While content marketing is a fantastic strategy, an absolute must-have for the majority of IT and SaaS companies, there are still some misconceptions about it and questions around it. That's why I decided to write this post; I want to answer five of the most important (in my opinion) questions about IT content marketing. If you're thinking about utilizing this strategy, read on!
Question 1: When should I start doing content marketing?
As soon as you can afford it; that's the most straightforward answer to this question. I don't recommend content marketing to companies that have just started (unless they have sufficient funding) because, in general, content marketing is a long-term strategy, and it won't produce the results you expect (more clients) right away.
My advice for you is to get some clients first, and then implement content marketing to your business as support for other lead-generation strategies that you have in your company. Content marketing can be a great sales enablement and lead generation tool, but it takes time to work.
Question 2: What benefits can I expect from IT content marketing?
Content marketing is all about two things:
Building your company's credibility and
Getting more people to see your business (content marketing can use several communication/marketing channels).
When done correctly, content marketing will help you:
Get your company/messaging in front of your desired audience
Showcase your expertise and the results you deliver for your clients
Build visibility on Google (content marketing and SEO go hand in hand) and in other places that are relevant to your target audience (think JVs and guest posts)
Drive more traffic to your website (e.g., through high-quality blog posts that answer questions that matter to your audience)
Question 3: What new sources of leads will I get thanks to content marketing for my IT company?
When we do content marketing for our clients, we combine up to five traffic sources, and they are as follows:
SEO/organic visibility (content marketing gives a solid boost to your SEO efforts)
PPC ads
Guest posts (also good for SEO - think backlinks)
Newsletters and email marketing (to maintain communication with your target audience)
Social media posts
Take a look at what marketing channels content marketers use to get their message out there (source: a study conducted by Semrush in 2023):
Read more about content marketing for IT companies in this blog post: Content Marketing Services For SaaS & IT.
Question 4: How much does content marketing cost?
It depends on your current situation and growth ambitions. The faster you want to grow with your content, the more you'll need to invest. Remember that content marketing is a long game; less intense efforts over a longer period of time will give you better results than short-lived, super-intense activities.
In general, our services, when it comes to content marketing, start at $1,500 per month, so you don't need that much to get the ball rolling.
Question 5: When can I expect to see the results?
Content marketing works best when it's coupled with SEO. Running both strategies at the same time will give you the fastest and the best results. However, depending on the intensity of your content marketing-slash-SEO activities, you can expect to see the first results (improved visibility on Google, more high-quality traffic coming to your website) within 3 or 4 months.
It's also important to mention that when working with us, we usually start by creating a comprehensive content marketing strategy for your business, and this project usually takes between one and two months.
Wrapping up
Content marketing is usually for companies that are already at least partly established. Starting your business growth with content marketing when you have just a small budget and little to no clients is not necessarily a good idea. However, if your business is established and operating effectively, content marketing is the best strategy you can implement to support your lead-generation efforts. And then grow even faster.
This is where our role begins. If you want to know more, let's have a nice chat over a virtual coffee :) I invite you to a free (I mean really free, no strings attached) content marketing consultation to discuss your current situation and business plans.
See you soon!
Mike