02/21/2016
Compelling and relevant content is at the core of a successful digital marketing strategy. However, many small and medium size business people have no idea what “content” is. This post is for you if you fall into that category.
For your website and other digital platforms, content is information that your target audiences look for on search engines when they begin the buying process. Content is anything that tells a customer about you, your products or your services. It includes:
Blog posts
Videos
Infographics
Photos
Product Information
Webcasts/Webinars
How To Guides
White Papers
What would you think of a store where the items on the shelves never changed? Week after week you go in and the same stuff that was there last week is there this week. Some of the stuff expired months ago, yet it is still there on the shelves. You would probably stop going to the store thinking that no one else was purchasing products there and neither should you. Of course this is a highly unlikely scenario. A successful store would never leave stale products on its shelves. It’s just not good business.
Businesses should think of their digital platforms as stores. Just as a traditional store replenishes and updates its inventory, businesses must do the same for the digital inventory on their websites and other platforms. Yet it is not unusual for many small and medium size businesses to keep the same old stale, expired content on their websites.
A company’s digital platforms (e.g., website, social media etc.) are the 24/7 touch points that anyone in the world can visit. It is the public face of your business, the place where visitors can form a first impression of your company. If your “What’s New” section hasn’t been updated in over a year then you’re not going to leave a very good first impression. Yet the very same companies with static websites will run multiple sales campaigns or change their brands and logos.
Companies must adapt to the changes in the way that customers and prospects get their information. You should have a plan for refreshing your digital platforms with current content. Don’t keep stale content on your digital store shelves.
How Often Should I Update My Web Content?
Although daily updates are not practical, you should be aware that a steady flow of content might increase your search engine optimization (SEO). Think like a customer when it comes to producing content for your digital stores. Rely on your customer facing touch points to come up with the questions your customers frequently ask or problems they may be looking to solve. Your posts and content on topics like this will make it easier for customers to find you during search.
Information about your business, products and services is just as important, if not more important than simply promoting the features and benefits of your product. Consumers buy benefits not features. Your content should reinforce in a compelling way the benefits of your products and services.
Businesses have a wealth of information they can share with their customers and prospects to make their purchasing decisions easier. Content that customers are looking for and use can result in increased leads and hopefully a closed sale.
