In the world of business, customer acquisition can be a bit of a “white whale.” Every company wants new customers – new customers mean more growth, greater profits, and a healthier business. But some companies have little success attracting new business as buyers continue to shift the way they make purchasing decisions.
Why do some organizations feel their market share is being captured by competitors? More than likely, they’re not being perceived by their prospects as thought leaders or subject matter experts in their industry. The reality is, 74% of buyers will choose the sales professional or company that adds value or insight first in the buying process, regardless of sales cycle length. Those who aren’t adding value lose out to their competitors.
So how can companies ensure that they are actually first to add value to their prospects or customers? By embracing and implementing a content marketing strategy.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience with the objective of driving profitable customer action. It’s is the most popular piece of the inbound marketing methodology.
The whole idea behind inbound marketing and content marketing is that it’s natural. It doesn’t feel like a sales pitch and the content that you create will have legitimate value to your customers. Content can come in the form of:
- White Papers
- Infographics
- Landing Pages
- Surveys
- Case Studies
- Video
- EBooks
- Blog Posts
- Checklists
- Buyers Guides
and much more.
Is There Measurable Value In Content Marketing?
In short, yes, especially when compared to a traditional outbound marketing approach.
Content Marketing Costs Less Than Outbound Marketing, And Generates More Leads – Content marketing costs only 62% what traditional marketing techniques costs, yet generates more than 3x the leads, on average.
Content marketing is high value, effective, and builds up brand trust more quickly than any other form of marketing.
How Do I Craft A Winning Content Marketing Strategy For Customer Acquisition?
There are four simple steps you can take toward defining a winning content marketing strategy.
1. Look At Your Brand’s Mission Statement – If you don’t have one, get one. If you do, work to understand what your company values. What does it stand for? Having a clear mission statement helps you position your brand while you create high-quality content.
2. Figure Out Your Buyer Personas – Define each market segment for which you’ll create content. What are their hobbies? Interests? Do they have kids? How much money do they make? Robust customer personas allow laser-targeted content that will increase customer acquisition.
3. Define Your Goals – Are you building up an email list? Trying to foster brand awareness? Increase sales? Defining your goals is crucial for your content strategy because you can’t meet (or exceed) your goals if you don’t have any.
4. Add Value With Exceptional Content – Your content has to be exceptional, and must add value and provide great insight to your consumers. Otherwise, they’re just wasting their time by reading it.
Provide Value and Insight Through Content Marketing and Grow Your Business
By following these simple guidelines, you’ll be able to develop a customer-focused approach that creates ideal conditions for business growth. Your customers will appreciate the insight and value you provide with your content.
