4 Boardroom-Approved Reasons for Content Marketing

The CEO of your organization doesn’t give a damn about your Klout score.

She’s not interested in the achievements you’ve unlocked or what your social media “style” is.

It’s not that she’s cold-hearted or mean-spirited. It’s just that none of that contributes to the bottom line.

And that’s what she’s got her eye on.

So, if you’re making the case for social media in a board room near you, you might want to focus less on the feel-good moments of social media and more on the return on the investment of your (and your company’s) time.

Here are 4 boardroom-approved reasons for incorporating content marketing into your marketing strategy from a June, 2011 study by Focus Research:

1. Content marketing generates leads

Just like direct mail, print/banner/television/radio advertising,  and fishbowls filled with business cards at Chipotle (to a lesser extent), content marketing gets more interested people in the pipeline.

Content sets the stage for a conversation that may lead to future business.

2. Content marketing builds brand awareness

Every day (hour, and minute) there are people consuming content through search, social, subscription and spontaneous channels. And they notice (and appreciate) the brands behind it.

3. Content marketing converts leads

Content helps turn an interested prospect into a happy customer. Fifth Third Bank recently attributed $3 million in closed revenue in the first 9 months of their content marketing initiative. And software company Eloqua reported $2.5 million in sales in the second half of 2010 from clients who originally downloaded their content.

In short, content sells.

4. Content marketing provides business intelligence and audience insight

Reader feedback is one of the most valuable tools for gathering information about your target audience.

Keyword research, blog comments, letters to the editor, social media reactions, reader surveys and the success or failure of a content initiative help brands to understand their audience in a more informed way than any ad performance metric ever could.

Content marketing allows brands to share knowledge and acquire it while helping to build the prospect pipeline, get the word out about your brand, and ultimately, close business.

Do that and you’ll earn some real clout – the kind awarded by your CEO.

[Image: wohlford]