How can you use content marketing to increase sales? Are you looking for actionable tips to help you improve website traffic and dramatically increase sales? You’re in the right place!
Content marketing is a unique digital marketing property in the inbound marketing toolbox. It is helping marketers to reach their target market with their brand message and products or services.
Content enables business owners to:
- Drive more web traffic
- Increase website engagement
- Create and improve brand awareness
- Build trust and credibility with your audience and eventual customers
- Generate leads
- Increase sales
But to achieve these, you need to apply a plan of action, or the best content marketing strategies designed to help you achieve long-term goals. However, your content strategy is not a one-size fit all. You can diversify your content materials for better results.
That is why over 50% of respondents reveal that producing visual content is a top priority for their content marketing strategy. Also, 81% of marketers are already using blog posts as an element of a content marketing strategy.
In consequence, compelling content comes in different formats, but whatever content marketing tactics you use, you aim to increase website traffic and improve sales. As a result, we have gathered some practical content strategies that will boost your traffic and increase sales.
Please, continue reading:
#1 Consistently Produce Evergreen Content (First-class)
I wanted to skip this part since we have covered it several times before here at Neal Schaffer, and on other blogs. But for emphasis, we have it here. As content marketing goes, the primary aspect of your strategy should be creating evergreen or first-class materials.
The term “first-class” denotes the very best, and in this context, the best of your blog content. You can compare it to a college graduation speech that received a standing ovation. When preparing your address, you must undergo the brainstorming process before settling on a topic.
Your theme for the speech should have all the vital components that will hook your listeners, including the headline, introduction, and a powerful conclusion. The same applies to content creation. This step is essential since only 20% of web visitors will read the entire article, while the rest 80% will only have a peek at the headline and walk away.
The reason is that most users spent 15 seconds or less on a website. It means that you only have about 15 secs to convince the reader to continue reading the post. Let’s assume that your main title is fantastic, and the introduction is captivating.
What about the body of content? Does it complement the heading and intro? Will readers keep reading the body after the title and intro? That is where evergreen content comes in.
In consequence, give your readers something of value, a memorable piece that they will always refer to in the future. We call such material “evergreen content.” Marketers are using it to attract new readers, would-be customers, and convert visitors to leads and paying customers.
Your evergreen content should have, among other elements, catchy headline, subs, the right keywords with user intent in mind to boost search engine visibility.
How Evergreen Content Can Increase Sales
Internet users perform over five billion searches daily on Google alone. That is according to Internet Live Stats, and that number is growing steadily by 10% year after year.
Image via Internet Live Stats
Statista also revealed that 90% of all searches performed on desktops globally are through Google.
Graphic via Statista
Now put the pieces together. When users search for services or products related to what you’re offering, Google will provide them different pieces of information according to their search query.
The various data will enable them to make a buying decision. But if you create first-class or evergreen content with the right keywords that relate to users’ search terms, Google will most likely present them with your content.
Therefore, with your blog content in front of millions of people, you have a higher chance of building bonds and converting them to paying customers. Thus, your content marketing will increase sales dramatically.
Remember, content drives inbound marketing, so it’s essential to use all crucial elements that will improve your blog content. These includes:
- Long-tail keywords
- Semantic keywords
- User search intent
- A compelling heading
- Convincing subtitles (h1, h2, h3, and h4)
- Persuasive introduction
- A forceful conclusion
#2 Increase Sales With User Generated Content
As a seasoned marketer, you may already know the values of user generated content (UGC) and why you should be using it as part of your content marketing tactics. However, to stress it a little, UGC is any form of publicly available content produced by consumers.
They don’t have to come to your blog or website to create the materials. You can obtain UGC by collecting reviews from shoppers or through online surveys. Forum and group discussions are also remarkable avenues to gather user-generated content.
Additionally, social media chat sessions will provide tons of content material from your target audience. Other ways to collect user generated content are through branded hashtags and to encourage customers to share their experience.
Why Is User Generated Content So Effective?
UGC is so effective because it enables business owners to understand their buyer persona better. In fact, one of the outstanding reasons you should be using user-generated content is because it functions as credible social proof.
That is because the content pieces are coming from satisfied customers. People who have used your products or services and are happy with the results. So, UGC will help:
- Boost website engagement
- Increase dwell time
- Build brand trust and credibility
- Improve sales
There is no better way to get more buyers than to see real people give evidence to the uniqueness of your products or services.
#3 Provide More Customer Touchpoints
Reaching your target audience with your blogs is part of the puzzle. However, to keep them coming back for more compelling content is another issue. So you need more touchpoints or points of contact where your ideal customers and potential buyers can quickly reach you.
Graphic via Slide Team
Ideally, you are the touchpoint of your brand. But consumers cannot reach or engage with you if you do not make points of contact available to them. So by providing users with more available touchpoints, you effectively enhance customer experience (CX) and make it easier to interact with you.
Graphic via Super Office
Indeed, the annual Digital Trends report by Econsultancy and Adobe found that the most exciting business opportunity for 2020 is a productive customer experience. It means that with an improved CX through available contact points, your targets will likely become brand ambassadors.
As a result, your sales will increase. Ultimately, create more touchpoints to increase your odds of winning new clients and increase sales.
#4 Be Active In Discussion Forums and Communities
Are you part of discussion forums and groups? If you are neglecting these content marketing channels, you better get back and be active. Discussion forums and communities are interactive platforms where people can find helpful information on topics of interest.
These online groups allow participants to ask questions and get valuable answers from contributors who may be experts in your industry. In other words, the experts will offer insightful information that addresses users’ interests and the needs of the community.
Moreover, consumers are likely to buy from companies that share their values. For example, Quora is a community where people ask questions and receive answers. When providing solutions, you can link and direct users to helpful content on your blog.
You can also link them to your product and services page where they can make a buying decision. Furthermore, being an acting member in forums and communities helps in increasing your brand visibility, which will ultimately result in more sales.
#5 Use Product Listings to Boost Sales
The method of listing your products is one of the best ways to use content marketing to boost sales. It involves recording your materials and sort them in:
- Alphabetical order
- Categories
- Popularity
- Pricing
- Number of sales
- Tags, and so on
Indeed, creating a list of products you’re selling is not all there is; you must add useful information about the products to help buyers make wise buying decisions.
So instead of giving consumers the same details as your competitors, be creative and offer insightful product data to strengthen your content marketing tactics. Not only will this approach help you increase sales, but it will also improve search visibility and Google rankings.
#6 Focus On Your Buyer Persona
By focusing on your buyer persona, you will have a better understanding of your target market and how to direct your content marketing for optimal results. Your buyer persona, in this regard, is your ideal customer according to market research and information from existing consumers.
So targeting the right prospects allows you to create and distribute content pieces that connect with your audience. The moment you define your target market, you can assess your blog and content marketing strategy, and then make necessary adjustments in ways that would address their needs.
Accordingly, while establishing your buyer persona, include the following factors:
- Consumer behavior and buying pattern
- Demographics
- Customer motivations
- Interests and goals
- Etc.
Concentrating on your targets is crucial also because your audience may not be where you assume they are. The more you can define your target market, the better for your content marketing campaign. It will help you attract quality leads and customers who are willing to pay for your products or services.
Wrapping Up How to Use Content Marketing to Increase Sales
Your content strategy is a calculated effort that occurs from merging knowledge, experience, and creativity, which results in forceful content marketing tactics. Therefore, make the most of it. Also, web traffic is critical to your content successes.
So don’t forget to optimize your content for SEO before publishing. Besides, use calls-to-action to convert site visitors to leads and paying customers. As mentioned earlier, content marketing is not a one-size fit all. So use different types of content to persuade readers into becoming customers.
For best results, make the tips above your own and integrate them into your content marketing efforts. What are we missing in this article? Please tell us in the comments!