We know from the law of thermodynamics that energy can be neither created nor destroyed. This holds true for business as well. As companies, we have a finite amount of energy — and funds — to operate, market, and grow. When it comes to budgeting, the more you can accomplish with less, the better! When you’re attempting to gain new customers, it takes more energy to reach out and forage for them than to attract them to you. This is the beauty of inbound marketing. 

The principle behind content marketing is simple: create content that serves your target audience in an effort to bring in new customers. If you’re looking to expand your business, here are six reasons why you should consider implementing a content marketing strategy to help you reach your goals! 

1. Establish yourself as an expert

What do you do when you don’t know something? You type your inquiry into a search engine and click search! Who answers your question? Someone who created a piece of content about what you searched for. You click on the link and decide if it suits your needs in a visibly appealing and easy to understand way. The website on which you found this information has thus become an expert to you. By creating content that is useful to their target audience — you — this website has gained credibility and your attention. 

2. Gain the trust of potential customers

You gain trust through consistency and your content marketing strategy is no different. By continuously creating content centered around your business, you are telling potential customers that you have a deep well of expertise in your field and that they can trust you with their hard-earned dollars. 

3. Boost your SEO ranking

Whether we like it or not, search engines like Google have a pretty substantial say in who sees our websites. The upside? When you have an understanding of how search engines work — that is, how they decide which websites rank higher — you can use it to your advantage. Content strategies like writing weekly blogs featuring certain keywords can improve your search engine ranking, and ultimately, get more people to your website. 

4. Attract the right kind of viewers

Leveraging the power of search engines can not only bring more people to your website, but it can also bring the right kind of people to your website. If someone searches for something online that brings them to your website, you know that they are interested in what your business does. The search engine has worked for you, and because of your content, brought a potential customer right to your website. 

5. Improve your share of voice

Your brand’s share of voice is a measure of your share of the market compared to your competitors. The higher your share of voice, the more brand visibility you have. A good content strategist knows that when consumers come across something they really like or relate to, they want other people to know about it too. By creating content that solves problems and is relatable to your target audience, you are increasing the likelihood that your content will be shared. The more that your content is shared, the more visible your brand is, and the higher your share of voice. 

6. Develop backlinks

You’re not the only one with a content marketing strategy. When you’re creating quality content on your website, it is likely that others will take notice and link to it on their website. The more backlinks you have in the online world, the greater the potential for new users to reach your website. Once these new users see that you’re developing content that serves them, they will keep coming back. 

While there are more effective ways to spike your online traffic in a short period of time, your content marketing strategy will continue to offer an ROI long after your digital ad budget has run out. Content marketing is the long game. Invest in the time to build and implement your strategy now and reap the rewards for years to come. 

–written by Caitlin Rostampour