craft an Effective Content Marketing Funnel
A content funnel is a well-structured path prospects go through to become customers. Read on to learn to create an effective marketing content funnel.
20 Surprising Benefits of Content Marketing: How It Can Transform Your Business
Content marketing can increase traffic, leads, and customers. In this article, You’ll learn about the benefits of content marketing and how it can help your business.
Complete Guide to Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
Learn how to use social media marketing to grow your small business using social media strategy that will help increase brand awareness, and boost website traffic.
How to Attract, Engage, and Convert Customers: Content Strategy 101
Here’s a comprehensive guide on how you can create a content marketing strategy that attracts customers, increases engagement and conversion rates, and helps build your brand.
Boosting Lead Generation Using Content Marketing: The Complete Guide
Today, about 94% of B2B small businesses make use of content marketing in their digital marketing efforts. Despite its widespread adoption, many businesses struggle to effectively use content marketing for lead generation and maintaining profitability. The US Bureau of Labour Statistics estimates that despite having a content marketing strategy, approximately 20% of these small businesses fail in their first year, an additional 45% during the first five years, and 70% during the first 10 years. Clearly, a content marketing strategy is no magic wand that immediately solves all lead generation woes. However, when used properly, content marketing can be a powerful tool for lead generation. This blog post will discuss how you can effectively use your content marketing efforts to drive leads and convert them into customers. We have prepared an ultimate content marketing guide and curated practical battle-tested steps guaranteed to help generate quality leads. Lead Generation Through Content Marketing What comes to mind when you hear the word “lead”? You’re probably thinking of scenes from your favorite crime thriller where the detective is following a lead to solve the case. Lead generation through content marketing works in much the same way. You create content that captures the attention of your target audience, and use it as a clue to help them find you. A lead is a potential customer who has shown interest in your product or service. Any content marketing strategy aims to attract the right audience, engage them, and ultimately generate leads that can be converted into customers. Imagine you own a skincare brand and have created a blog post about the benefits of using natural ingredients in skincare products. A reader who clicks on the article, reads it, subscribes to your newsletter, and finally makes a purchase can be considered a lead generated for your skincare brand through your content marketing efforts. Therefore, lead generation through content marketing involves creating valuable and relevant content that attracts your target audience to your brand, provides solutions to their problems, and encourages them to take a desired action. Such action could include filling out a form, subscribing to your email list, or purchasing a product. Benefits of a Lead-Generating Content Marketing Strategy Apart from attracting and converting quality leads, a strong content marketing strategy can bring numerous benefits to your business. Here are some of the reasons why you should invest time and effort into creating a solid lead-generating content marketing plan: Improved Brand Awareness and Credibility By consistently producing high-quality content that addresses your audience’s needs and interests, you increase your chances of being seen as an industry expert in your niche market. This improves brand awareness and builds trust and credibility among your target audience, leading them to consider your brand when making purchasing decisions. If you are a business owner or marketer, it is important to remember that leads can come from any source. However, the quality and relevance of your content will determine whether these leads are worth pursuing and converting into paying customers. Increased Website Traffic Creating valuable lead-generation content that speaks directly to your target audience allows you to attract more visitors to your website. This ultimately drives more traffic to your website and increases the likelihood of generating leads through your content marketing efforts. Improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO has a significant impact on your website’s visibility and search rankings. By regularly producing high-quality, keyword-rich content, you improve the chances of your website appearing in the top search results on popular search engines like Google and Bing. This means that when someone searches for terms related to your industry, there is a higher chance that they will come across your website and potentially convert into leads. Increased Conversion Rates Content marketing can also improve the overall user experience on your website by providing valuable information and solutions to their problems. This can lead to increased conversions as satisfied readers are more likely to purchase or take other desired actions on your website. Expanded Reach In today’s digital age, content can easily be shared across various online channels such as your website, social media platforms, and email. This allows you to expand your reach and attract a wider audience, potentially bringing in more leads for your business. Cost Effectiveness Compared to traditional marketing methods, content marketing can be more cost-effective. Once you have created your content, it can potentially bring in leads for a long period of time with minimal additional costs. Steps to Generating Leads Through Content Marketing Now that you understand the advantages of lead generation through content marketing, here are some practical steps to get started in your content marketing lead generation process: Conduct Extensive Market Research Before creating any content, it’s important to understand your target audience and their pain points clearly. Conduct market research through surveys, focus groups, or social listening to gather insights into their needs and interests. This will allow you to create more targeted and relevant content that speaks directly to them and encourages conversions. In conducting your market research for a content marketing strategy that generates leads, we recommend using keyword research and paying attention to search intent. Making Use of Keyword Research Part of your market research should involve identifying the keywords or search terms your target audience will likely use when looking for solutions to their problems. Using keywords is an effective way to understand your target audience’s interests. Commercial keywords specifically reveal what your prospects are interested in buying. Incorporating these keywords into your content will improve its chances of appearing in search engine results, potentially bringing in more leads for your business. This can be done through keyword research tools such as Google Ads Keyword Planner or SEMrush. Let’s say you own a catering business. Your target audience may use keywords such as “catering for weddings” or “corporate event catering.” Including these terms in your blog posts, website pages, or social media content can improve the chances of attracting leads interested in your services. The idea is
Smart Marketing Goals: A Guide To Its Elements, Benefits, and Examples
“Make more profits”, “Have a bigger market share”, and “Increase brand awareness”. These were the goals that Mark, the VP of Marketing at Ecks-Why-Zee Retail Stores outlined as the company’s goals for the new year. The company’s leadership was expecting Mark and his team to deliver on these goals. But as Mark began to think about how he was going to achieve these goals, he realized that they weren’t very specific. They didn’t take into account what the company’s customers wanted or what would be realistic to achieve or when they would be achieved. It was at this point that he realized that he needed to make his goals more “smart”. The only problem is, he doesn’t know how. Your mission, Agent X, should you choose to accept it, is to help Mark and his team understand and set some smart marketing goals for Ecks-Why-Zee Retail Stores. The rest of this guide is to help you understand what SMART goals are, the benefits of setting them, and how to set and measure SMART marketing goals. It’ll also provide some examples of common smart marketing goals that you can use as inspiration for helping Mark’s team. But first, let’s start with the basics. What are SMART Goals? SMART is an acronym that represents the words, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. A SMART goal is a goal that meets those values,in other words, a well-defined goal that you can track and measure progress towards. Specific A specific goal is clear and concise and provides detailed information about what needs to be done. For example, rather than setting a goal to “increase sales,” Ecks-Why-Zee might set a goal to “increase sales by 10%” This specific goal is more likely to lead to concrete action and results in sales. Similarly, rather than setting a goal to “improve customer service,” it might set a goal to “reduce customer wait times by 30%” Once again, this specific goal is more likely to lead to tangible improvement in customer relations. Measurable When setting goals, it is important to make sure that they can be effectively measured. A goal is measurable if it can be expressed in a quantifiable value. To create a measurable goal, businesses need to have specific criteria that can be used to track progress. For example, a business might set a goal to increase sales by 10% over one year. To measure this goal, they would track sales figures regularly and compare them to the previous year or timeframe. To ensure that a goal is truly measurable, it’s important to ask questions such as how will we know if we’ve achieved this goal? What metrics will we use? How often will we track progress? Achievable For a goal to be achievable, it must be realistic. This means that businesses need to set attainable goals that they can work towards given their resources and timeframes. It’s important to note that an achievable goal should still challenge businesses to push themselves to see results. Relevant When setting SMART goals, businesses need to make sure that they are relevant to their overall mission and vision. A goal is relevant if it furthers the business’s objectives and helps it move closer to its long-term goals. For example, a goal to increase sales by 10% would be relevant for a business whose objective is to increase profits. However, a goal to increase social media followers by 10% would not be relevant for a business whose objective is to reduce costs. Time-bound SMART goals need to have a timeframe associated with them to keep businesses on track and accountable. A time-bound goal has a specific deadline associated with it. This deadline provides a sense of urgency and encourages businesses to take action to achieve their goals. For example, rather than setting a goal to “increase sales,” Ecks-Why-Zee might set a goal to “increase sales by 10% within the next year.” This time-bound goal gives the business a clear timeline to work towards and ensures that they take action promptly. The Benefits of Setting SMART Goals For a Marketing Team There are numerous benefits associated with setting SMART goals. Some of the most notable benefits include: Improved Clarity And Focus Setting SMART goals for a sales team helps its team members have improved clarity and focus. When businesses set SMART marketing goals, the team has a clear roadmap to follow. This helps them to focus their efforts on the things that matter most and achieve their desired results. More Effective Decision-Making SMART marketing goals lead to more effective decision-making because by having a clear understanding of what task needs to be achieved teams can make better decisions about how to allocate their resources. This helps them use their time, money, and energy in the most efficient way possible. Increased Motivation And Productivity Another benefit of setting SMART goals is that they can increase motivation and productivity. When team members have a clear goal to work towards, they are more likely to be motivated to take action and see results. This can lead to increased productivity as businesses can get more done in a shorter timeframe. For example, if a team’s goal is to increase lead generation by 15% within two months, they are likely to be more focused and driven to achieve this goal than if they simply had a goal to “increase lead generation. Enhanced Team Communication SMART goals also help to enhance team communication. By having a clear goal to work towards, team members can easily communicate their progress and identify any areas where they may need help. This open communication can help to improve the overall efficiency of the team. Improved Time Management Another benefit of setting SMART goals is that they can help with time management. By having a clear understanding of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done, businesses can better manage their time. This helps businesses to avoid wasting time on things that don’t matter and ensures that
Strategies for Making the Most Out of Your Content Distribution Matrix
As a marketer, you understand that in order to maximize your reach and boost customer engagement, you need a content distribution matrix. But most times, your sweats don’t just measure up to the results you ultimately see. It feels like the content is just floating around in space with no real direction or purpose. “What’s the missing puzzle?”, you might wonder. Well, if you find yourself in this position, we know one thing for sure – you need an efficient content distribution matrix that specifically works for your business. In this one-stop guide, you will learn how to identify the most effective channels for your specific audience, create a clear distribution plan, and track results to ensure maximum ROI. Before diving into the various channels, let’s first understand the concept of the distribution matrix. What is a Content Distribution Matrix? Content distribution matrix has to do with the visual representation of where and how your content will be shared. It allows you to outline the different channels and platforms that you’ll use to distribute your content, along with the frequency and timing of these distributions. The concept behind the content distribution matrix is to recognize that certain content types and channels work better for certain audiences. By understanding the specific needs and preferences, you can develop a distribution plan that maximizes reach and engagement. Let’s illustrate. Say you’re a B2B marketer targeting C-level executives. Your content distribution plan will likely involve LinkedIn and industry-related events instead of a B2C marketer targeting Gen Z on Instagram. So, content distribution matrix helps you prioritize where to focus your efforts and track the success of each platform or content distribution channel. And as a marketer, this can help you plan out their content strategy and allocate resources accordingly. Overall, the idea is to map out the specific content distribution channel that best aligns with your audience and content type rather than randomly posting on every single platform without a clear strategy. Content Distribution Strategy – Step-by-step Process As it is well known, planning is the key to success. The same goes for your content distribution strategy. When you always wish to achieve the most in the content distribution matrix, we recommend you follow these steps. 1. Identify Your Audience Before creating a content distribution matrix, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of your target audiences. This will help you determine the most effective channels for reaching them. Ask yourself who they are, what their interests are, their demographics, and their pain points. Then, research where they typically hang out online – which social media platforms do they use the most? What kind of websites or publications do they read? Consider conducting audience research through surveys, interviews, and online analytics tools to gather more insight. By understanding your audience, you’ll be able to zero in on the channels that will best reach them. 2. Set Goals/Objectives and Measure Results It’s important to define what you want to achieve with your distribution strategy. Do you intend to increase organic traffic to your website? Generate leads? Improve brand recognition? By having specific goals in mind, it will better guide your decision-making and give you a precise measure of success. In all, your goal must be SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Also, set specific goals for each channel and track your results to see what’s working and what may need improvement. This will help you continually optimize your content distribution plan. Use analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Hootsuite to track and measure metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and conversions. 3. Match Content Types with Channels With a clear understanding of your audience and goals in mind, it’s time to determine which content distribution channels will work best for your content distribution strategy. As mentioned earlier, consider where your audience hangs out online, where your competitors are most active, and where your content will perform best. Some options to consider include social media platforms, email marketing, owned websites or blogs, paid advertising, PR outreach, industry publications, and influencer marketing. For example, if you’re a B2B business, LinkedIn may be a better choice for distributing content than Instagram. And if you have visual content, platforms like Pinterest and Instagram may be more suitable than Twitter. You can also consider creating different versions of the same piece of content to cater to various preferences. For example, you could repurpose a blog post into an infographic for visual learners or create a podcast episode for auditory learners. Note that the content distribution channels you eventually choose must align with your overall objectives and target audiences. 4. Plan and Determine the Frequency Next, consider when and how often you’ll distribute your content on each channel. To start, create a content calendar and schedule when you’ll publish new content and when you’ll repurpose or promote older content. This will help keep your distribution plan organized and ensure a consistent flow of content. When determining frequency, consider the platform’s algorithm and what works best for your audience. For example, LinkedIn’s algorithm favors frequent posting, while Instagram tends to favor quality over quantity. Also, consider the peak times when your audience is most active on each channel and schedule your content accordingly. This can greatly impact engagement and reach. 5. Promote and Amplify Your Content Once you’ve outlined your distribution plan, it’s time to get the word out about your content. Consider paid advertising options, such as promoting social media posts or Google ads, to increase visibility and reach a wider audience. Also, consider reaching out to influencers in your industry (“influencer marketing”) who may be willing to share your content with their followers. Additionally, don’t underestimate the power of employee advocacy. Encourage your employees to share company content on their personal social media profiles or reach out to their professional networks via email. This can significantly expand your reach and increase trust in your brand. And finally, make sure you have sharing buttons readily
Unlocking Success: A Step-by-Step Guide to Executing a Fruitful Content Audit
There’s no question that content is king. It’s your website’s lifeblood, and if you want to succeed online, you must consistently produce high-quality content. But what do you do if you feel your content efforts are falling flat? Or worse, what if you don’t even know where to start? If that sounds like you, then a content audit may be just what the doctor ordered. Content creation is essential for success, but many don’t realize how much goes into creating effective and engaging content. A successful content strategy requires more than just writing blog posts or articles. It also means understanding your target audience, creating an editorial calendar, and knowing which channels to use to reach your audience most effectively. Cue in, a content audit. A content audit is a comprehensive review of all the content on your website (or other channels) to assess its effectiveness and make improvements. By conducting a content audit, you can get a clear picture of what’s working well and what needs to be improved. You can also identify any gaps in your content, which can help you create a more targeted content strategy going forward. Not sure where to start? This guide will walk you through everything you need about content audits, from why you should do one to how to conduct your own. Much Ado About Content “Content” is anything published online. This includes text, images, videos, and infographics. And it’s not just limited to your website. Any time you publish something on social media, blog post comments, or even in an email newsletter, that’s content. The key to success online is creating quality content that resonates with your target audience. That means publishing content that is interesting, informative, and engaging. It’s not enough to simply publish content for the sake of it. Your goal should be to create content that helps you achieve your business objectives. That might mean generating leads, getting more website visitors, or increasing sales. What is Content Audit, and Why Should You Care? A content audit is a comprehensive review of all the content on your website. It is a thorough analysis of your website content, including both the written content (like blog posts and articles) and the non-written content (like images and videos). Content audits are inventories of your website’s existing content. Once you have a complete list of all your website’s content, you can evaluate each piece individually. Basically, a content audit helps you to identify which pieces of content are working well and which ones need to be improved. It also helps you to plan for future content to ensure that all your content is high-quality and engaging. There are several reasons why you should conduct a content audit. Some common reasons include: Improve Content Quality An SEO content audit will assist you in determining which sections of your content require revision or improvement. This is essential since it ensures that your website’s content is high quality and engaging. During the process of reviewing your website content, you will learn which posts are most popular with readers. This information can help you improve existing content and guide you in developing similar content in the future to attract even more visitors. Also, you have the opportunity to address other issues, such as fixing any broken links, removing outdated content, and making other necessary improvements to content that is not performing well. Understand Your Audience Better A thorough content audit process will reveal valuable insights into your audience’s needs and preferences. It will help you understand the type of content your audience is most interested in. By conducting a content audit, you will discover which content your audience is engaging with and why. The data from this analysis can be incorporated into future content planning to help you produce material that attracts a larger audience and generates more engagement. Assess Content Marketing Strategy An SEO content audit can be performed to evaluate the efficacy of your company’s existing content marketing strategy. By analyzing your content, you can determine what is effective and what is not. Examining metrics like website traffic and conversion rates can give you an idea of how successful a blog post or other content on your website is. This will help you make changes to your strategy if necessary. Additionally, it will assist you in determining the kinds of material you should publish in the future. Identify Content That Can Be Repurposed It is also a helpful way to find content that can be repurposed or reused in some way. For example, you may find that an old blog post can be updated with new information and republished. Or, you may discover that a piece of web copy can be repurposed as a social media post or email newsletter. By taking the time to assess your website content carefully, you can ensure that everything works together to achieve your business goals. Improve Search Engine Ranking A content audit is vital in improving your website’s search engine ranking. By auditing your content, you can identify and fix areas that need improvement to help your site rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). For example, if your website has a lot of duplicate content, you can fix this issue by rewriting or removing the duplicate content. Additionally, if your website lacks keyword-rich content, you can add new pages or blog posts targeting specific keywords. Regularly auditing your website’s content ensures that your site is always optimized for search engine ranking. Save Time And Money You save time and money by doing a content audit. This is because while auditing your contents, you will discover ineffective content. Using this data, you can streamline your content production process and put your efforts where they will have the most significant impact. Types of Content Audit There are different kinds of content audits based on the goals of the audit and the way the audit is done. Full Content Audit A full content audit is a comprehensive review
The 8 Content Marketing Goals That Are Critical to Your Business
If you’re running a business, having a content marketing strategy is key to success. Why? Because it helps ensure your content is working towards your overall business goals. Plus, today’s customers are bombarded with choices, and if you want them to pick your product or service, you need to have great content that cuts through the noise. Not sure where to start? Check out our list of eight goals for any successful content marketing campaign. These tips will help you create content that resonates with your audience and drives conversions. Why Alignment With Content Objectives Is Crucial Here are some benefits of aligning your content marketing campaigns and strategy goals between all relevant stakeholders within the company: The 8 Critical Goals of Content Marketing Now that we’ve defined content marketing and discussed its importance, let’s dive into our eight critical goals for a successful content marketing strategy. 1. Increase Brand Awareness and Recognition One of the primary goals of content marketing is to increase brand awareness for your business. After all, if people don’t know your company exists, they can’t become customers or clients. Creating high-quality content is one of the best ways to get your name out there and attract the attention of your target audience. Think about the relevant content that will help you achieve these marketing and business goals. For example, if you’re looking to increase brand awareness for a new product launch, you might create blog posts or social media updates leading up to the launch date. Or, if you want to raise awareness for your business in general, you might create thought-leadership content that showcases your company’s expertise. No matter what type of content you create, you aim to get it in front of as many people as possible. So be sure to promote your content across your channels, from your website and blog to social media and email. You can also use paid advertising to amplify your reach and ensure your target audience sees your content. One company that has successfully used content marketing to increase brand awareness is Coca-Cola. For example, in 2016, they launched their “Taste the Feeling” campaign, which featured a mix of print, TV, digital and out-of-home advertisements. The campaign was designed to underscore people’s emotional connections with Coca-Cola products. This strategy raised brand awareness, as the “Taste the Feeling” campaign garnered over 278 million online views. And it helped Coca-Cola boost its sales by 3% in the first quarter of 2017. By creating high-quality content that resonates with its target audience, Coca-Cola has effectively built awareness for its brand and increased its bottom line. 2. Generate More Qualified Leads Generating leads is an important goal of content marketing. Businesses can attract potential customers and convert them into leads by creating compelling and engaging content. While some customers may immediately commit to a product or service, others may require more nurturing before they are ready to make a purchase. Businesses can develop targeted marketing campaigns to move leads through the sales funnel by collecting data from each interaction with potential customers. Effective content marketing can thus result in increased sales and revenue for businesses. One of the best ways to generate leads is to create gated content, meaning people have to give you their contact information to access it. For example, you might create an eBook or whitepaper and require people to fill out a form with their name and email address before they can download it. You can also use lead magnets, such as free trials or coupons, to entice people to sign up for your email list. Once you have their contact information, you can follow up with targeted emails that will move them further down the sales funnel. 3. Build Brand Loyalty and Trust Fostering brand loyalty is essential for any business that wants to build a lasting relationship with its customers. After all, why would someone continue to buy from a company they don’t trust or feel loyal to? As a content marketer, you have the opportunity to help build both of these things through the stories you tell and the experiences you create. Loyalty is often built through shared values and everyday experiences, so tell stories highlighting these things. For instance, if you’re marketing a sustainable fashion brand, you could tell stories about the people who make the clothing and how they work to reduce their environmental impact. On the other hand, if you’re marketing a new kind of workout gear, you might share stories about how it’s helped people achieve their fitness goals. In both cases, you’re giving your audience a reason to feel loyal to your brand. Trust, on the other hand, is built through transparency and consistency. Be clear about who you are and what you stand for, and be consistent in the messages you share. In addition, with content marketing, your company may host a giveaway or a contest, offering your consumers the opportunity to win a reward and, as a result, celebrate your customer base. Customer loyalty and trust are essential for any business that wants to thrive in the long term. As you achieve this, your audience will come to trust you as a source of reliable information. 4. Garner More Web Traffic With Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Websites are much like storefronts; the better they look, the more likely people will come in. But, of course, there’s a little more to it than that. Just as you wouldn’t put a store in the middle of nowhere, your website also needs to be easy to find. One way to do this is to use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. SEO involves using keywords and other strategies to improve your site’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). This ensures that your website comes up near the top of the results when people search for keywords related to your business. You can also generate traffic by advertising your website on social media or through pay-per-click ads. And, of course,
