Similar to the fast growing trend of social media marketing, the realm of content marketing has quickly become one of the biggest trends for businesses in all types of industries in recent years. 

ContentWise and the Custom Content Council reported that North American marketers spent more than $40 billion of business cash on content marketing - marketers plan to spend even more moving forward. Meanwhile, a Content Marketing Trends survey found that 89 percent of marketers who used content marketing say it works. 

Content Marketing Raises Brand Awareness

So, it is lucrative and it works, but what is it exactly? 

It is the creation and sharing of free media and content that is meant to attract, convert and retain customers. The content your brand creates is similar to what your company specializes in (e.g. a restaurant writes food-related content). This type of marketing comes in a wide spectrum of forms: articles, blog posts, videos, case studies, infographics, webinars and so on. 

Since consumers want to learn information and statistics from advertising, content marketing can certainly be a valuable tool for brands and businesses. 

It Takes a Professional

Although it might appear that every business is integrating content marketing into their marketing plan, not everyone is doing it well. In a recent report from the Content Marketing Institute, Only 30% of B2B marketers say their organizations are effective at content marketing, down from 38% last year. Effectiveness levels are greater among respondents with documentation, clarity around success, good communication, and experience.

With many businesses planning to enhance the amount of digital marketing content they release over the course of the next year, they're also reporting the challenges and difficulties in finding the right professional or team to assist. If you're considering bringing on content marketing hires to your business, here are a few things to look for in each applicant: 

• They are savvy and know how to write for the Internet
• They want to learn about all aspects of your business
• They maintain a background in your field or have a desired interest
• They are professionals that have excellent time management skills
• They are digital marketers and understand they are writing to educate and not for traffic

Content Marketing is a Long-term Business Investment

It may, at first, be a hard and expensive endeavor, but the good news is that business cash from a financial services firm like Quikstone Capital Solutions can help cover these marketing costs. A business cash advance is an alternative financial tool that many small businesses mull over to assist in their short-term costs, business expansion plans or marketing efforts. 

If you're interested in incorporating a content marketing strategy into your business plans then check out Quikstone Capital Solutions and apply for a business cash advance today. This is the first step in your business's customer acquisition and brand identity.