Let’s play a little game. Put your hand up if you hate spending money on social media ads to generate leads and create brand awareness?

Keep it up if you wish there was another solution? 

If your hand is still up, you’re in luck, because this episode is all about being strategic about the content you put out there and driving more sales to your business.

After all, isn’t that what we all want?

So if you’re interested in creating content to boost your sales, keep reading.

If you’re on the go and prefer to listen, click on the podcast episode.

Listen to the podcast

3 ways content marketing drives sales

If you’re continuing here in the blog, let’s get started.

You don’t need me to tell you, that the pressure to keep putting new content out there for your business is intense. 

It’s also relentless, and unfortunately, you need to keep doing it day after day so your business stays at the top of your customers’ minds.

Probably, the most frequently asked question I receive is:

“What kind of content do I need to be creating?”.

When I hear that, what I think they really want to know is:

“What kind of content will attract more customers and drive more sales?”.

And I get it. At the end of the day, every piece of content you put out there needs to have a purpose, because there’s a cost attached to producing it, whether it be your time or money.

So today, let’s delve into the three ways content marketing helps to drives sales, so you can be more strategic about every piece of content you create.

1. Content marketing improves brand awareness and recall

When you look at a graphic of a content marketing funnel, you’ll notice that like a sales funnel, the top is very wide. 

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This is to show that at the top of the funnel, the goal is to attract as many people as possible into it.

How do you do that?

Through sharing educational and valuable content in your social media, in podcasts, video content and on your website blog. Yes, people still read those!

Related blog: How to Structure a Blog Post: Step-by-Step Guide [2021 Update]

Related blog: Start a Blog in 2021 Beginner’s Guide: Get Better Content Marketing Results

Watch the video

[Video] How to Start a Blog in 2021: Part 2 Beginner’s Guide

Your potential customers need to discover you somewhere, and by reading your content, they will learn more about you.

If they like what they see, they may even choose to sign up to your email list and then, in time, buy from you, as long as you keep delivering valuable content.

This is also known as the “buyer’s journey”.

Here you’re taking them from the “awareness stage”, to the “consideration stage” and then, ultimately to the “decision stage”. This is where they of course purchase from you.

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To learn more about this, I recommend you listen to my earlier podcast “3 Essential Types of Content Marketing to Attract and Convert Customers”. 

Here I take you through the different stages of a content marketing funnel and the types of content to create.

Related blog: How to Create an Effective Content Marketing Funnel That Converts

2. Content marketing nurtures and converts leads

When done consistently, content marketing will start to increase organic traffic to your website and social media pages. By this, I mean clicks that are not paid for through social media or Google ads.

People are less trusting of paid media now. While they still have an important place in your overall marketing strategy, you need to consider how to get more clicks for free.

As your content starts to bring in a steady stream of views, you can nurture those leads to become potential customers.

Send them into the middle stage of your funnel, which may be an email list, webinar, or ebook download.

Read this blog article to learn more about the full list of content types to create.

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Here, in the middle of the funnel, you need to continually add value by offering educational content that speaks to your audience’s pain points.

What is it that they really want from you?

Write content that addresses their questions and pain points to help move them to the bottom of your funnel. 

This is where you make the sale, whether it’s to purchase your product or service.

Use case studies, testimonials, and product demonstrations to reaffirm your value.

Remember to include a call to action at every stage of your content marketing funnel, but particularly at the bottom, where you want them to “buy now”.

3. Content marketing establishes thought leadership and authority

Thought leadership may sound like an overused buzzword, and maybe it is to a point, especially on LinkedIn. But I still think it carries real substance, especially if you do it right.

It’s vitally important, especially if you’re selling services, that your potential clients/customers trust you. 

That trust is established through your credibility. That’s not just your qualifications, it’s also in the content you’re putting out there.

Essentially, you’re building authority (thought leadership) in your niche through delivering valuable and educational content, consistently.

By doing so, you build an audience. In time, some of them are likely to purchase from you. 

However, to achieve that, you need to have a plan to deliver a steady stream of content to your audience in different mediums. This includes written, visual, audio, and video content.

Related podcast: 3 types of video you need to make to grow your business in 2022

Related blog: 3 types of video you need to make to grow your business in 2022

Discover my new CONTENT BOSS 1:2:1 live online training options, which includes content creation, content marketing training, content strategy development, content planning and more, to help you become the go-to expert in your industry. 

Learn more by booking your free chat today.

In summary

Content marketing drives sales through:

1. Improving brand awareness and recall

2. Nurturing and converting leads

3. Establishing thought leadership and authority

Infographic recap

For a summary of today’s blog see the infographic below, 3 ways content marketing drives sales.

Feel free to save it and use it with attribution.

Source

Ready to get started?

If you don’t believe your current content marketing strategy is performing as it should be, or perhaps you don’t have one and are creating content month to month, or even on the fly, book a call with me.

I’ll help you identify content opportunities in your business so you can attract more customers through organic marketing strategies.

We’ll examine your content marketing funnel, and discuss the essential types of content you need to be creating for your business to attract and convert customers. 

If you’re interested in chatting with me, visit my website contact page to book or click here.

Want more?

For more great resources about content creation, content marketing, video marketing, and public relations be sure to check out my new podcast series “Improve Your Content in 5 Minutes” by clicking here, or find me on your favourite streaming app.

To learn more about what types of video to create in 2022, listen to my podcast episode, “3 Types of Video You Need to Make to Grow Your Business in 2022”.

You can also read it on the blog.