Content marketing is by its very nature free for consumers. The content you produce for your website is distributed for use by customers and extended to them as a perk of being our business partner. But does the time and effort – and associated cost – you put into creating original, quality content worth the return on investment? The statistics seem to show it is.

Here’s a look at five ways content marketing can increase sales for your business.

1. Content helps businesses build relationships. Relationships bring money.

There’s an old adage that says people do not buy from businesses, people buy from people. And it seems to be true. According to a report from McMurry/TMG, 78% of consumers have said that they feel that those businesses that provide original, custom content are trying to build good relationships with them. Relationships, as the adage says, it the foundation of sales. Content marketing can get you there.

2. Useful content keeps customers coming back

According to McMurry/TMG, a whopping 90% of customers find an organization's original content useful. Regular quality content keeps the customers coming back. Customers begin to recognize your brand as a leader in your industry, and will ultimately trust (and purchase) your products at a higher rate.

3. Content builds customer trust

Original, brand-specific content can be a catalyst for consumer trust. A report by the Custom Content Council reports that 61% of consumers feel more comfortable buying from companies that produce content. The study suggests that customers feel better about doing business with organizations that adopt a content-driven marketing approach.

4. Content enhances search ranking

The lifeblood of many businesses – including small, local companies – in the era of digital is the online search engine. And what can get your company listed more (and higher) within the big search engines? Content, of course. And the numbers are pretty impressive. Inbound Writer notes that websites with blogs get an average of 434% (yes you read that correctly) more indexed pages and 97% more indexed links. That’s a whole lot of customer exposure.

5. Original content results in lead generation

One of the most cumbersome (and often costly) aspects of business is lead generation. Content is a cost-effective way to get more leads. According to HubSpot, brands that create just 15 blog posts per month can expect to see an average of 1,200 new leads in that same month. Talk about more bang for your buck!

The leap into the world of the content may seem scary for some. But when you look at the return on investment – and the statistics that show a potential for an increase in sales – it's easy to see that content marketing can be a cost-effective approach to making you more money.

Need website content? Email michael@ramsburgcodes.com or call 304-370-3067.