Content marketing is like the new kid that arrives on the first day of high school wearing a leather motorcycle jacket and oozing all things cool, mysterious and awesome. Everyone is clamouring to be their new best friend but nobody knows quite how to approach him!

Well, if you’re not already acquainted, let me introduce you:

Meet content marketing. Your new best friend.

Here at Uberflip, we have designed a new and exciting resource to help build and reinforce this beautiful relationship. We call it Uberflip Content College: a handy dandy series of 7-10 minute videos to help you plan and implement a successful content marketing strategy.

Joe Pulizzi of Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as a “process designed to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating content in order to change or enhance consumer behaviour”.

If you have yet to incorporate a content marketing strategy into your overall marketing plan, you should definitely consider joining the 91% of B2B and 86% of B2C companies who already have. These companies are driven by a variety of factors but there are at least 4 BIG ones that they all have in common.

BIG Reason #1. Gain Trust and Credibility

When you’re not feeling well, you go to the doctor and your doctor helps you feel better. Your doc is always professional and  knows his stuff. He has a whole wall covered in framed credentials so you trust his advice. He treats you based on your individual needs as a patient. As a result, you like and trust your doctor so that the next time you’re ill you will return for the same personal service.

Similarly, your audience has burning questions and problems related to your industry that keep them up at night and, as a content marketer, it’s your job to answer those questions and solve those problems. You can do this with free, valuable content that will help them rest easy. In return, your customers will reward you with their trust and loyalty.

Trust is the keystone that supports any sales cycle. Consumers won’t consider purchasing a product from a brand they don’t trust. In fact, 71% don’t trust a brand that doesn’t provide promotion-free information to them.

Ultimately, once you have gained the trust of your audience members, you will start to establish yourself as a credible source in your area of expertise.

BIG Reason #2. Cost Effective

Content marketing is, by far, the most cost effective way to generate leads and fill the ‘top of the sales funnel’ so it’s no secret why 53% of B2B marketers have increased their content marketing spending in 2013. With some upfront investment in your content strategy, the long term pay-offs can be impressive. According to a study by Kapost and Eloqua,  in the first 5 months of a content marketing program, cost per lead drops by 80%.

And last but not least, content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates almost 3x as many leads. Boom. Need I say more?

BIG Reason #3. Increases SEO

With more and more content being published online every day, it’s not always easy to stand out among the crowd. Considering 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine and 75% of those searchers won’t move past the first page of search results, it is safe to say that SEO is something your company should pay attention to . Relevant, fresh content can help improve your ranking a few different ways: more content means an increase in keywords and phrases, an increase in the number of indexed pages you have, and an increase in the time users spend on your site — as long as your content is so engaging they can’t tear themselves away from it.

Having said that, content should never be produced solely for the purpose of increasing SEO. Your audience (and Google) will see right through this trickery! Rather, aim to produce the most thoughtful, helpful, relevant and engaging content around. Your audience will love you for it!

So, in terms of SEO: If you build it (content), they will come (your audience).

BIG Reason #4. It Works (When Properly Executed)

Content marketing has the potential to be wildly successful. So why do only 36% of marketers feel their organization’s use of content marketing is actually effective? Having amazing content is one thing, but making sure it gets found by the right audience is another. Ensuring a rock solid content strategy is in place is paramount to seeing ROI from your content efforts. A good plan should align your content strategy with your wider business goals. If you can achieve this, you will start to see the magic of content marketing unfold.

Companies that have successfully implemented inbound marketing efforts have seen 54% of leads delivered into their marketing funnel at 33% less cost.

So take a deep breath and invite the cool new kid to sit at your lunch table. I assure you, it will be a long and fruitful friendship.

If this all seems a bit overwhelming, have no fear- we’re here to hold your hand and guide you along your journey toward content marketing greatness!

Come and join fellow marketers, both seasoned and novice alike, and meet your new BFF at Uberflip Content College- It’s comprehensive and completely free. Before you know it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!

About the Author

In her former life, Amanda was a classroom Science teacher with work/school/life experience both in Canada and abroad. Amanda brings her inquisitive nature and passion for helping people to the Uberflip team. She looks good in hats and luckily gets to wear both a Support AND Training headpiece at the office!