When people start talking about content marketing services, first thoughts tend to gravitate toward SEO. And why not? By enlarge, content marketing is an SEO strategy. But it turns out that it’s not exclusively an SEO tool. Content marketing can be used for other purposes.
Why It’s an SEO Tool
Before moving on to discussing how and why to use content marketing services beyond their SEO benefits, let us talk about the SEO aspect. Needless to say that companies like Salt Lake City’s Webtek Digital Marketing rely heavily on content marketing for SEO purposes.
Webtek says that the primary SEO benefit of content marketing is being able to leverage longtail keywords to improve search engine rankings. They say that solid content marketing strategies can also help build online authority, which is always good for search engine algorithms. So even though it’s technically marketing, content marketing is one of the most sought-after SEO services right now.
Moving Beyond SEO
With that out of the way, it is time to move on to leveraging content marketing above and beyond mere SEO. Forbes Council Member and contributor Andrea Aker put together a wonderful piece in September 2024, a piece from which I will borrow to explain the following points.
First of all, as Aker points out, content marketing is all about creating valuable content with the intention of online distribution by way of multiple outlets. A piece of content might be published on a company’s website and then linked on its social media platforms. It might be distributed through guest posting opportunities, press releases, or other means.
Here is how to use it in ways that go beyond SEO, perhaps even enhancing it:
1. Demonstrate a Product or Service
Some of the most valuable content on the web is instructional in nature. Take advantage of that. Use your content marketing opportunities to demonstrate one of your products or services. For example, a written guide detailing a new product could be invaluable to your customers. A video demonstrating what one of your services looks like could clear up customer confusion.
2. Directly Answer a Question
Anyone in the SEO and digital marketing industries knows about Google’s Helpful Content update launched a few years back. One of Google’s suggestions for taking advantage of their search engine was to create content that directly answers a question. That is good advice. Answering questions is a terrific way to pull in new customers and keep existing customers coming back for more.
3. Present Product or Service Benefits
Some industries produce products or services that can be difficult to encapsulate in short, generic pieces of content. If you’re involved in such an industry, consider leveraging your content marketing services to explain the benefits of your offerings in more detail.
Webtek says that case studies and white papers are the perfect vehicles for this. They offer organizations an opportunity to explain why customers should choose them over their competitors. By presenting key benefits, companies can justify their marketing efforts in the customer’s mind.
4. Generate Leads
Content marketing is a fantastic way to generate new leads. Specific types of content, like surveys and polls, provide interactive opportunities to reach potential customers who might have otherwise remained on the fringe of the prospect funnel.
Improving SEO remains the primary goal for content management services. Content is still king, so that makes sense. But why stop at SEO alone? Why not turn content marketing into a powerful platform that reaches customers outside the search engine sphere? It is possible. You just need to learn how to do it.