"We live in a digital world." is merely a statement-- a layer covering the fact of today's world. We don't live in a digital world, but rather in the content world.

From Instagram memes to YouTube videos, we consume content more than anything else. On average, people across the globe are online for more than 6 hours every day. These are the facts which no one can deny because every one of us is a part of this study.

Yet, after knowing and living this fact, many businesses refuse to invest in content. Therefore, here I am, listing down the five significant reasons to why content can make any business more profitable than it already is.

The reasons business should invest in content:

I still remember reading Bill Gates' essay, "Content is king", which started like "Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the internet...". This sentence has turned out to be a fact, especially since the last decade. And here's why your business should leverage "Content" if you aren't already:

1. Your prospects consume content:

To sell anything & anywhere, every business needs to grab their potential client/customer's attention. And nowadays, the focus of most prospects is on screen, scrolling through their feeds-- consuming content!

Therefore, your business needs to be there, on their screen. And to make it happen, you need to push relevant, context-based content(text, pictures, audio, or video) which is either educating or entertaining.

2. Consistent content increases brand awareness:

Brand awareness is one of the top goals when business thinks about investing in content.

"The incredible brand awareness and bottom-line profits achievable through social media marketing require hustle, heart, sincerity, constant engagement, long-term commitment, and most of all, artful and strategic storytelling." - Gary Vaynerchuk

With consistent content, your business starts coming in the picture. One of my favorite stories of consistent content for brand awareness is that of Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary Vaynerchuk, aka Garyvee, increased awareness of his wine business and grew it from $3 to $60 million on the back of consistent content.

This story might be a decade old, but the rules to increase brand awareness are still the same. In fact, the 1930s principle, "The rule of seven", applies even today when we talk about content for brand awareness or credibility.

3. Content builds credibility:

This is the most important factor & the perfect answer to "Why invest in content?"

"Content Builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue." - Andrew Davis.

Quality content that answers the user's query is the best way to build credibility.

One of the best examples of using informative content for credibility & trust is of Ahrefs.

Ahrefs is a tool used by SEOs to do competitor analysis. Their blog contains informative articles about how to do SEO correctly and how SEO marketers can use their tool to do it better. This way, by sharing their knowledge and expertise, they create quality content, which at the end, builds credibility and makes people want to buy their product.

Similarly, any business can create value-adding content. Even a lemonade shop owner can create articles & videos like "How to choose lemons" or "How to make lemonade fast" to show expertise and build credibility.

All in all, if you invest in quality content, the credibility of your offerings will increase.

4. People search before making a buying decision:

88 percent of the consumer makes a buying decision after searching and asking for opinions on the internet.

If you aren't regularly creating & updating the content on all the major channels, you are losing a substantial amount of business.

People search on Google for making a better decision, and Google ranks the best answer on the internet-- so, be one by creating quality blogs. They ask in Facebook communities for others' perspective on product/service, so build a brand there as well. In short, invest in content and spread it omnichannely to build a brand and increase the possibilities of "word of mouth".

5. Google loves content:

If your business isn't investing in content, it is missing a chance to be at the people's go-to place: Google SERPs.

Google loves SEO-friendly, fresh, valuable, and updated content. So, if your business isn't trying to serve Google the content it expects to be on their first page, you are missing out, not Google. Being on the first page of Google means covering all the above point-- It increases brand awareness, builds credibility, and serves as the best answer to direct people's buying decision.

Final words:

Overall, if I were to sum it up in one sentence, I would say, "In this content age, profit and content go hand in hand."

Creating quality content and promoting it through ads, SEO, or whatever is the quickest way to build a brand for your business. And, as far as I understand, brands pull customers/clients.

Be the puller. That's it!