Educational Content Marketing Leads the Way for Brand Success
With so many brands producing massive amounts of content to keep up, the ones that really drive business growth are those that directly solve problems, educate customers, and improve decision making skills. At least, that’s what Kim Lawton wrote in her recent Entrepreneur article. And I can’t agree more. Educational content marketing is the missing link in so many content strategies, despite bringing in serious growth for businesses who do it right.
I’ve been saying educational content marketing needs to take the lead for years. That’s because I’ve been writing for highly regulated industries with restricted marketing avenues. The brands that see the best growth are the ones who invest in this kind of marketing strategy .
As a cannabis writer, I know how difficult (often impossible) it can be to run ads or market products in traditional avenues. It’s why my freelance cannabis writing services center around educational content that actually answers relevant questions to drive traffic and conversions.
How educational content marketing drives meaningful traffic
The biggest reason educational content impacts revenue is simple: it builds trust among readers and helps them remember your business over others. Potential customers often spend a lot of time learning about something before they actually pull the trigger and buy it.
This is especially true among highly regulated and wellness industries. Whether it's cannabis, ketamine therapy, supplements, or any other product or service you're selling, your potential customers are likely looking to learn all they can before they make a decision.
If your brand serves as a library of references and education, they can rely on you to answer their questions. This turns into real trust that turns into real revenue.
Plus, in highly regulated industries where health claims are restricted, educational content provides a powerful way to connect with customers without breaking any rules.
How to build an educational content marketing strategy
To effectively pull off a content marketing strategy, you need to understand your offering and what your potential customers are looking for.
As someone who makes content strategies for wellness brands, cannabis companies, and more, I have spent plenty of time putting together educational content strategies that drive real growth.
Generally, it looks something like this:
- I figure out what early-stage potential customers are looking for. I target the big questions "what is [supplement/treatment/product] and build a foundation of 101 content.
- I also dive deeper into content for those who already have a foundation of knowledge. These people might be looking to learn more or even considering making a purchase. Think: "is ___ service better than ____ service?" or "what's the best brand of ____"
- I consider and implement a local SEO strategy to weave in and make sure brands are capturing local content
The biggest part: I utilize research. I don't make stuff up or rely on AI content. I write unique, research-backed content that can't be replicated by a bot or someone who doesn't understand the topic. And that builds trust among readers.
Once I have a foundation of blogs, I make sure there is a good internal linking strategy happening to maximize the SEO potential and keep readers on the site for longer.
The case for educational content marketing
Lawton’s article covers a lot, but the main takeaways center around customer overwhelm. Especially in the age of AI blog writing, customers are increasingly overwhelmed and distrustful of traditional marketing. Unfortunately, the internet is still packed with useless, generic content that brands try to leverage for quick views without realizing it’s actually hurting their efforts.
But think about your own internet behavior and habits. How often do you find yourself Googling a question in hopes of finding a trustworthy and thorough answer? I do it all the time. Maybe you even did it when you found this exact blog. When I find a well-written, credible blog to answer my question, I find myself trusting the company that put it out. I’m more likely to remember their name and might even refer back to them for future information or purchases.
Educational content marketing is helpful because it genuinely builds trust between brands and consumers. It humanizes the people behind a brand while elevating their expert knowledge. It creates loyalty.
Customers don’t like feeling sold to
When you produce educational content that provides real value, you are positioning your brand as a tool for customers to make their own decisions. Doing so is crucial in this day and age where customers are increasingly annoyed by overt advertisements or any situation where they feel aggressively sold to.
When you allow potential customers to make their own decisions, led by well-researched, fact-based content you produce, you’ll likely see better results.
Corporate news rooms on the rise as brands hire journalists
I saw this post from Noah Greenberg recently that highlights the growing trend of brands hiring journalists for their company content. Why? Because people don’t like being sold to. They like learning and making informed decisions on their own. And there’s no better way to do that then to read well-written, well-researched news articles.
Here are some major examples from his post:
“Salesforce's VP of Editorial spent a decade at WIRED
Tripadvisor's Head of Content was an NYT travel columnist
Hone Health's Editorial Director came from Women's Health Mag
Ramp's Lead economist was just interviewed by NYSE
Fora Travel's VP Content was Exec Editor @ The Muse”
That’s a notable list. These brands are tapped into the need for educational content written by humans. They know that their potential customers value transparency, credibility, and solid research.
As a freelance journalist, I think this is a genius new direction for brands. Journalists still get to do what they do best – research, interview, and write stories that matter. Readers get to learn and stay informed. Brands get to build loyalty and trust with their readers. Wins all around.
Hire a writer for educational content
If you’re busy running a company, you likely don’t have the bandwidth to stay tapped into every corner of your industry’s news and updates. That’s where expert content strategists and freelance writers come in. They understand the world of marketing and how it intersects with the news world. They can turn interesting news into valuable content that drives success for your brand.
Need to
hire a blog writer? Looking for an expert to write news articles for your brand? Whatever the case, I’m here to help. I’m a content strategist and freelance writer for wellness, cannabis, and other industries. My journalism background makes me a great fit for the growing trend of educational, journalism-forward content.
Contact me today to discuss working together.
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