Today, 91% of B2B marketing managers use content marketing to attract new customers. In B2C, 86% of marketing managers believe that creating content is a key element in any marketing strategy (Demand Metric).

What exactly is this marketing strategy that has everyone charmed, including consumers?

Content marketing, or the art of making yourself interesting

In fact, content marketing is an initiative based on creating and distributing original content that is relevant to the consumer. The content typically informs the audience about the company’s identity, products and services, and/or expertise.

The goal of this strategy is to attract potential customers with interesting content. Unlike traditional advertising, content marketing provides real value to people.

Content can take multiple forms: articles, interviews, computer graphics, photos, videos, studies, white papers, case studies, newsletters, games, applications, webinars, e-books, podcasts, collaborations with influencers…. Actually, the only limit is your imagination!

 

Why use content marketing?

So, you are probably asking yourself right now: “Articles, entertaining blogs, inspiring photos on social media, they’re all well and good, but do they work?” The answer is a resounding YES!

This isn’t a surprising answer, we’ll give you that. After all, we wouldn’t spend our lives working in content marketing if we didn’t believe in it.

And we aren’t the only ones who think so! In fact, the numbers speak for themselves: content marketing is 62% less expensive than traditional advertising and on average generates three times more leads (Digitad). Impressive, right?

Content marketing’s success is based on a universal truth: people don’t like advertising.

Did you know ad blockers are used by 47% of web users (Digital Information World)? Content marketing is efficient because it is the opposite of traditional advertising: it is a non-invasive way of promoting a business in a way that is interesting to consumers. They will naturally be attracted to your messages instead of trying to avoid them.

Content marketing is also a way to improve your ranking in search engines. In the case of blog articles especially, the creation of content enables you to be referenced on more relevant key words and to increase the average time spent on your page – two criteria that prove to Google that your page is relevant to users.

Producing and distributing your own content means that you become your own media. You are therefore more independent, have less need to spend on advertising placement and have the opportunity to build an audience composed of people interested in your company.

So, to sum up, content marketing is less expensive AND more effective than advertising. Obviously, we are not telling you that it is magic, but it comes close!

What do I have to say?

Are you wondering if content marketing is right for your business or industry?

At Matrice, we sincerely believe that all businesses have the potential to develop a content strategy and to create relevant content. Whether related to their expertise, products, history or new in their field, there is a way to make any subject interesting!

If you don’t know where to start, think about your customers’ concerns and ask yourself how you could answer some of their questions. You can also do a keyword search to identify topics that generate the highest search volume. This is a good place to start to ensure that your content will generate interest and attract a good number of visitors.

Above all, don’t forget that there is an infinite variety of content formats! If, for example, you don’t think that you have enough material to write blog articles or white papers, consider sharing photos or graphics instead.

Has content marketing piqued your interest, and you would like to make it a part of your marketing strategy? Call us! Our content marketing experts will be happy to discuss your situation and what we could create together.