Every marketer has heard the phrase «Content is king,» but not all pieces of content are created equal. Organizations must do more than fill space and share their company logos across digital platforms. Effective content creation and marketing require a strategic plan to help you achieve short and long-term goals. 

Compelling content can help you establish a position in the marketplace and influence client loyalty. Content marketing is a powerful way to build authentic relationships with your audience. By developing a deliberate content creation plan, you can generate content that organically meets your potential client’s needs.

Why Content Creation Drives Revenue Growth

In 2022, the US population spent an average of eight hours and fourteen minutes daily consuming digital media. Most of this time is spent on mobile devices, conducting activities like listening to different types of audio, using social media, and watching videos. Consumers use the internet to learn, shop, and stay entertained. By prioritizing your delivery of high-quality content across multiple platforms, you can meet your customers where they are and deliver the content they seek. 

After identifying the needs of your target audience, you can focus on creating content for lead generation and sales conversions. For example, free downloads of relevant materials can drive potential clients to your website to learn more about a particular topic or service. Answering questions on social media or providing insightful, knowledgeable content about a specific industry topic can help you demonstrate expertise. Furthermore, by developing valuable, high-quality content, you’re organically improving your SEO and making your business easier to find. Every piece of high-quality content you produce will give your audience more opportunities to interact with your brand.  

Five Ways to Use Content to Increase Revenue

Even the largest, most savvy marketing teams don’t aspire to produce content for every potential resource the internet offers. It would be an impossible feat to accomplish. It would also dilute your efforts in a way that provides minimal returns. Your content strategy should target the right prospects and distribute content that connects with your ideal audience. Consider how these practical content strategies will work across various industries to drive traffic and increase revenue.

1. Focus on Evergreen Content Creation

For better or worse, the internet is forever. Due to how people share online information, all content has the potential to have a lasting shelf life. While many internet users wish to find a way to delete embarrassing personal content forever, digital permanence can be a powerful tool for marketing teams. 

Evergreen content is content that continuously stays fresh to provide lasting value. It doesn’t rely on current news, trends, or statistics to provide compelling information. It retains the same value for consumers months or years after the initial post date. When you create engaging content with a value that won’t fade over time, a single post, article, or download will provide lasting value. As it builds traffic over time, the piece improves SEO and establishes authority. Some of the most popular types of evergreen content include:

• Lists
• Top tips
• Instructional (how-to) tutorials
• Videos
• Product reviews
• Encyclopedia-type entries

2. Demonstrate Expertise

Consumers want to buy from brands with industry knowledge to answer their questions and address their pain points. That knowledge matters even more for B2B consumers responsible for making company decisions. When you provide informative content, you can share vital information your audience may not find elsewhere.

Eighty percent of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying, and B2B buyers go 57% to 70% through their buying research before contacting sales. Modern consumers are learning about products and services. By providing educational content, you establish your business as a credible source of information and build consumer trust.

To establish yourself as a subject matter expert (SME) or an industry authority, you can produce various types of informative, source-backed content. Whitepapers and informative blog posts are some of the most common types of authority content. You can take this approach another step forward by conducting research and studies to publish informative reports. 

Also, thought leadership posts help share a unique perspective on a specific topic. Even posting a FAQ page on your website has the potential to provide your audience with valuable information to make an informed purchase. When you can create value without taking anything in return, your audience is more likely to trust your advice and recommendations. 

3. Interact With Consumers

The internet has discussion forums and groups where individuals seek and share information. These online groups allow participants to ask questions and get answers from contributors. While consumers and other participants answer each other’s questions, your presence in such a community will enable you to establish your industry expertise. 

Forum discussions range from conversations about products to in-depth questions to solutions for problems. When you join relevant conversations, you can share why you’re in the best position to answer such questions and share links to additional information on your website or other online materials. Regularly appearing on discussion boards and forums also increase your recognizability, resulting in more traffic over time.

4. Utilize User-Generated Content

Most people recognize the value of reviews. Ninety-five percent of consumers read online reviews before they shop, and 58% say they would pay more for products of a brand with good reviews. While user reviews are likely the most well-known form of user-generated content, they are not the only type you can use to drive revenue. 

User-generated content (UGC) is any publicly available content consumers produce. You can collect online reviews or surveys and gather quotes from forums and group discussions. Social media platforms are great UGC sources, often including images and branded hashtags. 

5. Prioritize Content Creation for Internal Teams

It’s no secret that departmental silos inhibit collaboration and impact sales. But consumers expect all professionals within an organization to know to answer questions and solve problems. However, it’s not feasible to expect every employee to understand every position in the company. Internal content comes in helpful here.

With content creation that answers customers’ frequently asked questions, critical product information, and company policies, you can give employees the knowledge they need to interact with customers effectively. Streamlined interactions improve the customer experience, resulting in positive reviews and return customers. 

Content marketing goes beyond creating brand awareness to share information with consumers. By developing a specific content marketing strategy, you can establish relationships with the consumers most likely to be interested in your products and services. Connecting with customers across platforms enables you to extend your reach and build brand recognition. Contact us to learn how the Vistatec team can elevate your content strategy to increase revenue.