.png){kind=logo}
I’m sure you’ll have heard the phrase content is king. First spoken by Microsoft founder Bill Gates way back when in the 90s, it’s fair to say that the content is king quote still rings true. Good quality content is the single most important ranking factor according to Google; it generates backlinks, showcases your keywords, and contributes to your website’s overall engagement metrics.
But the importance of content importance isn’t just to do with SEO. Done well, content has the potential to genuinely help your prospects to engage with your brand, and find a solution to their problem. Here we’ll look at why content is important to your business, now more than ever.
For help with reporting on your content’s performance, or to learn how to make a success of your content marketing, visit our content help hub or get in touch with the FINALLY team.
Is content king?
It sure is. Content can bring in new customers to your business, and encourage them to stay. It can warm up potential leads, help you to make connections, and deliver sales, even in the toughest economic climate.
And we don’t just mean written material like blogs. Content in all formats – whether it’s an infographic or a video – is essential if you want to continue to capture the attention and interest of your audience, whomever they are, and whatever device or platform they’re using to find you.
If content is still king, what is the queen?
Some say it’s context - that is delivering the right marketing message to the right person at precisely the right moment - others reckon it’s distribution, or how you get your readers to connect with what you’ve created.
Although it’s pretty disputed, we’re firmly in the camp of the latter. Your content is only ever as strong as the methods used to distribute it. After all, if no one’s engaging with your content, should it even exist? According to Forrester, only 53% of B2B companies believe they use content marketing effectively to make sales.
Three steps to ensuring content is king in digital marketing
Step one: devote time and resources to content creation
You work with a pretty great bunch of people. Everyone, from marketing to customer acquisition and retention (and even Wendy who waters the office fern once a week) can pitch in some great content ideas which will really resonate with your audience.
Encourage your whole team to become involved in content planning and, if they’re game, content creation. Remember, you don’t have to be a writer to create killer content – there are dozens of different formats which will work just as well.
Step two: …and don’t forget about distribution
Next, ask your marketing team to come up with some ways to get your content seen, ideally ones that don’t cost the earth. Whether it’s something as mundane (but highly lucrative!) as a newsletter, or a highfalutin guerilla marketing technique, come up with multiple routes to market for your content. Test your success with these and keep doing the things that work.
Step three: monitor and report on your success
Monitor your content performance using Google Analytics. Here you’ll be able to look at engagement metrics, such as session, dwell time, and bounce rate which will give you an idea of how well your content is performing. Tracking links will help you to keep tabs on your content ROI. For help with setting up Google Analytics on your website, read our guide.
At a glance: is content king?
- Content IS still king – it was back in 1996 when Bill Gates first uttered those words and it’s still true is today.
- …but so is contextual marketing – making sure the right message is seen by the right person and at the right time.
- ...and don’t forget about content distribution – getting people to engage with your content is arguably as important as the content itself.
- To make a success of your content you need to get three things right: your content ideas and creation, your routes to market, and your reporting. For help with any of these, get in touch with the FINALLY team.
