7 Reasons Custom Content Marketing is Your Unbeatable Advantage to Business Growth

Does this sound familiar?

Your email list hasn’t heard from you in a while, and your social media feeds resemble an online ghost town. You haven’t blogged in ages or posted a video. You’re busy with client work and running a business! Who has time for content marketing?

Many small business owners find themselves in this situation. It’s the never-ending challenge of trying to create fresh, custom content that generates leads and sales.

Although your time is in short supply, you need a way to grow your business.  And, content marketing is one of the top methods to attract leads so that you can get more sales.

Here’s what you risk when you drop the ball on creating your own content:

• You become forgettable, blending into the background of endless scrolling.
• Relationship-building comes to a standstill, decreasing your sales pipeline.
• Your website traffic dwindles, taking a toll on your lead generation.
• Competitors seize the opportunity to outshine you, capturing the attention of your target audience.
• Your credibility and authority take a nosedive, affecting your brand’s reputation.

Maybe I’m being dramatic! But, in my experience, content supplies the fuel to energize your business.

Here’s why it can be a game-changer.

What is Custom Content?

Custom content is original, unique, and branded marketing content that’s specifically tailored to entice your target audience. It is content that:

• distinguishes your brand
• deepens your relationship with your audience
• expresses your brand’s voice, perspective, and values
• provides insights, entertainment, or solutions that only YOU can offer
• connects with others to form a loose emotional bond.

These can be blog posts, podcasts, social media posts, images, emails, or videos.

“Custom content plays a vital role in the lead nurturing process. Not every type of content will successfully engage your audience…One way that you can stand out in the midst of intense competition is by focusing on creating custom content.” – Neil Patel, Digital Marketing Expert

Here’s why this type of content puts your business at an advantage over the competition.

1) Emphasizes Your Unique Brand

Content is how you show up and how you represent yourself to others online.

Think of your content like the virtual attire your brand wears in the digital world. Your content should represent your brand so that you make the right impression and stand out.

When I was in eighth grade, I had an insatiable urge to be different. I pleaded with my parents for a unique look. I wanted pink hair, eclectic clothing, studded bracelets and belts, pierced ears, neon accessories, paint-splattered shoes (popular in the 80s). The more extreme, the better!

Although the pink hair never happened, the experience taught me the power of appearance. It was my first lesson in personal branding—before I even knew what that term meant.

Fast forward several decades, and not much has changed. While my fashion choices have matured, the importance of setting myself apart remains a cornerstone of my business strategy. The custom content I produce serves the same purpose. It’s my brand’s unique ‘fingerprint.’

Even subtle things like your tone and visuals communicate your brand’s character and vibe.  When used strategically, content will set you apart while creating a fan base who awaits your next course, book, video, etc.

For inspiration, check out Celeste Barber. Her one-of-a-kind, hilarious social media videos turned into a book deal and a Netflix series.

Custom content can make your business shine! Use it as a strategy to capture people’s attention and open doors to opportunities.

2) Expresses Your Personality to Make an Emotional Connection

Ever found yourself debating between two virtually identical products, only to choose one because it feels right? If you think that’s a trivial factor, think again.

According to Gallup, 70% of decisions are based on emotion, including brand preference. In other words, emotion often outranks logic when it comes to consumer choices!

Of course, people compare feature lists and care about facts. But, what seals the deal is the emotional connection buyers feel with you and your brand. And, that connection is nurtured and bolstered through custom content marketing that expresses your personality.

There is no one quite like you! Your traits turn casual browsers into avid fans…and fans into customers. It’s Your Original Uniqueness (Y.O.U.) that can really pull on the heartstrings of your ideal peeps!

Also, people will buy from brands they see a bit of themselves in. Your content allows you to mirror the values, desires, and aspirations that your target audience holds dear. This is one of the scientifically validated psychological principles of persuasion.

As master persuasion expert Robert Cialdini points out “people prefer to say yes to those that they like,” and we like people who are similar to us and those who have mutual goals. Thus, who you are attracts others and boosts your influence.

If you remain a mystery, you’re essentially asking people to trust a stranger. Instead, use custom content to reveal your personality to connect and build trust online.

3) Attracts the Right Audience

I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but…

No matter how exceptional you are, not everyone will be your fan. And that’s actually a positive thing. You’re not trying to be a one-size-fits-all brand.

You want a select, enthusiastic audience that aligns with your values, mission, and offers. Why? For one, these people are more likely to buy. You’ll have a less difficult time converting them into customers.

Secondly, these are the people who will become repeat customers and your most vocal advocates.

When used strategically, your content naturally filters out those who aren’t a good fit. Think of it as a built-in screening process that helps you focus on quality over quantity.

And look—those who aren’t interested probably weren’t going to contribute to your business growth anyway. No sense in wasting your energy and money on those who aren’t a fit!

Your tailor-made content acts like a lighthouse beacon, guiding the right people—your ideal customers—towards your brand.

Just look at brands like PETA or the NRA. Their polarizing approach to custom content offers a valuable lesson for any business. They’re not aiming for universal approval. They are creating content that strongly aligns with their mission, vision, and who they are as a brand.

In doing so, they entice the audience that’s right for them. They also repel those who aren’t meant to be a part of their audience.

Your content helps people choose for themselves whether they are a match with your brand or not!

In turn, your content actively shapes your audience. It’s a relationship-building tool that brings more qualified leads your way so that you’re building a community of people who are more likely to become buyers.

4) Positions You as a Trustworthy Authority

These days, it takes more than just claims to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Your audience wants evidence. They’re looking for insights, expertise, and wisdom that can only come from someone who knows their stuff. That’s where custom content steps in as your body of proof.

You’ll be at a distinct advantage in the marketplace when you have built a repository of Authority Content that demonstrates your knowledge and experience. People can go to your blog or video channel (ie an Authority Hub) to binge your content and see for themselves what you’re about.

Consider digital marketing experts like Neil Patel or Brian Dean. They go beyond sharing textbook information. Instead, they provide firsthand insights, data, and results from their own experiments.

This not only enriches their audience but also cements their authority. And sometimes, it can even lead to lucrative business opportunities. Case in point, industry giant Semrush acquired Brian Dean’s site for $4 million!

Sure, becoming a recognized expert won’t happen overnight, but the incremental gains will add up. Over time, high-quality, original content shows you’re credible and trustworthy so that you gain your audience’s trust and respect.

Each piece of your custom content adds a building block to your reputation. When you consistently share your insights and reinforce your message, you solidify your standing in your industry.

In a nutshell, custom content is your portfolio of expertise. Use it wisely to build trust so that you’re perceived as a reliable authority figure.

5) Boosts Engagement

Have you noticed that capturing attention is really difficult nowadays? People have lots of distractions and are bombarded with information.

Plus, consumers have high expectations. They’re becoming increasingly selective about what they devote time to. Content that is educational, emotionally resonant, interactive, or entertaining is what’s performing well.

Sticking to vanilla content will lead to being just another name in the crowd. However, if you become the exception, you’ll also become a go-to source for value.

What if your audience eagerly anticipated your next piece of content?

Take for instance Henneke Duistermaat’s Enchanting Marketing blog.

Her conversational, friendly, and personal writing style and in-depth topics draw readers in. Visually, she uses original hand drawn cartoons to convey messages and be different.  All in all, her custom content has earned her favorable feedback, a loyal following, and regular engagement.

Commonplace content translates to invisible content these days!

It can be tough to differentiate yourself, but try offering something in your content that others don’t.

This will keep people engaged and build a community. And, as HotJar points out, “when users are engaged and find value in your product or service, they’ll be more likely to return to your site, make purchases, and become advocates of your brand and product.”

6) Builds Relationships That Translate to Trust and Business Growth

How many times have you felt a connection to someone you’ve never met—be it a thought leader, a celebrity, or an entrepreneur? It’s custom content that has the capacity to forge relationships with your target audience.

Take Tony Robbins as an example. If you’re a fan, you might feel like you already know him personally through his videos, books, blog, podcast, and social media. His content is what connected you and made him seem like a familiar friend.

He is a good example of how to achieve personal connections through content alone (ie. without an in-person interaction). Although it’s an illusion of intimacy, the bond is still real to people. That makes your content a powerful influencer.

While content creation may seem like a one-way street, it’s actually a form of communication. The personal anecdotes, tips, or stories you share are extensions of your personality, which builds trust and relationships.

What are the benefits of relationship building to the bottom line?

• Shorter sales cycle
• Better client retention
• Increased sales
• More referrals
• Repeat business

In fact, according to a study by the Harvard Business Review, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%. Wowie! This emphasizes the incredible power of relationship-building in achieving long-term business success.

You don’t need to be a celebrity to make this work. Each time you create content, you share something of yourself and open the door to building an emotional connection. Even a simple tip or fact discloses information about who you are.

Fostering these loosely based relationships leads to trust and “likeability.” According to Entrepreneur, “the number one goal for content should be to develop trust with your readers. Do this, and you’ll have customers banging down your doors.”

7) Gets Noticed in Search Engines

If you still need convincing about the value of custom content, here it is: search engines favor unique, high-quality content. Google, in particular, rewards original content that is valuable, reliable, and relevant.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is still a cornerstone for online visibility. No, it’s not dead! It’s an effective strategy for getting people to your website and generating leads and sales.

Look at these statistics from Ahrefs:

• 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
• 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search.
• SEO drives 1,000%+ more traffic than organic social media.
• 60% of marketers say that inbound (SEO, blog content, etc.) is their highest quality source of leads.

If done correctly, your blog and video content serve as long-term assets, continually boosting your online presence in search engines. Unlike short-lived advertising campaigns and social media posts, content in the form of a blog, video, and podcast endures, adding incremental value to your brand.

Blogging is especially beneficial to your small business!

Aim for well-crafted, valuable content that addresses your target audience’s pain points and questions. And, make sure to optimize it for search engines.

By the way, there are search engines besides Google. People also search Pinterest, YouTube, and even social platforms for content! These can act as an auxiliary channels, funneling traffic to your website and enhancing your authority.

So, consider how your custom content makes you more visible across different platforms. And, once people find you, this content does double duty as it helps to turn them into leads and prospects.

A Few Other Thoughts About Custom Content Marketing for Business

Content is so important these days. Just think: there are people who are making a living off of creating content! Being a content creator can turn you into a celebrity, increase your leverage, and be your number one source for revenue. Content itself has become a business model!

Plus, you can turn your content into other assets, like courses, workshops, and digital products. Overall, content offers your business quite a bit. There’s a multitude of benefits packed into each piece you publish!

And, don’t forget that content nobody consumes doesn’t support your business. To make content marketing profitable for your small business, don’t forget to promote your work. Make it count!

——–

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: May 7, 2017