In 2020, small business owners used 16,867,406 content credits to dominate the most popular search engines and drive organic leads.

Those content credits represent everything from SEO (search engine optimization) strategies and keyword research to blogs, videos, infographics, case studies, social media posts and more — all dedicated to boosting organic visibility and driving results.

Our content marketing team does it all. Here are just a few of the many reasons to invest in content marketing with the Marketing 360® content team this year.

3 big reasons to invest in content marketing in 2021

#1. Content is king

Whether it’s on your website, Facebook, Google Maps listing or even YouTube, creating content is incredibly important. In fact, if you’re familiar with the world of SEO, you’ve probably heard that content is king.

Here are just a few of the many things great content can help you accomplish:

• Inform your audience – First and foremost, the point of creating content is to provide information. This can be basic stuff, like when you’re available and how to get a hold of you, and it can be more complicated stuff, like an in-depth blog. But at the end of the day, effective content informs readers.
• Reinforce your brand – People often think of colors and logos when they think of branding, but your content actually plays a big role. Not only can the underlying message of your content either reinforce or undermine your brand message, but how you write (the tone and voice of your content) also plays a huge impact, as does how you format your content and the fonts you choose.
• Increase your visibility – By writing effective, informative content for your website, you can improve your organic visibility on search engines. Creating great content can also help to increase your visibility on social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, as well as on YouTube, in local listings and beyond.
• Build trust – Great content tells the world that you’re an expert who knows what you’re talking about. It educates readers and helps them make the right decisions for their needs. All of this builds trust and shows your readers that you know what you’re doing and you’re not trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
• Drive sales – The right kind of content can be used to drive sales, both directly and indirectly. For example, a compelling product description will not only get more visitors to a product page by increasing its visibility in the search results, but it can also help to push shoppers to make a purchase.
• Expand your customer service team – Effective content, whether it be in your blog, on your website or even on your social media page, acts as an extension of your customer service team. You can use it to answer common questions, address common concerns, educate and inform your customers and so much more.

As you can see, you can accomplish so many different goals simply by creating more content. However, not all content is made equal, and if it’s been a while since you’ve sat down to write, you may find that you need a little help. Not to worry, that’s where the Marketing 360 content team comes in.

Work with a dedicated content writer who can help to develop and implement a content strategy to reach your goals, or assign one-time content tasks to our team any time you need a little extra expertise on your side.

#2. Get to the top of page one

Did you know?

• 93% of all online experiences start with search engines
• 75% of people won’t scroll past page one of search engines
• Between 70-80% of users will ignore paid search ads and go straight to the organic results
• The average page-one result on Google consists of 1,890 words

(Source: Junto)

As you can see, whether someone is looking for a great place for lunch, a local electrician or a new car, chances are, they are going to start that search on a search engine, like Google or Bing. Unfortunately, though, if you’re not on page one, the vast majority of those people are never going to find your business.

It’s like that old philosophical thought experiment. If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If your website is ranked on the 3rd, 6th or 10th page of the search results and no one sees it, does it even matter?

Most digital marketers agree that, when it comes to SEO, content marketing is a critical piece of the puzzle. But, you can’t just write a 300-word blog and expect to dominate the search results. It takes time, consistency and, perhaps most importantly, quality content.

Small business owners are some of the busiest people I know, and content marketing is too important to put off until a free minute opens up in your schedule. By working with our content team, you can make content marketing and SEO a priority for your business.

#3. Drive leads for less

As I mentioned, content marketing can help to make your brand more visible on search engines, social media platforms, local directory sites and beyond, but it’s certainly not the only way to increase your visibility on these channels.

Search ads, for example, can actually help you show up even before the organic search results, and Facebook advertising can help you target users who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.

Advertising has a major advantage over SEO — you’ll see immediate results. SEO takes time, and it’s not going to happen overnight, no matter how much money you throw at it. But, the right ads can help you get leads now.

However, while advertising is fast, it can also be expensive. The more competitive the keyword you’re targeting in search ads, for example, the more expensive every click will be. But, when you can start ranking organically for those keywords, it means a lot more clicks for a whole lot less.

Best of all, an organic lead is someone who’s actively searching for what you have to offer. That means that they are already farther along in the sales funnel than most and will be much more likely to convert.

By investing in millions of content credits in 2020, small businesses have dominated search engines and driven organic leads. Invest in content marketing in 2021. See our plans and pricing.