1. Content Marketing

Creating content helps businesses grow from the ground up. Here’s all you need to know about the rise in audio and video content and how to get started.

All the giant corporations of the world had to start somewhere. Amazon started in a garage, Facebook started in a college dorm room and your business started from the bottom, too.Growth is something that all entrepreneurs should want for their venture – growing your business is a sign of success. But business growth isn’t a walk in the park – you need to take a close look at the steps that are needed to make an impact on your audience and keep them coming back time and time again.

Website content creation is your business’s superpower. Today’s commerce is all online – even brick and mortar stores are cashing in on the e-commerce boom. Your business website has to be well crafted with all the right content to reach your audience, providing the information they need to become a loyal customer. It’s guaranteed that if consumers can’t find the content they’re looking for on your business website, there are countless alternatives that can answer their questions and earn their business. Invest in your content and you’ll see clear business growth benefits.

How does content creation boost business growth?

The content you create is heavily tied to your business growth. Like all marketing pursuits, creating well-planned, well-executed content that engages with your audience and creates a level of trust will directly affect your sales. To get the best returns on your content creation, you’ll need to know what kinds of content are popular and how content is changing.

Content has seen a massive shift from written, text-based content of the 20th century to the video and audio content that’s skyrocketing today. Podcasting has exploded in popularity over the past few years – there’s more than 700,000 active podcasts at the moment and anything from audio news to business advice is keeping listeners busy. We’re watching more video now than ever before, too: a huge 85% of Internet users in the United States watch video content monthly, and 55% of consumers want to see more video content from the businesses and brands they interact with. Does video marketing really equal business growth? 88% of marketing professionals were happy with the ROI on their video marketing projects, so that’s a yes.

Content no longer just lives on your business website. Your social channels are a powerful outlet for business growth and the content you create for those channels reaches your audience in a more direct way. If you get it right, the power of social content can help create brand evangelists out of your customers – happy customers aren’t afraid to shout about it on their social channels the same way the disgruntled ones do.

What makes good content?

Of course, what makes “good” content depends on the kind of business it’s made for. Nevertheless there are several things to keep in mind when creating content, no matter the brand:

It’s authoritative

As a business, you have to aim to be a thought leader in your field. Knowing your business, your sector and your target audience inside out is the key to creating authoritative content that educates and engages. If your audience is convinced you know what you’re doing, they’re more likely to trust you.

It’s consisten

If you’re producing content for your business website twice a week, commit to keeping that up. Your audience will value the regularity – they won’t have to put effort into discovering new content if it’s always delivered on time. Your voice should be consistent, too. Invest time in creating a brand persona and be sure to speak with your brand voice throughout all content and communications.

The search engines like it

All of your business website content has to be optimized for search engines. Bad SEO practices create a brick wall between your business and your audience because people simply can’t find you. Learn best SEO practices and always use them when you create content.

It’s relevant

Don’t get caught up in trying to chase search traffic from keywords that aren’t relevant to your business. Your audience won’t decide to buy your pots and pans if they found you by Google searching “best Gameboy games of the ‘90s.” Your content has to be relevant to your business and valuable for your audience.

The value of voice: why your business growth is tied to what you say

Personality is always key in any relationship – you wouldn’t stick around in a friendship that doesn’t keep you happy. As businesses become more integrated with their audience through social media and newer marketing methods, the open dialogue between business and consumer has become very important. Your brand DNA should be built on day one and standardized across the business – when you’re talking to customers or employees, you have to speak with a voice that resonates with them. Keep your voice in mind during your content-creation process and you’ll achieve authority and consistency that resonates with the right audience. A happy audience is a great power to your business growth, so nurture it carefully.