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Content Marketing and Search Engine Optimization: Driving Growth Through Strategic Visibility.

  • Writer: CIS Agency
    CIS Agency
  • Dec 15, 2024
  • 5 min read

Content Marketing

Let’s start with the obvious: as a business owner, you’re passionate about your products and services. It can be hard to understand why more people don’t see what you have to offer and immediately say, “I need this here! Take my money!”


For the buyer, there are four steps in the buying cycle:

  1. Awareness of want or need

  2. Research

  3. Considering the purchase

  4. Buy


More often than not, the problem isn’t that they don’t want what you offer, they don’t know it exists or that their lives would be better because of it. The problem could be that your potential customer doesn’t know they need your product or that your product should be part of their research.


So, how do we solve that problem?


Content marketing and search engine optimization.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is simply about making sure your product or service appears at the top of search results when someone searches for something related to it. Think about it—when was the last time you searched for something like a new bookcase, business coaching, or plane tickets? The top results you saw were either paid ads or websites that followed key SEO practices to climb the search rankings.


Search engines like Google and Bing aim to deliver fresh, relevant content to users. Their algorithms assess factors like how often a search term appears, how closely it matches the query, and the presence of “backlinks” (links from other websites pointing to your content). For example, if you’re a farmer and a local farm-to-table restaurant shares your blog about this season’s radish crop, that’s a backlink—and it boosts your SEO.


The more backlinks you earn, the higher your website will rank in search results. And the higher your ranking, the more visible your business becomes to potential customers. Easy solution, right?


Well, maybe.


You’re probably wondering how to get those backlinks and how to make sure those keywords are showing up. That’s where content marketing comes in.


If you’ve ever purchased something because of an ad you saw on social media, a blog post you read, or a video you watched, then content marketing has worked on you! Webinars, quizzes, and even free eBooks are all examples of content marketing.


That buying cycle on the seller’s end looks like this:

  1. Traffic (potential customers going to your site or page)

  2. Engagement (Potential customers commenting, sharing, or otherwise engaging with your site or page)

  3. Conversion (Potential customers becoming customers and buying from you!)

How can you get into content marketing and see your company rise in the search game?


Here are 7 ways to go from underdog to leader of the pack in those searches!


1. Start by creating content!

Step one is simple. To do well in content marketing, you need to create original content! Start blogging on your website, encourage discussion and engage an audience on social media, create how-to videos, or create a quiz to find out which kind of radish you are. (Who wouldn’t honestly take that quiz?!)


2. Keep creating content

  • Even if you use a little ai, like chat GPT, Grammarly, Jasper, etc


Search engines prioritize fresh, relevant content, so neglecting updates for too long can hurt your rankings. To stay consistent, establish a content schedule. Batch-produce your material—whether it's blog posts, videos, or podcasts—and schedule it to publish regularly. For example, if recording a podcast every week feels overwhelming, try recording several episodes in one session and releasing them weekly. This approach keeps your content flowing without adding unnecessary stress.


3. Engage an audience.

Social media is a great place to engage an audience. Gain followers by posting more than just information about your products and services. Try something like a post about what you and your family did on your vacation. Consider a video that shows what your back office looks like. It may not seem like people would use that as a reason to buy, and maybe they won’t, but it will help with the awareness step in your potential customer’s buying process! The more followers you get and the more engaged they are, the more word will spread to those interested in buying!


Prime Example: West Michigan-based Shefit does a great job of engaging an audience through its social media. Sarah, the owner, launched a campaign around how we talk about fellow women on social media. Not only did she improve the chatter on the Shefit Facebook site, but the company also reached many potential buyers! Shefit also posts workouts, how-to videos, and uplifting ads that start a conversation.


4. Become (or utilize) an influencer.

What’s an influencer? Think Deion Sanders. Millions of people trust and buy the products he endorses. Why? Because he has a proven track record of using and loving quality products. He’s the ultimate influencer, commanding the attention of a vast sports audience. While not everyone can be Deion Sanders, building a loyal following that values your advice—whether it’s on life or purchasing decisions—can be a game-changer. It allows you to seamlessly promote your own products and services while also collaborating with other influencers to share theirs. In return, they’ll promote your offerings too. And there you have it—those valuable backlinks we mentioned earlier! It’s a win-win for everyone involved.


Are you unsure how to become an influencer? Or maybe you just aren’t ready to make that commitment yet? Utilize an existing influencer. Share your products and services with a blogger or Instagram star for free. If they love it, they’ll post about it. Chances are, they’ll reach more potential customers (and customers who are more relevant to your industry) for less than a traditional ad!


5. Focus on the customer.

What is your company’s mission? It probably has something to do with improving lives through the use of your product or services, right? If your content focuses on those people whose lives you are working to improve, you will gather more awareness. Selling radishes? Post a healthy dinner recipe for those looking to make changes to live longer, healthier lives! (That recipe should, of course, include radishes).


Keep your target audience in mind when creating content. Underground Cookie Company out of Kentwood, MI, does a great job of this. Their posts are full of family-friendly, feel-good content. Comic books, superheroes, great causes. They aren’t likely to post something like a yoga routine – unless it involves balancing one of their delicious ice cream sandwiches!


6. Reuse!

Once you’ve got a lot of content, go back and reuse it! Revisit that old quiz or recipe. That’s what Throwback Thursdays are for! Reblog other people’s posts and ask for comments. Ask for results based on a previously released how-to video. Content should stay fresh, but putting a new spin on a classic is always in style!


7. Proofread and edit.

Just trust us on this one. Read and re-read, watch and re-watch your content so people have quality discussions about it, not about your use of apostrophes. There are also tools like Grammarly that help make this task a bit easier.


Need help? CIS Agency has got you covered!

There’s a reason you can go to college and major in marketing – there is a lot to learn and understand to make it work for you. These concepts seem simple, but that doesn’t make them easy - or quick.


Let CIS Agency put our knowledge and skills to work to help you get the traffic, engagement, and conversion that you deserve!


Contact CIS Agency 


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