You’ve probably heard about content marketing before, but have you ever wondered how it works?  Well, here is a simple explanation that should help explain what we mean when we say “content marketing drives sales.”

1. Content marketing is essentially advertising that uses the information to connect with people. By publishing useful content (text, images, videos) on websites, social media pages, and blogs, businesses are able to provide value to their customers while engaging them in conversations. In doing so, they create relationships between themselves and their customers by providing valuable information that makes their brand stand out. As a result, these businesses get to know their customers better and ultimately sell more products/services to them.

 2. There are many ways in which content marketing works, but some of the best examples are how companies use e-books, infographics, blog posts, white papers, presentations, etc. to attract potential clients. These are great tools for businesses because they allow them to share information that provides value to people without having to spend tons of money on traditional advertising methods.

 3. Content marketing is all about building trust. When businesses start talking to their audience, they build relationships that make them look trustworthy and approachable. People feel comfortable sharing personal details with someone who listens, understands, and cares. 

 4. Once they become interested in your product or service, prospects begin looking at your website and reading your content. If they find something interesting, they may even click on your banner ad. This gives you the opportunity to convert them into paying customers.

Content marketing is a great way to get potential customers interested in what your business does. If done correctly, content marketing can help drive sales. However, if not done properly, it can actually have the opposite effect. Here’s how content marketing drives sales:

 1. Increase awareness

The first thing you want to do with any type of marketing campaign is to increase awareness. When people hear about your company, they need to know who you are and what you do. If they don’t know much about your brand, then they won’t trust you enough to buy from you. To do this, you should create content that highlights your company’s strengths and values. By doing this, you inform people about what you offer and why they should choose you over the competition. Once they understand what you do, they will start looking at your website and social media accounts more often.

 2. Develops relationships

Once people learn about you and your products and services, you want them to develop a relationship with you. You want them to feel comfortable buying from you. To do that, you should use content that helps build trust. One example of this would be using testimonials. People love to read reviews from others who have had similar experiences. These types of posts make people feel more confident in choosing your product.

 3. Converts traffic

 Now that people are aware of your brand and have developed a relationship with you, you want them to convert into actual customers. This means that they need to take action and purchase something from you. To do so, you should use content that encourages visitors to take some kind of action. This could mean signing up for your newsletter, subscribing to your blog, downloading your app, or purchasing anything from you.

 4. Retain customers

 When someone purchases from you, you want them to come back again and again. To do this, make sure that you provide value. In other words, you want to keep people coming back to you by providing helpful information. You should also treat your customers well, by responding to their comments and questions in your blogs.

5. Content on social media helps a lot

Social media is a great place to distribute content. You can use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, and many others to promote your content. Social media helps you reach out to potential customers who might not otherwise find your website or blog.

6. Sharable content

If your content is sharable, it will generate leads for you. One person will share your content with another.  This will generate more sales prospects for you.