I won’t make you scroll to the bottom to find the answer to this one. YES. Yes, is your answer. Content marketing is worth the time, effort, and cost that you may incur.
But, why? And, how do you convince those who decide where time and resources are allocated that this is an important initiative?
What is Content Marketing?
It’s one of the big marketing buzz terms right now, but the purpose behind it may not be completely clear. The content your organization puts out is the greatest representation of who you are as a brand.
This content can be everything from a blog, to social media posts, to a :30 video. But it’s important that your content have a focus and a purpose, or it’s just plain content and it will feel disjointed from any other campaign.
How does it happen?
Content doesn’t need to come from one department, or one person. Content can come from anywhere. But it is extremely important that the teams work together to be consistent in their messaging.
If your social media team is preparing posts for Facebook and Twitter, and you are working on an article to mail out to donors, the two can work together to support each other. Though they don’t need to be an exact reflection, they should entice the reader to find out more about you. They should desire to seek out your other channels to learn more about you.
Why is it important?
Now, this is the part where the decision-makers start paying attention… When you create your own content, you control the message of your organization. You know your story better than anyone, and you (should) tell it better than anyone.
When people buy in to what you’re doing and truly trust you, you create a life-long partner.
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.”
Andrew Davis, author
Ahh, revenue. That’s the word everyone was waiting on. Content may not always directly drive revenue, but it does build your base, and your base is where your support comes from.
Good content draws people in and causes them to believe in you and your message as much as you do. And belief, passion, and engagement brings in devotion to you, but more importantly, it incites action.