Is content marketing really worth the effort?

Probably going to get flamed for this, but I’m having a hard time justifying it based on ROI… Investment mainly being my time. Anyone found a way to make it work for your design business? Anyone selling content to clients? :confused:

Thx
-Rob

Selling what content? Images, words, other?

Just referring to blog posts.

On your blog or in the comments of others?

Like on your design company website blog. Also, do you try to upsell clients on blog posts. Just thinking about the use of blog posts for a web designer in general. For self marketing, and as an extra income.

This is one of those questions that is going to vary massively depending on the nature of your business and target audience. How much do you need to build that level of customer engagement? For some companies, a blog will be an absolutely essential component of their overall online strategy, whereas for others it can be little more than a vanity project with no great impact on the bottom line.

Content which is unique, informative, of high quality in the form of text blogs, videos, infographics, ebooks etc. get traction naturally in the form of social media shares, natural links from relevant and authoritative blogs, mentions from authoritative people and eventually consistent and engaging traffic. All these are just the right ingredients for a good ROI and a positive brand impression on the web.

Content marketing may take up more time than other forms of marketing, but its definitely a long term investment. High quality content will help you gain trust, authority and credibility in the niche area you are in, which breaks the initial barrier that new customers will have when deciding whether to choose your product. As compared to ads, content marketing has a longer lasting effect and usually comes at a lower cost, which is a plus point for many cash-poor startups or website owners.

In the context of a design business, I believe it would attract more customers if you have been posting about design principles and methods in a blog, as compared to promoting your design services through ads.

  • Aaron

if you are own company and can convince a bunch of dopes to sell to their friends. Then, you can make great money for a while.

It takes a lot of effort and you need a CLEAR STRATEGY. However, if you do it right, you can probably achieve better results than other marketing methods. You have to establish a SOLID BRAND first through helpful and useful content. Use this credibility to create alliances with other sites. The better you are at branding on THEIR sites, the higher the chance you’ll get visitors to YOUR site. You have to have a clear strategy though-you need to be very specific as to who your target audience is.