How Content Marketing Drives Sales (8 Undeniable Ways)

Content marketing has become invaluable for creators, social media platforms, and businesses looking to increase sales in today’s digital age.

It’s almost as necessary as breathing.

Ok, maybe not, but you get that it’s VERY important.

But the question is, why does it work so well?

In fact, 82% of marketers actively invest in content marketing efforts, with 66% anticipating raising their expenditure for it In 2023.

And it’s no wonder why it’s so popular.

This article will explore how content marketing drives sales in 8 undeniable ways.

Before that, let’s go over some key concepts first.

What is Content Marketing?

In a nutshell, content marketing is all about creating and sharing stuff that people want to see.

It’s like giving your target audience a little taste of what you’re all about and showing them you know your stuff.

The goal is to share valuable information which paints you as a reliable source so that when customers are ready to buy, they’ll think of you first.

Understanding the Buyer’s Journey

To effectively use content marketing to drive sales, it’s vital that I briefly cover the buyer’s journey.

So, what is it?

It’s the most fundamental process buyers go through when making a purchase decision.

The buyer’s journey typically consists of 3 stages:

And each stage will determine the kind of content needed to strategically nurture them into a purchase.

The buyer’s journey is a model that represents the steps a customer takes before purchasing a product or service.

It is focused on the buyer’s goals and needs.

Buyer’s Journey vs Sales and Marketing Funnels

There seems to be a lot of confusion between these 3 concepts so let’s simplify it.

You may have heard about Sales and marketing funnels, but do you really know the difference between those are the buyer’s journey?

Both the sales and marketing funnel are models of your marketing efforts and sales process from your company’s point of view.

It looks at how close a buyer is to make a purchase.

The buyer’s journey is a model that represents the steps a customer takes before purchasing a product or service.

It is focused on the buyer’s goals and needs.

Here’s the breakdown:

All three concepts tie in together as they represent different perspectives on the same journey.

How Do Funnels Fit in a Content Marketing Strategy?

Content marketing can work with these three concepts by creating a content strategy that is tailored to each stage.

The idea is to provide prospects with the information they need at each stage to help them move closer to purchasing.

For example, at the top of the marketing funnel, where you’re trying to attract clients, you might create a blog post or social media posts that educate your audience about your product or service.

They then become what is known as marketing-qualified leads.

As they move further down the funnel and become more interested in purchasing, they get pushed into the sales funnel or become sales-qualified leads.

You might then serve more detailed content, such as product demos or case studies to shorter the sales cycle.

By creating content tailored to each stage of the funnel, you can help guide buyers through their journey.

This will ultimately generate leads and sales for your business.

What Are The Best Ways Content Marketing Drive Sales?

1) Educates Your Audience

One of the best ways to drive sales is by educating your target audience about your products or services.

For example, if you sell skincare products, you could create a blog post or videos that explain the benefits of different ingredients or how to use your products for the best results.

You can increase their likelihood of purchasing by providing valuable information that helps prospects understand how they can benefit from what you offer.

2) Builds Expertise, Authority, and Trust

Sharing high-quality content that is relevant and useful to your target audience can help establish your business as an authority while building trust with ideal customers.

For example, if you run a financial planning firm, you could share articles or social media posts that provide helpful tips for managing money or planning for retirement.

You automatically become a reliable source over time by providing valuable answers to customer pain points.

When others have confidence in your brand, it assures them that whatever you are selling must be good.

3) Increases Brand Awareness

Consistently publishing engaging and relevant content can increase the visibility and reach of your brand.

If you demonstrate expertise, authority, and trust, it builds an intimate relationship with the customer.

The more people see and interact with your content, the more likely they will remember your business when they are ready to purchase.

Standing out in a sea of pushy ads is a breeze when you’re providing top-notch content for free.

4) Generates Leads

Content marketing is a great way to drive sales through lead generation. It does this by bringing relevant buyers to your website and nurturing them with important information.

This helps improve your business in the following ways:

In fact, content marketing generates 3 times as many leads as other traditional forms of marketing.

So it’s definitely a worthwhile investment for any business looking to generate more leads and convert them into buying customers.

5) Improves Customer Retention

Keeping existing customers happy is as important as attracting new ones when driving sales.

You can increase loyalty and repeat business by providing valuable content that helps customers get the most out of their purchases (such as tutorials or product guides).

This will not only retain customers, but they are more likely to advocate your brand to others.

6) Boosts Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

High-quality, SEO-optimized content can improve your site’s visibility on search engines and drive more organic website traffic when users search for relevant queries.

You can then nurture site visitors with relevant and helpful content that satisfies the user intent.

In other words, by focusing on your SEO plan through content and marketing strategies, you’ll be able to gain more visibility online by getting found on search engines.

This can help you capture more leads and increase sales.

7) User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is another popular method where content is created by consumers or UGC creators rather than brands.

It can effectively drive sales by building trust, increasing visibility, showing brand loyalty, and providing social proof.

This is a powerful content marketing strategy that requires significantly fewer resources but is more effective to increase sales.

8) Drives Conversions

Ultimately, any content marketing campaign aims to drive conversions (such as sales or sign-ups).

By including calls-to-action in your content that encourage customers to take action (such as “Shop now” or “Schedule a consultation”), you can increase the likelihood of converting readers into paying customers.

You have to explicitly tell others what to do and not leave it up to their interpretation.

Why Is Content Marketing So Important to Sales?

Content marketing is important to boost sales for several reasons:

In short, content marketing is important to the sales team, because it helps attract leads, build trust and relationships with potential buyers, improve conversions, and ultimately drive more sales.

Examples Of How Content Marketing Drove Sales

HubSpot Blog

HubSpot is a software company that offers solutions for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service. HubSpot also runs a blog that covers topics related to marketing, sales, and business growth.

The blog generates over 5 million monthly visitors (according to Semrush) and leads to HubSpot’s free tools and paid products.

This has translated to over $1.7 billion in sales (yes with a “B”), for the year ended 2022.

DuoLingo’s TikTok

DuoLingo is a language learning app that uses gamification and personalization to make learning fun and effective.

They also have a TikTok account that posts humorous and educational videos about languages, cultures, and the app itself. The videos often feature the app’s mascot, a green owl named Duo, who interacts with users and celebrities.

DuoLingo’s TikTok account has over 6.2 million followers and over 126.5M million likes. The videos also drive downloads and conversions to the app.

It was reported back in 2022 that their quarterly sales increased by 51% to $73m as part of using TikTok content marketing strategy.

How Content Marketing Drives Sales (FAQs)

To Sum Up

Remember that the purpose of content marketing is to create brand awareness, establish authority, and encourage audience engagement.

You didn’t honestly think that most businesses are trying to be influencers, right?

A well-structured content marketing strategy builds an evergreen and organic solution to improve sales if executed correctly.

That’s why it’s widely used.

If you like this article please share it with other content marketers.

Leave a comment below if I left out anything.