10 Ways Content Marketing Can Help You Grow Your Business

/
Learn these top ten ways content marketing can help you grow your business by attracting your ideal clients.

Content marketing is one of the best ways to show off your expertise, grab the attention of potential clients, and grow your business. It’s all about using information to sell your products and services rather than blatant self-promotion that nobody really wants to hear anyway.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, the amount of traffic to your website is directly related to the amount you publish on your site, with sites publishing four times per week experiencing three and a half times more traffic than sites publishing zero to four times per month.

Check out this infographic from SmartBlogger via the Content Marketing Institute. It’s a great visual for how effective content marketing is.

Types of Content Marketing

If you’re thinking you’re going to have to start blogging more, remember that content marketing is more than just blog posts. It’s any informational material that is shared online with the intention of gaining business. Blogging is the most popular form of content marketing but it also includes:

  • Case studies,

  • White papers,

  • Infographics,

  • Videos,

  • Interviews,

  • Reviews, and more!


How Content Marketing Works

Here are some of the ways content marketing works to help you get more clients and grow your business when you make it a part of your overall marketing strategy.

1. Increase Traffic to Your Website

As I mentioned in my introduction, the more relevant information you share on your website, the more you can increase your traffic. Relevant information is the kind of information your ideal clients are searching for, optimized to include the keywords they are using in their searches.

2. Speak Directly to Your Ideal Client

Content marketing is the perfect way to show your ideal client that you know and understand the types of problems they have and because of that, you are the perfect person to provide the solutions. If you write content that speaks directly to your ideal client by showing them how you can solve their problems, you will be the one that comes to mind when they’re ready to buy.

3. Showcase Your Expertise

Ad-based marketing doesn’t necessarily show-off your abilities as the best solution provider. That’s where content marketing comes in. When you publish content that’s useful to your audience, there will be no question in their minds that you are an expert in your field. Plus, with all the different forms content marketing can take, you can choose the one that best highlights your abilities.

4. Solve a Problem for Your Reader

A blog post, case study, or video is the perfect way to showcase how you do what you do by offering tips. For example, if you offer bookkeeping services and you know businesses struggle to choose the right bookkeeping app, you can show your readers how to choose the best one based on their accounting needs.

5. Teach Something

Videos and blog posts are also great ways to teach your ideal client something. Let’s say you’ve shown them how to choose the best accounting app, now you can teach them how to use it.

Do your products and services become redundant if people are consuming your free information?

Of course not.

There is always more for people to learn. You can’t possibly teach them everything they need to know from your free content. Be sure to keep your content in easily digestible pieces. This will vary depending on your audience. Some people enjoy reading 2,000-word blog posts while others prefer a shorter post they can read in less time.  

Grow your business with content marketing and show your ideal clients you're an expert in your field. Here's how to use content marketing like blogging, video, and case studies to increase your profit.


6. Create Highly Valuable Content that Gets Lots of Social Shares

Helping people solve their problems makes them feel better and when they feel good about something, they’ll share it. Social sharing is one of the best forms of word of mouth. When you have great content on your site, people are going to comment on your posts and share them to their social media channels over and over which will help you grow your business.

7. Tell Google You’re Here to Stay

When you publish content on your website frequently and consistently, it tells Google you aren’t going anywhere. Your site will rank higher in the search engines than another site that is the same in every other aspect, but doesn’t use content marketing.

8. Optimize Your Site Using Keywords

The best types of keywords to use are the ones your ideal clients are entering into Google’s search bar. A short phrase will rank higher than a single word. You can use a free keyword tool like Keywords Everywhere to find out what people are searching for. The more keywords you use related to your niche, the more likely Google will be to show your site at the top of search results. The trick is to use those keywords in your content in a natural way. Keyword stuffing is a big no-no.

9. Link to Additional Content

When you use content marketing, you have the ability to provide your readers with additional information. You can link to other content on your site or content on other sites you think your readers will enjoy. Having links to other content on your website, encourages people to stick around and learn more about you.

10. Show Your Personality

Showing your personality through your writing or videos is a great way for people to get to know you and see if they want to work with you. People will often follow you for a while or join your email list before they decide to work with you.


Getting Started with Content Marketing

So, now that you know the benefits of content marketing and how it can help you grow your business, how do you get started? The best way is to start thinking like your clients. What do they want to know from you?

Watch Your Language

The key is to use the language your clients are using so they can find you when they search for answers to their problems. They may want to know how they can save money on their taxes this year, but if you write a post with all kinds of technical language and call it “Division B of the Canadian Income Tax Act”, potential clients aren’t going to find your post. Try “The Top Ten Ways to Save Tax” instead, and make sure you use everyday language, no technical jargon.

Be Consistent

Google favours sites that are regularly publishing great content. When you are just getting started with content marketing, publishing a blog post or article three or four times per week is a great way to build your authority in your niche. It’s also a great idea to have a consistent theme, so readers will know that you are the go-to expert when it comes to business taxes or whatever your niche might be.

Have a Plan

People who plan their marketing content are more likely to stick to their publishing schedule. Many expert bloggers like to choose a theme for each month and create their editorial content based on that theme. This also makes it easier to come up with topic ideas. Just remember to choose topics that are going to appeal to your ideal client.

But what if you don’t have time to produce all this content? That’s totally fine. There are many freelance writers who can help you with keywords, content planning, social media posts, and even crafting video scripts. If you’re worried the content won’t sound right unless you create it, a ghostwriter’s job is to sound like you when they’re writing.

Helping people with their content marketing is one of my favourite things to do. Comment below if I can help. I’d love to connect with you.