As Nemo said, “Just Keep Blogging”

Have you ever heard the phrase, ”Content is King”? I heard it many years ago, but I now fully understand its meaning. It seems like these days, everyone you meet is talking about adding value through content. In fact, content marketing is now considered its own type of marketing specialty.

So why is content so important? You may find yourself repeatedly asking this question. Put simply, content marketing (as defined by Content Marketing Institute) is a marketing approach that focuses on “creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience – and ultimately to drive profitable customer action.” The purpose behind this approach is to provide valuable information and resources for potential customers to engage with your brand. “Give and you shall receive.” Producing consistent content breeds trust with your potential client base, and this trust transforms into loyalty over time. In other words, you’ve got to give a little away up front to attract new clients.

The term “content” can cover a wide range of things. Content can come in the form of social media sites, articles, memes, videos, forums – and my personal favorite – blogs. I understand that producing content may sound like a lot of work at first. However, the benefits to putting out content are huge.

Here are a few reasons why you should “just keep blogging”:

Keeps you in contact and “top-of-mind”

Blogging and creating content keeps you in contact with people in your network. It keeps you at the forefront and top of mind. It’s a great way to show your connections and potential clients what you are up to, what you are interested in, and what your take is on a particular subject. In our ever-evolving digital world, staying visible is crucial to growing your business.

Positions you as an expert

Writing articles, blogs, videos and other forms of content positions you as an expert in your field. By curating content, you are actively joining in the conversation and giving readers valuable knowledge and information. Once you start to do this consistently, people will look to you as a resource and thought leader on this subject matter. They may not agree with you all the time, but you will gain more influence and credibility over time by putting your thoughts, views and opinions out there.

Builds relationships

Much of the content creation process is social and involves other people. For instance, blogs usually have a comment section near the bottom and social share links that allow readers to share your post on their social networks. This fosters digital relationships with your followers. You can ask for their thoughts, feedback, and opinions on a topic, which paves the way for an actual conversation to take place. By producing content, you have the ability to connect with people all over the world, some of whom you would have never had the opportunity to connect with before.

Improves SEO

Creating content improves your SEO, or search engine optimization. Essentially, by putting out content on a regular basis, the chances of someone finding your website are much, much higher. Your rankings improve and you are more visible to more people. This is a huge benefit! If you aren’t currently putting out some form of content, then you are missing out on a huge window of opportunity.

Do you currently use any content marketing strategies? If so, how have you delivered content to grow your business and connect with others? How has blogging been beneficial to you? Share your experience in the comments below!