For some reason, many people have proclaimed the death of marketing online. They say no one looks at email anymore. Social media? Content marketing? Dead. SEO? Irrelevant. But who are these people saying it? Apparently they’re people who are not paying attention. Let’s take a look at the facts about content marketing and see why it’s actually more alive than ever.

Customer Acquisition

Over the past five years, the cost for a company to acquire customers has gone up by almost 50%. That means that it’s never been harder to gain clientele. Therefore, your brand will want to find more than just your one-time buyer. After putting in the effort you need, you will want more return from your customers. You want people who will invest in your brand and who will keep coming back.

How do you get that kind of loyalty? Content. Provide your leads with something they can use—information. In this day and age, there is nothing more valuable than knowledge. It can be quite addictive, as people will continue to return to the source of their most reliable material.

It’s a two-way street, too. Give readers material with depth, and people will react, perhaps even commenting on what you’ve given them. You, in turn, can take this information to improve your product, and rest of the content you are providing.

All About Quality

One misconception that could be contributing to the premature obituary of content marketing is the idea that no one is clicking on posts anymore. It’s not untrue. Low quality posts are receiving fewer clicks. The difference is that consumers are looking for quality. They are smart enough to know the difference between quality content and clickbait. The clickbait is not receiving attention anymore—the consumer wants real information. How do we know? Research has shown that 47% of consumers will look at 3-5 pages of content before even engaging in sales. If you aren’t producing content, you’re missing out on almost half of your potential customers. Studies also show that sites with blogs are up to 10 times more likely to close a sale than those without. So, if you want a better reach, you will have to work for it by really digging up the quality.

Does It Have to Be Hard?

No! The beauty of the time we are in right now is the emphasis on visual orientation. Infographics and even memes are the easiest way to grab the attention of your audience. Because your potential customers are looking for more in depth content, you will have to move beyond the pictures at some point. But a great way to grab attention? Post a picture. Just make sure to give a little more after the tease.

So what it comes down to is the definition of content marketing. Less effective kinds of marketing – the fluff – is going the way of the dinosaur. However, the real content – the meat – is what consumers are looking for. If your brand is searching for consumers who will be investing in your brand, who will be feeding on the substance you are giving them, keep on posting. Viva la content!