The tremendous influence of search engines on today’s customers and purchasers, as well as the waning potency of traditional advertising, have fueled the emergence of content marketing among both B2C and B2B marketers.
Content marketing costs 62 percent less than traditional marketing initiatives and generates around three times the number of leads.
Here are ten advantages and disadvantages of Content Marketing to assist you to think about it, plan for it, or even examine your current strategy.
Let’s start with the disadvantages:
1. It can appear intimidating and complex, with a steep learning curve:
What do you do if you’re new to content marketing and don’t know where to start? So, where do you begin? There is considerable language and a number of new strategies related to content marketing.
Managing the process can be difficult – it’s similar to setting up a publishing department in-house. There are numerous parts to master, as well as methods that may be unfamiliar to you.
2. It takes a long time.
It takes time to produce the kind of high-quality content you require. And it’s still going on. Managing the process takes time, and you’ll need to measure and analyze your progress to make sure you’re getting the most out of it and meeting your goals.
3. Content marketing is a time-consuming process that is not for everyone:
Given how time-consuming it is, you can see how difficult it can be. There are even a few firms that aren’t a suitable fit for it.
If you’re selling a basic product or offering a basic service that’s quick, easy to understand, and has a near-instant sales lead time, content marketing isn’t the way to go.
It’s also a different manner of marketing, and you might not be used to it. If you work in sales, you may be hesitant to give up all of the hard-sell strategies you’ve learned over the years, believing it’s a bit wussy and unlikely to result in orders. (You’d be wrong, but it’s an acceptable viewpoint from someone who has made deals and closed sales by cold phoning and exerting “soft” pressure.)
It necessitates a significant shift in thinking and a willingness to reject old-school interruption marketing, in which you interrupt people’s activities with advertisements, direct mail, and the like, annoy them, and occasionally make a possibly reluctant sale.
4. You’ll need a lot of inventiveness as well as a wide range of talents:
Creating content is, by definition, creative. It necessitates specific abilities and motivation. You will need skill in areas such as design, website development, social media, content writing, and strategic analysis, in addition to being an exceptional marketer.
5. It’s difficult to accomplish with a small staff and costly to outsource.:
As you can see, content marketing necessitates a diverse set of abilities that are unlikely to be found in a single individual or even a small group. You’ll almost certainly need to outsource some or all of the work to outside professionals, which might be costly.
6. Results are difficult to attribute:
It can be tough to attribute results to content marketing without a strong measuring and monitoring system in place – especially if you’re using a variety of other marketing channels.
7. Difficult to deal :
Managing creative people differs from managing other types of employees in that you must keep them motivated at all times or they will not create quality work. Managing the scheduling of material, the promotion of material, and the measurement of results all provide unique obstacles that can be tough to overcome.
That concludes the disadvantages, but the good news is that none of them are sufficient reasons to avoid using content published as part of your marketing strategy. With the correct staff, controls, systems, processes, research, and advice, almost all of those disadvantages may be avoided.
When you consider that content marketing generates three times the number of leads as paid search advertising (Content Marketing Institute) and that only 18% of marketers believe outbound methods produce the highest quality leads for sales, it’s easy to see why content marketing is so popular, especially among B2B businesses. In fact, 75% of inbound marketing organizations claim their method is successful.
So here are five reasons why you should think about content marketing:
1. It’s actually fairly straightforward.
Understanding your target, publishing helpful and relevant material that solves that audience’s challenges or requirements will bring them to you, allowing you to convert them to a lead, nurture that lead, and seal the deal when appropriate are the core concepts of content marketing. After that, you employ content marketing to assist your customers, which will result in additional revenue from repeat sales or peer influence.
You can be guided through the process with help at every level if you utilize a content management system like HubSpot.
2. Establishes authority
Content marketing not only enhances your authority and reputation within an industry but also leads to sales. The correct posts can help you identify yourself as a market leader, an expert, and a helpful business. You will raise brand awareness and promote a good attitude about your firm and its products or services in this manner.
3. Relatively low-cost
Despite the fact that it requires a significant and potentially costly time investment, content marketing is still more cost-effective than other types of marketing as noted in the beginning, content marketing costs 62 percent less and creates around three times the volume of leads.
4. Possibility of obtaining a large picture
You can truly trace the whole customer journey across time and marketing channels with the correct content management system. The majority of content marketing may be done on channels that you have control over and can track using the correct tools. Look for a system that can handle contact management, marketing, sales, and customer service.
5. It has a synergistic effect.
We mentioned in the disadvantages section that it is an investment and takes time. The compound effect of content marketing, on the other hand, is extremely potent: the more content you post, the more potent that content gets.
6. Produces long-lasting assets
Once you’ve published high-quality content, it continues to work for you without your intervention. Okay, so you’ll have to reload the content every now and then to keep it current, but that’s not a big deal.
7. Clients and staff can be involved.
You can involve your staff and clients in content development to make the work of developing ever more content easier. This is beneficial for a variety of reasons.
When content is created by employees, it is more likely to be useful and relevant. Using clients to create content provides a unique and valuable perspective.
Case studies with clients are extremely effective content.
Involving your staff experts in content development, on top of these advantages, keeps them motivated and up-to-date – simply by researching and generating material. Involving clients boosts their egos and makes them feel more connected to you. It aids in the development of client relationships that convert them into brand ambassadors for your company.