How To Use Content Marketing To Boost Sales
What does it take to drive conversions and generate sales in the current business landscape? The answer is simple – in order to get, you have to give back. People are no longer satisfied by promotional messages. Bombarding your audience with commercials isn’t going to do the trick. Creating quality content is one of the most effective options when it comes to doing inbound marketing and driving sales.
According to eMarketer statistics, 60 percent of advertising experts create at least one piece of content on a daily basis. DemandMetrics estimates suggest that content marketing costs 62 percent less than traditional advertising and the conversion rates are nearly six times higher.
What do all of these numbers mean to you as a company owner, entrepreneur or marketer? They suggest that by giving people something valuable, informative and entertaining, you’re boosting engagement. Once the audience gets engaged with your brand, the chances of generating revenue from these interactions increase.
So, content marketing is important, but what does it take to adopt the strategy like a professional? The following suggestions will help you make those first steps successful.
Write Genuine Content
People can spot text that is created purely for promotional reasons. If you want to drive long-term engagement up and increase sales, you have to produce articles “straight from the heart.”
Focus on topics that you’re passionate about and that you have knowledge in. Share stories about your business, useful tips and in-depth reports that people can’t find elsewhere. A focus on authenticity and information will make people appreciate what you have to say.
If you consider content creation purely as a marketing strategy that drives conversions, you’ll fail. The best industry leaders focus on their audience. By having the right emphasis, you’ll get to accomplish everything else that you desire.
Know Your Audience
Content that produces sales is highly targeted. It addresses the needs of a specific audience. As a result, such content will maximize engagement and make people spend more time exploring your website.
Do a couple of test pieces and use analytical tools to figure out how your content is performing.
What kinds of people is your content attracting? Do you have information about their location, age, gender? Are these the people that can potentially become customers? If the answer is no, you’ll have to tweak your content creation strategy.
You should also pay attention to the topics and specific content that generate the highest engagement. What do people want to read about? What do the most read texts have in common? By answering these questions, you can fine-tune your strategy and create even more effective content in the future.
Choose the Tone and Style that are Representative of Your Brand
This tip is connected to the first one but it’s not entirely about authenticity. The tone and writing style that you choose should be representative of your brand. Write in a way that you want to be perceived – friendly, professional, casual or sophisticated.
Writing has incredible power. It can tell people a lot, even if the message is perceived subconsciously. Integrate your brand values and beliefs in the writing style to paint a picture and tell prospects a bit more about your company.
Keeping content concise and focused is imperative. You can’t afford to leave mistakes and typos in. The same applies to stylistic errors that you’ve worked so hard to avoid.
There are many tools you can use for the purpose of creating focused and informative content. A web-based option like Correctica will help you correct common grammar and spelling mistakes. Enloop is great for formatting and creating professionally-looking documents (for example, you can create a PDF guide or an eBook to give your audience for free).
If you’re still not confident, you can rely on a tool like Essay Dot. The assistance of the professional Essay Dot writers will be sufficient to bring an article idea to reality in the best possible way.
Always Use Visuals alongside Your Text
We live in a visual age. To make your text pop, you have to create the right images and videos as accompanying content.
People process visual information much faster than text. This is the main reason why they’ll first view an image or an infographic and then decide whether they’d want to read the text itself.
Don’t limit yourself solely to image bank photographs. Creating your own infographics and diagrams is incredibly easy – there are dozens free tools you can use for the purpose. Canva is certainly the most well known, but it is far from the only such tool. Having such visuals accompanying the texts will immediately boost engagement and increase the chances of your content going viral.
Listen to What Your Audience has to Say
Prospects and clients can help a lot when it comes to producing engaging content. Adding articles and visuals to your website doesn’t result in one-directional communication. People can give feedback in the form of comments and shares. Use the feedback that you get from your audience to fine-tune content even further.
It’s imperative to go through customer reviews every once in a while. This way, you can learn more about what people are interested in and which types of content are doing the trick. If you have a piece that generates a lot of engagement, consider doing a follow-up. It’s even possible to produce content that incorporates the opinions and experiences of prospects and clients.
Web-based content puts all of these powerful tools in your hands. Writing great blog posts once or twice per week alone, isn’t going to be sufficient. Interacting with people, learning more about your audience and its needs can be incredibly beneficial in terms of targeting and enabling your business to grow.
Content marketing is too good of an opportunity and you can’t ignore its potential. You don’t have to produce thorough, in-depth report in order to generate sales and increase the size of your loyal clientele. Some companies are doing an excellent job by simply creating blog posts or fun infographics every once in a while. Remember that every audience is unique and there’s no universal answer when it comes to producing content that will get the job done. Get started, look for feedback and rely on this information to increase brand awareness and get people involved.
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Alicia Honeycutt
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- How To Use Content Marketing To Boost Sales - July 26, 2016
