It is no secret that content plays an important role in the success of a business. If everyone knows about all of the content marketing benefits, why are so many people putting content marketing on the back-burner?
Content Marketing Benefits
In this article, I want to go over the truth about content marketing and why you shout start today.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is defined by Wikipedia as “any marketing that involves the creation and sharing of media and published content to acquire and retain customers. Content marketing is also defined as a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience.”
Content marketing is now stronger than just concentrating on SEO alone.
Content builds relationships and trust with customers. Your content will establish your authority in your field and will give you an edge over your competition. You will build trust with your audience.
It is important for you to provide valuable information for your readers. Content found on Google Search is free traffic and will lead to potential sales and followers. One of the most convenient ways to provide and publish content is by using a blogging platform.
Why Blogging Is Important
In today’s world, there are so many tools to help an artist succeed. An important rule I would like to share with you is to focus on the things that are in your control. What I mean by that is that a blog is yours. You own it.
- You have control over the layout of the blog.
- You will be in control of the content that you offer to share.
- It will be around as long as you wish it to be.
- The traffic generated will be your responsibility.
Social media is an excellent tool but it is not guaranteed to be around long-term. It can be argued that Facebook is here to stay. But when I was starting out with marketing, I never would have thought that MySpace would no longer be on top.
Anyone that only advertised through MySpace experienced a hard blow to their business. It would be like starting all over. If you have control over your sites, then you will not have that hanging over your head.
The social networks are great tools to build healthy relations with your audience and drive traffic to your site or sites that you own.
Here are some interesting statistics about blogging and what it can do for your art business.
- Marketers who rely on their blogs make 13X more money than those that don’t.
- Companies with blogs receive 97% more links inbound to their website
- Blogs are the 5th most trusted source of accurate information online!
- 81% of consumers trust information they get from blogs
- Well over 150 million people in the US alone read blogs regularly
- 23% of internet time is spent on blogs
- 61% of US customers have made purchases through blogs
5 Content Marketing Benefits
On-site Content
The more content that you provide, the more time that your readers will spend on your site. Your audience will stick around longer, and become more familiar with you, your artwork and your brand. You will build their trust which will lead to more art sales.
For more reasons why you should start a blog read, 10 Reasons Artists Should Start Blogging
Improved Page Ranking
Every post that you publish opens another door for someone to find you. You will have a better chance to rank higher in Google’s search with more quality pages that you publish. More posts that you have does not necessarily mean that every page will rank higher but you will increase the chance of people finding your site by targeting more keywords that describe your site.
Authority
You will build authority and be perceived as an expert in your specialized niche by providing high-quality content. Your chances of inbound links from external sites will increase which will have a positive effect on your Page Ranks. The higher that your Page Rankings are the more organic search visibility you will have.
Shares
The more content that you produce the better the chance of you having your posts shared. The more shares that you have on social media sites the more your artwork will be seen. You will be building brand awareness just by creating great content.
Relationships
Relationships sell art. The more content that you write, the more you are allowing people to get to know you. The more that they learn about you, the more they will trust you. Trust plays a large role in art sales. Start sharing your story and watch your following grow.
Success Will Not Happen Overnight
Most people stop blogging way too early. They get all excited and after a month of posting blogs they give up because they do not see any instant results. They soon forget about all of the content marketing benefits.
Blogging is for the long-term. I didn’t see real results until 6-9 months after I started to blog. I have learned a lot through those months, and I will keep learning as time passes.
If you are interested in having a successful art business or any business blogging will be a powerful tool for you. Do not think of it as an instant sale. Think of it as building a loyal following of your brand.
Conclusion:
There is nothing that you can do that is more important than writing great quality content for your online art business. There is no better time than now to start telling your story. The longer that you put this off the longer it will take for you to reach your goals. You know all of the content marketing benefits, start writing today.