As online audiences become more discerning and wary of traditional marketing messages, audiences are now being attracted by relatable and engaging content that leverages their interests. More and more companies are increasing the amount spent on content creation in their marketing budgets. Experts predict that content marketing revenue will become a $313Billion Industry by 2019 – a testament to the increasing power of content marketing.

However, some businesses have not properly understood the power of content marketing. Such businesses have either not invested in it or not invested enough. If your business is among those, this blog post is specifically meant for you. We’ll state and discuss the reasons why you shouldn’t drop the ball when it comes to the quality of content.

It’s How Your Audiences Discover Your Business

The Internet is a demand medium; online audiences have the choice to go where they want to, when they want to. When seeking information about an issue or looking for a solution, they might come into direct contact with your presence on the Internet, generating leads and sales. This is only possible if your business has quality content online.

By sharing a guide for travelling Europe, Flipkey has grabbed the attention of its audience of vacationers as well as the opportunity to showcase its services

When content empowers customers with the information and utility they are seeking, it is considered to be relevant and of quality by search engines, leading to a higher ranking. This is the kind of content that makes your business rise up in search results and stand out from the competition. Ignoring quality content in this day and age is akin to giving up an essential competitive advantage.

Every marketer wants visibility for their brands. However, this becomes difficult with the plethora of advertisers vying for the attention of online audiences. Audiences, in turn, tune out most of these advertisers (thanks to ad-blocking technology) and only engage with content that is relevant to them. The only way you can break the clutter and attract their attention is with your content as it showcases the role your business can play in their lives.

It’s How Your Business Builds and Manages Customer Relationships

The success of a business lies in how well it manages its relationship with customers. Considering how Internet and social media are an integral part of today’s audiences, businesses can use quality content to demonstrate that they truly care about the communities that they wish to serve with their offerings.

By sharing Hanukkah recipes, Whole Foods is showing that it cares for its Jewish customers’ needs while making itself discoverable to potential new customers

For example, Buffer shares strategies for robust social media presence. Whole Foods shares Hanukkah recipes and healthy snacks. Some companies like Typeform even invite customers to their office, making them relatable and memorable.

A company like Typeform understands how spaces where creatives work can attract its customers who are also creatives themselves

Your Business’ Reputation Depends on It

Quality content marketing not only builds goodwill and positive sentiment, it can even help in bouncing back from a bad customer relation situation.  Starbucks found itself in trouble recently when one of their locations discriminated against two Black men, resulting in a severe backlash.

In a content-heavy apology, CEO Kevin Johnson took complete responsibility on video and gave a thorough explanation of how the company will fix the situation. Similarly, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings wrote a personal blog in 2011 when the company introduced a dual billing system that hurt customers. In both these instances, the businesses earned back the trust of their customers by sharing relevant and quality content.

When quality content is done right, it can be your company’s lifeline like it is here for Netflix and its CEO Reed Hastings

On the other hand, not having quality control in content marketing can lead to negative consequences for your business that go beyond wasted marketing spend and effort. Content marketers fall prey to their worst tendencies when they develop content around popular keyword to chase clicks. The content ends up being too absurd or esoteric. Making quality content means not losing sight of the audience it was developed for. Otherwise, your content will alienate the audience and drive away traffic.

Don’t chase keywords. Otherwise, the results will resemble something like this.

We hope that from the examples we have discussed we have impressed upon you the importance of developing quality content. Investing in quality content is a necessity for today’s information-driven media landscape. If done right, quality content can change the face of your business and have a real impact on your bottom line.

Make sure that your business has a strategy in place for content, even if you are performing well without it. Otherwise, you might soon find your business losing its position to the competition in this fast-paced business environment. What do you think? Share your opinions in the comment section.