Marketing is one of the most important aspects of any successful business. Any product or service, no matter how great, will never render great success unless accompanied by effective marketing.  

Marketing has been around for hundreds of years but as technology is changing the way we live and work, it’s important that our strategies adapt to the times. Enter content and digital marketing. 

Content marketing is built on the belief that useful content should drive marketing efforts. With the average consumer becoming more discerning of hard-sell advertising, companies need to learn to leverage relevant, valuable content to draw potential customers in.  

This goes hand in hand with digital marketing which makes use of new technologies in the changing digital landscape to make marketing efforts more effective and efficient.  

At the heart of content and digital marketing is great content. Without relevant and engaging information presented well, you’re marketing efforts are dead.  

Whatever your marketing tactics may be, content marketing should always be part of the process. After all, quality content is what makes great marketing.  

Traditional marketing is becoming less and less helpful. To move a company forward, we need to embrace both content and digital marketing. We’ll discuss both in-depth in this article. 

What is content marketing?  

Content marketing focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract a clearly defined audience. It is a strategic marketing approach with the ultimate goal of driving profitable consumer action. 

If the old-school marketer pitched products or services, the content marketer provides useful content to prospects and customers to answer relevant issues.  

What is digital marketing?  

Digital marketing is advertising a product or service using online channels and technology such as social media, email, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click.  

Traditional marketing has taken a backseat to digital marketing in the current day and age. Digital marketing covers your social media strategy and execution, which is practiced by virtually every business no matter how small. It also covers the strategizing and creation of content to drive traffic to websites and generate leads. 

For the purposes of this article, content marketing will mostly refer to digital marketing leveraging on the power of great content.  

Who uses content marketing?  

Leading brands and small businesses alike leverage the power of content marketing. Some of the most prominent companies in the world such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and Nestle all use content marketing.  

Start-ups and one-person businesses use content marketing as well. Even small mom-and-pop shops run blogs and many digital entrepreneurs depend on sharing content through their podcasts and YouTube channels to gain customers. These are all forms of content marketing.  

The broad spectrum of corporations that engage in content marketing show two things – that it works and that you need it too. In case you’re not yet convinced, here are four ways that content marketing improves brand awareness and builds profit for your company, for good.  

What are the benefits of content marketing? 

1. Content marketing increases sales 

Every business focuses on driving sales. With most businesses and marketing conducted online, it’s very important to have a strong online presence. Implementing content as a major marketing funnel drives sales by increasing website visitors and increasing the number of prospects for the business.  

If your content is credible, relevant, engaging, and accompanied by a strong call to action, you will convert some of these prospects into sales. Developing a digital marketing strategy that leverages great content effectively grows your audience organically by providing value to readers.  

Content marketing also makes your brand more visible through search engine optimization. Every day, your potential customers are searching for solutions to their problems. Providing them with the answers through high-quality content will help keep you top of mind as they purchase new products or services. Content marketing increases awareness and in turn, drives sales. 

2. Content marketing cuts costs 

Content marketing reduces reliance on paid ads which can add up over time. Over 86% of companies produce blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, newsletters and countless other content on social media sites. These let your content do the marketing for you and drive purchase decisions and profit. 

Investing the time and resources to develop a solid content marketing strategy keeps consumers coming back. Creating quality content through blogs, newsletters, podcasts and videos establish and engage a target audience and keep a steady flow of prospects coming to your business.  

Spending more money on providing high-quality content helps keep customers on your page longer and increases sales. Informative, well-crafted content that can truly engage your audience invites prospects to explore more of your content and eventually purchase from you.  

Content management teams, such as the team at Outsource Asia can help meet the unique content needs of your business. With experience in various fields, they pair you with writers and creators who know your field and can create excellent content. They use their exposure to various fields and businesses to help you get to know your audience and how to engage them.  

3. Content marketing builds customer retention and loyalty 

Attracting new customers is only one part of the equation. It’s equally important to retain your existing customers as well. Cultivating new leads can cost more than retaining and upselling current ones.  

Content marketing drives sales by adding value to your customers over the long term. The buyer’s journey doesn’t end at the decision-making stage. With high-quality content and a sound digital marketing strategy, the brand can continue to add more value to the client and in turn drive more sales.  

Content builds retention. It fuels the momentum needed to retain customers with relevant, engaging content published at a consistent schedule. By creating content to cater to customers throughout every step of the buyer’s journey, you continue to build brand loyalty.  

Maintaining strong digital marketing through content, helps personalize your content. As you tell real stories, listen to and converse with your customers, you become more relatable and likeable. This keeps the clients coming back for more.  

4. Content marketing can be monetized 

Investing in content marketing increases your bottom line. Having a great digital marketing strategy not only increases sales but also provides an additional source of income. Content marketing, done well, can generate revenue. When your audience recognizes the value that your content provides, they are usually willing to pay for more.  

Content marketing can be monetized by offering premium content that can be accessed for additional subscriptions or one-time fees. This leverages the brand’s expertise in a certain field. It provides the consumer with information and solutions to relevant issues which is in itself another separate service from the initial offering.  

Another additional way that content can drive more revenue is through events and conferences. When you have built a target audience around a certain topic, you could organize paid events, training, or workshops catered to that audience.  

Finally, growing your audience and increasing traffic on your webpage and social media pages allow you to gain revenue by selling advertisements. There are companies that are willing to pay you for access to your audience. Tap similar products and services that could benefit from the exposure on your channels.  

This is the most popular model for turning content into profit. Many people, including popular YouTubers and podcasters, have made a living off their ad revenue and sponsorships. Your brand could do this too if you grow and nurture your audience well.  

Quality content is at the heart of content and digital marketing. With all the noise surrounding the internet and social media sites, it’s important to create great content that helps you stand out and keeps customers coming back.  

Digital marketing increases profit and helps you reach your business targets easily and more effectively. It drives profit by increasing sales, cutting costs, and building customer loyalty.  

In addition to that, it creates a whole new profit center. Content marketing offers new possibilities for your brand through advertising, events, and premium content. These also contribute to the growth and awareness surrounding your business.  

Content marketing is a non-negotiable for any company. With thousands of marketing messages per day, you need great content to stand out. We understand if you need some help with that.  

Outsource Asia has got you covered. With our expertise in content and digital marketing we can help you stand out and create steady profit through your strategic marketing efforts. We help small to large companies interested in outsourcing – from identifying their specific business needs to choose the most qualified service provider, to implementation.  

Are you a business owner that wants to find the best outsourcing partner? Or an outsourcing partner that wants to expand your global network of clients? Find out more about what we can do for you. Contact Outsource Asia today!