Content is the lifeblood of any organization. It’s not just a marketing tool; it’s the engine driving a company’s growth. According to Thomas Widell from Smoothly, setting yourself apart with standout content marketing is the most significant way to rise above your competitors.
Content creation is on the rise, with 93% of B2B marketers using content as part of their marketing strategy. Among the most successful marketers, 80% have a dedicated content strategy, allocating over 10% of their marketing budget to content.
Content breathes life into your brand, enhancing visibility and sales, all while being cost-effective.
1. Brand
Every organization has a brand. By carefully choosing your topics, language, and imagery, you can shape your brand’s identity without the need for an expensive branding team.
Content plays a crucial role in brand building and reinforcement, offering a platform to communicate values, culture, and uniqueness.
According to Thomas Widell, Customer Manager at Smoothly, quality content sets you apart in the market. Innovative thinking, a distinctive style, or demonstrating expertise can make your content marketing stand out. At its best, content marketing is about helping and problem-solving for your customers.
2. Sales
Widell reminds that marketing’s purpose is always to increase demand and support sales.
“Content attracts those interested in the topic, increases knowledge, answers questions, and guides the purchasing decision.”
Content marketing effectively nurtures existing leads and fosters long-term customer relationships. Typically, it takes 6-8 touchpoints before a contact becomes a lead. Content allows potential customers to get to know your company before making a purchase decision.
For instance, customer stories serve as powerful evidence and help demonstrate the value of a product or service, as pointed out by Widell.
3. Visibility
High-quality content helps your organization get noticed. Search engine-optimized articles help your company rank higher in search results, driving more traffic to your website. Importantly, this doesn’t require creating hugely popular content; it simply involves using the right keywords.
Up to 80% of your website traffic comes from organic sources. Moreover, 60% of marketers state that the highest-quality leads come from organic searches.
4. Cost-Efficiency
Content marketing doesn’t require substantial initial investments. It costs about 62% less than traditional marketing but can generate up to three times more leads. Well-planned content can remain appealing for years without additional costs. Targeted SEO often leads to higher engagement and better results.
Hiring independent freelancers or employees can be cumbersome and carries risks. Turning to an advertising agency can be inflexible and expensive when seeking content alone.
“When working with an advertising agency, the volume of concrete content may be limited compared to the high cost,” notes Widell.
How to Begin Content Marketing?
For entrepreneurs or marketers looking to venture into content marketing, getting started is straightforward. Not all businesses or industries are suitable for rapid social media platforms. A good starting point is assessing your digital business card: your website.
“A good starting point is to ensure your website is in order and visible on search engines. With Smoothly, you can first optimize your website’s content and then explore new channels,” advises Widell.
Content marketing is systematic work that requires patience and resources. If your in-house resources are limited, an external content engine is a wise choice.”
How can Smoothly help me?
Smoothly has proven to be an excellent alternative to traditional advertising agencies, hiring, and the wild world of freelancers.
– You can choose a traditional marketing agency or hire a content producer, but be prepared for higher overall costs. Often, the time spent on strategy and planning is not in balance with concrete content production in such cases, tells Widell.
By using in-house marketers and freelancers, you get a dedicated individual, but you also take on the risks of recruitment. Who will produce your content when your content producer is on vacation, on sick leave, or ends their services?
Smoothly assembles the most suitable team for your industry’s needs, available on weekdays. Communication channels, publication calendars, and meetings provide a platform for content development. Smoothly can also publish the content directly on your marketing channels if desired.
When you choose content as a service, familiar professionals are responsible for the flow of your content.
This content is also produced by Smoothly content creators.
Are you curious about the types of content we can produce for your organization? Schedule a free demo and start your trial!