How much should you spend on content marketing?
Numerous marketing experts agree that content marketing is one of the fastest-moving areas of digital marketing. As such the budgets funnelled into this area should be increasing. As more channels arise that require unique content, the need to be on the cutting edge of content creation is a pressing one. So how much should you spend on content marketing in order to be effective?
A Vast Playing Field
Recent research from the Content Marketing Institute found that 46% of consumer marketers cited securing a budget as their biggest challenge in meeting the demands of a content-driven strategy. Along with the growth of social media platforms comes the need to invest more in not only the creation of content but the tracking of it as well. Blogs, email marketing and paid-for ads all need a more sophisticated approach to the content they relate to, and according to Forrester Research, customers are already 67-90% of the way through decision-making before they reach out to you, so what they read before this point is pretty important in shaping their decision.
Why It Is Important
Consumers are more savvy than ever, and most will conduct their own research online before making a decision about whether to purchase. The content that they find will ultimately be a driving force in their buying decision and can even solidify brand loyalty. With the right content placed in the right places, a marketing plan can achieve the main goals of customer loyalty, engagement and conversion.
As an extension of this, insights on both social media and e-commerce platforms allow for a sophisticated level of customer-profile creation, which then gives marketers the tools they need to drill down into which content will work best and where. Not allocating enough budget in this area will mean that you’re falling short of your competition and not seeing enough to prove ROI.
Working with your digital marketing agency is a great starting point in collating the analysis you need to show that a larger portion of budget allocation is needed.
Organic Growth
Another reason for securing a larger budget for content marketing comes in the form of natural organic growth. Long gone are the days when keyword-heavy articles powered through Google’s SERPs to reach the first page of results, and instead we have algorithms that favour quality content that is both meaningful and unique to users. Fostering organic online growth is essential in building a solid online reputation and securing all-important authority with consumers.
There’s no stopping the growth of content marketing as the cornerstone of a strong digital strategy, and adapting to these changes is the only way that you can remain competitive. Industry professionals from a marketing agency in Hampshire all agree on the importance of content. Not only does the content creation itself need a budget, but the tools that are used to both manage and track it do as well.
The wealth of research available on the effectiveness of powerful content marketing should be more than enough to convince the most sceptical of budget holders that you’re probably not spending enough on this vast and lucrative area.
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