Four Reasons Why Your Business Needs Content Marketing

Content Marketing is arguably the number one buzz term in marketing and branding today. The rise of social media and user interaction with brands has demanded that businesses, brands, and organizations engage with their customers and clients. The internet generation spends an enormous amount of time on devices, searching for and interacting with quality content. Because of this, search engines have begun rewarding sites that produce quality content and that garner inbound links from other sites or that have more interaction on their social media outlets. 

What does this mean for your business? 

It means that you can no longer build a website and let it sit. At least not if you actually want people to find it. And you definitely cannot escape having a web presence altogether if you want your business to grow. And if you think that you don't have the budget for Content Marketing, you're wrong. Despite its buzz-worthiness, good content can be had for very reasonable prices by professional writers and marketers. Yes, you're going to pay for their expertise, but probably not as much as you think. But whether you outsource your content creation or decide to take it on yourself, here are four compelling reasons to give good content a chance. 

1. Your Customers Want It. And the customer is always right, right? Customers are more likely than ever to research a business on the web before stopping in, making an appointment or buying a product. If you're not on the web, or if your web presence is lacking, they will find somewhere else to go that gives them more information up front. People's time is at a premium, so knowing what they're in for before driving to your location or using your services is a must. 
    
2. Search Engine Rankings Depend On It. If for no other reason than SEO, your business needs to be creating new content, keeping an updated website and linking to and from social media outlets to create inbound links to your site. Whether your updated content comes in the form of a blog, reviews, forums or product pages, you have to keep it fresh. If this sounds like too much work, then call in the professionals. 
    
3. It Helps You Define Your Business. When you have to sit down and write something or manage your website pages or create engaging social media posts, it forces you to really think about your business, your clients and what part of the market you're trying to inhabit. And if you take the time to really look at the analytics behind your posts, you'll see what your customers are actually interested in and then you can focus on those areas. If you're a sporting goods store and the blogs you post about mountain biking are getting twice as many views as posts about golf products, well....you know what to do. 
    
4. It Creates Brand Loyalty. Brands who are speaking with their customers, interacting with them, and responding to questions or concerns are going to create a better, longer-lasting bond with those people. By giving your customers and potential customers relevant, useful, or feel-good information, you are creating more than a transaction - you're creating a relationship with them. 

So whether you're a huge brand with international reach or a small business or start up looking to make a name for yourself or grow your business, Content Marketing is not only helpful, it's necessary.