As the number of content on the internet grows, Google and other search engines make it harder for organizations to rank on page one. While this benefits searchers by boosting accurate content and reducing the danger of misinformation, it also raises the bar for content marketing.
To rank on Google, you need to be creating high-quality content that targets the right audience, uses relevant keywords, and is published consistently. But ranking is just the first step. What good is content that drives people to your site if users will immediately drop off – especially if they drop off and instantly forget about your brand, too?
So, how can you ensure your content drives action? Start by learning how content marketing and sales work. and how you can use SEO to drive action.
Here is a list of 5 ways content marketing can help drive sales.
1. Content Answers Customer Questions About Your Service or Product
A 2019 content preferences survey report showed that 41% of respondents consume three to five pieces of content before they engage with a sales representative. Content explains what to expect when customers sign up for a service or purchase a product. In turn, those customers take action because they feel confident in their knowledge of your brand and its offerings.
For example, Form Health, a medical weight loss provider, has an FAQ section on its website for every FDA-approved weight loss medication they offer within their products. The FAQ answers visitor questions like how to take certain medications and how long certain medications stay in your system. Having this information available for potential customers before they decide to try out the weight loss medication puts visitors at ease and encourages them to act.
FAQ example:
2. Content Drives Continuous Brand Awareness
Publishing consistent content increases the likelihood of people finding and engaging with your brand. Share on XWith SEO in specific, as Google revisits a piece of content and re-evaluates it time and time again – it has the potential to increase in the number of keyword rankings over time, thus progressively gaining more and more exposure.
But, old content resurfacing isn’t exclusive to SEO. Older content always has the potential to be discovered by a publication that shares it on their platform, driving new awareness (and backlinks)!
3. Content Builds Trust with Existing Users
Positioning yourself as an expert in your field shows people they can depend on your brand for valuable resources. This builds trust between you and your clients or customers while boosting your rankings on Google.
Form Health’s blog is a great example of how you can use content marketing to build credibility by educating readers about healthy weight loss. With their content, Form is positioning their brand as a go-to resource for all-things weight loss. As a result, readers reach out to Form for help with their own weight loss.
Publishing accurate, informative, and valuable content lends your brand credibility. Through content marketing, sales increase when customers connect with your product or service. While content marketing and sales go hand in hand, content provides the benefits of keeping customers engaged and encouraging sales through word of mouth.
4. Good Content Is Adaptable
One piece of good content can serve you across multiple platforms. A blog post can become a graphic for social media, a summary in your email marketing campaign, a podcast episode, or an expanded resource in the form of an eBook. You can even reuse and repurpose content as your business grows and reaches new audiences.
For example, if you wrote a blog post months ago, you can turn it into a graphic for Instagram to educate new followers who weren’t around when the blog initially came out. This generates more opportunities for multi-channel conversions using SEO and shows how content marketing can continuously drive sales and resonate with your target audience.
5. Content Can Be Created for All Stages of the Marketing Funnel
A content marketing sales funnel starts with awareness, at which point you use a marketing campaign to gather interest and share informative research. Users who don’t know about your brand, or possibly even your industry or service, will first learn about them at this stage of the funnel.
In the example of a mental health provider specializing in alternative depression treatments, top-funnel activity topics could be Why am I feeling Sad All the Time?
After awareness & interest, users look for more targeted content, such as a newsletter, to get more involved in your brand.
In the prior example, users who now think they have depression may be looking for questions like What are All the Ways you can Treat Depression?
As people consider your offers, they will be guided through the pros and cons with product information, case studies, etc. At the stage where visitors intend to take the next step, introduce product demos and testimonials to show how your service benefits them personally.
Once visitors are aware of their issue and potential solutions available to them, they’re then going to evaluate whether your product/service is the right choice. For example, an FAQ you may publish to target this prospect is How Effective is [Alternative Depression Treatment] for Women in their 30s? The evaluation step is the last one before making the purchase. At this point, show visitors the quality of your product or service and why they should choose it.
Lastly, after users convert, create content that nurtures relationships with your existing and past customers. Example content that addresses current or former clients:
- One-Year Follow-Up with [Alternative Depression Treatment] Patients
- How to know if your Depression Treatment has Worked
- What to do After [Alternative Depression Treatment]
An Example of Sales-Enabled Content
We used content to improve conversions for Dawn Health, a client that works to improve customers’ sleep. We created a detailed SEO strategy to outrank their competitors and drive organic traffic to their site.
With Google’s cautious approach to health and medical information in mind, we tailored our approach to put out valuable content through careful keyword targeting, crafting high-quality content, and working with reputable writers. This strategy tripled organic conversions and boosted clicks by 6x, putting them at the top of the rankings for key industry terms.
How Can You Ensure Your Content Drives Action?
With content marketing, sales are your end goal. But, content creation isn’t as simple as asking someone to buy your product. Keep these 3 things in mind when crafting sales content:
- Content should be user-first and focused on answering product/service-related questions rather than written to cater to Google’s algorithm. Prioritize quality and value, and use keywords to make it easy for people to find via search engines.
- Define what you want customers to do after reading your content. Setting this goal in advance leads to clear messaging that gets customers to click on the call to action. Make sure your CTA is visible, compelling, and has an accessible button.
- Include your contact information so people can reach out with questions or comments. Typically, you’ll want to include:
- An email address
- A phone number
- A link to an online form
Ensure the information is easy for people to find so that they can reach out as soon as they’re ready.
Getting Started
Fire&Spark helps brands identify the needs of potential clients at each stage of the funnel. We work with you to craft a content marketing sales strategy that you can execute to increase conversions with value-driven content. Contact us to learn more about how our strategies can generate organic traffic and help customers online find your website content.
