In the past year, there have been many blog posts written about content marketing. It is very quickly gone from something that was suggested of website owners to something that is essential for success. But many people are still confused as to why content marketing is so important, particularly where business and lead generation is concerned. A common question regarding content marketing is whether or not it can create new leads for your business. The short answer is yes.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the driving force behind a website online success or failure. Search engines are used by millions of people to find information, products, or services. The algorithm process ranks websites based on the relevancy to the user’s search is returned to them. Website owners strive to be on the top of list, and getting to the top can almost be possible without relevant content. Ensuring that your website has good SEO and content is the best way to bring new customers and leads to your site, but content is essential in order to make this happen as well as links. Content marketing, then, can help you connect to those who are looking for what you have to offer on your website, bringing you new leads and new business.

Through Webinars

When most people think of content marketing, the first thing that comes to mind is text. While content marketing is a text-driven marketing tactic, text appears in more places than simply within an article on your webpage. Hosting a webinar is a great way to cultivate leads, particularly business-to-business leads. But getting people to your webinar is often a tricky thing to accomplish. Using content marketing, such as asking lead-qualifying questions on the introduction page that speaks about your webinar, can help you generate leads by expanding the number of people who will be directed to your webinar site.

Through Events

Industry events, trade shows, and the like are rife with opportunities for content marketing. Whether it’s through live updates on social media, content about the event, content to hand out at the event, or some other form, the content marketing you use in relation to your event can drive a large number of leads. Not only can your promotional content marketing draw people to the event itself, but the marketing material you hand out at the event and any online marketing you do during the event is a gold mine for leads.

Through Audience Expansion

Another way to say “lead generation” is “audience expansion”. In reality, when you’re talking about generating leads, you’re talking about marketing to and bringing in individuals who are not already a part of your pipeline. Combine content marketing and social media and you have lead generation gold. Why? Because using content marketing techniques on social media improves your reach to new audiences and expands your market at the same time. While being on social media will create new leads in the first place, using content such as photos, videos, infographics and quotes throughout your social media posts will help you discover, expand, and reach a whole new audience.

Through Email Marketing

Many people don’t consider email marketing a form of content marketing, but it really is. At its core, content marketing is simply the art of creating content that draws people in and results in conversions. Traditional content marketing is on-site and has a lot to do with on page SEO. But at its core, content marketing also includes flyers, white papers, e-books and video, and email, among other things. If you use content marketing tactics to design emails that are targeted to your audience, have catchy headlines that will likely be opened, and are relevant to the recipient, it can be a powerful lead generation tool.

There are many other ways you can use content marketing to create new leads. But the above mentioned ways are among the most common ways in which content marketing brings in new business. On-site content marketing is the most powerful and effective way of bringing in new business at little to no cost to you, but that doesn’t mean you should rule out other forms of content marketing, as well. Always remember that relevancy and usefulness in the eyes of the consumer is what makes content marketing work. Create content that is helpful to others, and you will create new leads that will often result in conversions.