Don’t Rush It – Marketing Efforts Take Time
We live in a super fast-paced world. The power of the internet has made it possible for us to connect with people around the world and constantly absorb new information, but it has also made us incredibly impatient! We’re used to instant gratification, and we want results – NOW!
Unfortunately, this has created some problems with small and midsize businesses that have tried ditching their old marketing tactics in favor of newer content marketing strategies. After writing up a few blog articles and generating a handful of Facebook posts, some business owners expect a major transformation. When it doesn’t happen overnight, they throw up their hands and give up before the miracle happens. Because this type of “content marketing impatience” is a growing epidemic, we’re dedicating a post to explain why it’s important to give your marketing strategy a little time to grow and breathe so that you can succeed.
Building a Better Future
One of the most important things to remember about content marketing is that it is not a short-term, “quick fix” solution; it is a long-term strategy that will completely transform your business for the future. This means that you need to be willing to dedicate some time and energy to building up your strategy and nurturing it throughout every stage of development. You will be sowing seeds, watering them, and cultivating them before you can enjoy the harvest. Here’s a look at a few reasons why you’ll need to be patient with your content marketing plan:
Coming Up with a Strategy Takes Time
If you think that you can dive right into the world of content marketing without taking the time to come up with a workable strategy, think again! Research has shown that only 11 percent of companies without a documented and thought-out strategy have found their efforts to be successful. That’s rather pitiful. In contrast, companies WITH a documented strategy see a 60 percent success rate, all the way up to an 83 percent success rate when a company has designated a content marketing strategy leader to head up the project (source: B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends by Content Marketing Institute).
Becoming an Industry Authority Takes Time
The primary goal of your content marketing efforts should be to become a leading industry expert or authority, acting as a constant source of valuable information for your target audience. This, after all, is what will attract interest from a larger array of consumers and will grow your brand. Establishing yourself as an industry authority, however, will take time and consistency. You will need to prove yourself by consistently posting well thought-out and meaningful blogs that will prove to be helpful to your current and prospective customers.
Building an Audience Takes Time
It would be nice if there was a magic button you could push that would alert all of your prospective buyers to your super cool online presence, but that’s just not the way the world works. Instead, you will have to build up your audience over time. This means that you will need to constantly be working to create content that will boost your SEO, both attracting and holding the interest of your target audience. You will also need to incorporate a lead marketing strategy into your content marketing plan. This will allow you to build meaningful relationships with your customers, thus allowing you to continue building up a loyal following.
Sales Cycles Take Time
You already know that you can’t rush people through the sales cycle, and no new marketing strategy – not even content marketing – will be able to speed up this process. You can’t rush your audience; they will make decisions in their own timeframe. You’ll have to let the sales cycle run its full course before you’ll see results.
Patience is a virtue, and it’s a necessary part of switching to a content marketing strategy. Fortunately, there are ways to kickstart the process and ways to step up your content marketing game – and Madison Taylor Marketing knows them all. Hit us up to learn more today!
