7 Ways Content Marketing Increases Sales
In 1996, Bill Gates wrote and published an essay entitled “Content is King.” Twelve years later, Seth Godin – someone many refer to as the godfather of marketing – famously said, “Content marketing is the only marketing left.”
While Gates was referring to entertainment applications, the message is no less powerful. The internet created a seismic shift in how users consumed information and made buying decisions. To keep pace, brands were forced to adapt how they marketed their services and products or recede into the background of non-relevance. Content marketing, for some time now, hasn’t been a luxury—it’s become a necessity.
If you’re not investing in content marketing, you’re leaving money on the table and possibly being left behind. In this article, I explain why.
#1 - Your target audience’s buying behavior has changed
Buying behavior has changed dramatically. Cold outreach no longer yields the results it once did because buyers are performing their own research and driving the buying experience.
Pinpoint Market Research reports that 93% of the B2B (business-to-business) buying experience starts with internet research. 77% of B2B buyers reported that they wouldn’t even speak to a salesperson until they had done their own research, according to the Corporate Executive Board.
Unsurprisingly, Worldwide Business Research reports that up to 70% of the buying journey is already complete before contact is made with the selling company. Potential buyers have also reported that they will view 3-5 pieces of the company’s content before contacting sales.
Compelling, engaging, and informative content is necessary to match current buyer behavior or expectations. Content marketing ensures that your message, products, and services are visible when your buyers enter the buying market. The reality is that buyers are now performing their own research. You need the content that ranks well on search engine results pages (SERPs) to get in front of their eyes and inform them of your unique value with compelling, persuasive content.
#2 – Content marketing helps you stand out in a sea of noise
Content marketing alone won’t be enough to elevate you above the noise, but good content with a profound understanding of SEO (search engine optimization) will.
The internet has become a crowded place and even niche B2B markets can feel saturated. High-quality content ensures you maximize your brand’s visibility by ranking higher on search engine results pages with content that offers real value for your target audience.
A commitment to content focuses on both the keywords and phrases your target audience will enter when looking for a solution or service, in addition to keywords that will help them in their day-to-day.
#3 – Content marketing addresses the 95/5 conundrum
I was first introduced to the 95/5 rule at a marketing conference several years ago. The 95/5 rule explains that at any given time, only 5% of your target audience is in the buying market. Therefore 95% of your audience is out-of-market.
Traditionally, organizations and their marketing departments focused only on the 5% that was in-market. This is a mistake.
Content marketing enables you to address and speak to 100% of your market because at some point, that 95% will be in the buying market and when that happens, you want to be top of mind. With a solid content marketing strategy that delivers value through compelling articles, newsletters, emails, whitepapers, and eBooks that your target audience enthusiastically consumes, you will be.
#4 – Content marketing improves SEO to drive more traffic and leads to your site
If content is king for Bill Gates, it certainly is for Google and any other search engine as well. Google loves high-authority content that answers and addresses your users’ search intent—that’s to say, content that answers the questions users are asking in Google.
The more high-quality content you produce, the higher you will rank on search engines. Naturally, this will drive more traffic that will convert into prospects and buyers to your site, increasing sales.
For one client I worked with, we focused on blogging to build authority and boost traffic. Eventually, the blog brought in more than half the company’s website traffic and generated more than 70% of their organic traffic month over month.
#5 – Content marketing nurtures your leads and shortens your sales cycle
That same company that experienced massive traffic increases and lead generation with a heightened focus on blogging, experienced similar positive byproducts on the length of their sales cycles.
This client’s blog became a lead nurturing engine. In fact, the majority of first touchpoints for new pipeline opportunities came from the blog. That means new prospects’ first interaction with the brand was a blog post they landed on from an internet search.
Anecdotally, when prospects had their first meetings with sales, they were already familiar with the client’s services, solutions, differentiators, and unique selling points because they had consumed this information via the content we offered, thereby drastically shortening the sales cycle.
It’s the same with my own prospects and clients. When we first meet for a consultation, they’re already familiar with my experience, portfolio, and services because they’ve been exposed to this information from my website. Therefore, we’re able to focus on how we can solve and address the gap or need they have efficiently and effectively.
Content marketing not only keeps your leads that are out-of-market warm, it also helps you accelerate the sales cycle to close deals faster.
#6 – Content marketing greatly facilitates sales enablement
Not every organization has a robust training arm built to support and equip their sales team with the tools they need to excel in the field.
While lacking traditional instructional design, content can be a great sales enablement tool. High-authority, relevant and compelling content equips your sales team with the domain expertise, angles, and narratives they need to be successful.
Strong content addresses unique selling points, differentiators, market trends, and objection handling. If your sales team reviews the content you produce, then they’ll be equipped with the same compelling power and knowledge too.
#7 – Content marketing contributes to upsells and customer retention
As a content leader, I’ve used a lot of martech (marketing technology) in my career. The one platform and brand that did it the best was HubSpot in my opinion. Not only did they have the most prolific and powerful tool, but their content marketing was exemplary.
HubSpot was a significant trade source for me. I used their content and offerings to upskill and to stay abreast of the marketing industry.
Through their content, I learned about the new features and products they were unveiling, some of which I became an early adopter of or even built business cases on and presented to my executives, leading to purchases.
Their example is indicative of how content marketing contributes to increased upsells and greater customer retention. Content informs, builds trust, and generates brand loyalty.
Key Takeaways
Buyers today are more informed than ever at a time when the markets are crowded, and the sales cycle is evolving rapidly. As has always been the case, brands need to meet their audience where they are: online, researching, and looking for value.
A well-executed content marketing strategy ensures your message stands out, nurtures leads, empowers your sales team, and drives both new sales and customer loyalty.
At its simplest, content marketing puts your brand in the right place at the right time—with the right message. Without it, you risk losing relevance and, ultimately, revenue.
