Digital Marketing is sometimes synonymously used with content marketing. However, there is a difference between the two. While both aim towards bringing more traction to your website, there is a different dynamics to both.
As explained before digital marketing is a broad spectrum that includes SEO, SEM, SMM, and Blogs. Content Marketing is strategizing what kind of content is to be promoted that can be useful to your visitors and at the same time speak about the credibility of your brand.
Some examples of content marketing are blogs, newsletters, promotional emails and press releases. Enough about the definition of content marketing, now we will see how to convert leads into businesses.
- Cold Calls
This method has been used time and again by marketers to gain customers. While this is like hit and trial method, yet it is the most popular method to gain traction. But, the problem is companies that are new with limited resources this becomes a costly affair.
Let’s take an example:
Company A has a budget of 10000 INR for marketing. It intends to sell its products and services and getting 1 business would bring the company 1000 INR. Therefore as a marketing manager of a company you need at least 10 clients just to break even and even more clients to make a profit.
(And break even here means at least getting the return for amount spent in marketing, not to mention there will be other costs as well!)
Now 10000 INR is spent on PPC, Blog Creation, and Email Marketing etc. With cold calls, you may reach let’s say, 1000 customers.
There is a fair chance that you may convert at least 1% of them and at least get the amount invested in marketing. You may also convert 5% of target customers and make tremendous profits and at the same time you may end up making losses.
And since you are a start-up company with limited resources, making 0 conversions may lead to the closure of your business. So it is not advisable for beginners, as cold calls are hit and trial method.
- Planning before Marketing
This is a safer path to take for any business. First, you have to ensure the target market that you are willing to capture. This ensures the leads that you target are more likely to bring business for your company.
Let me elaborate on this:
Let us say that your company is operating in beauty and wellness niche. So sending newsletters or blogs on beauty tips to individuals who are less likely to see your blogs or even if they see it, they may ignore it because it may be of very little use to them.
When you are spending on Google Adwords, Google gives you the option to display your ads in specific niche websites. Likewise, you can share your blogs and materials in Facebook Pages that is related to your business.
This increases the probability of converting leads to business. Guest blogging on famous websites of your business niche is yet another way to increase your brand awareness and bring business.
Does this pie chart ring some bells?
Yes, that’s right, you can’t cook pudding only with milk, and you need other ingredients as well. Also, everything needs to be in proportion.
Thus finally you need to understand, a blog is only one part of content marketing. After the blogs are created you also need to ensure how to use the blog and circulate it for maximum results.
SEO Engineer 