Content marketing has been a hot topic for well over a year now, but have we truly realized the value in incorporating customer service content into our overall content marketing strategy?
While many companies have doubled the amount of brand storytelling, thought leadership and other marketing content they’re producing and sharing, it isn’t always the case that customer service content has received equal attention. Many FAQ pages and knowledgebases sit idle for months at a time without being updated, while blogs and social media pages continue to produce and promote new content several times a day or week.
But customer service content deserves an organization’s equal attention, because improving the quality and frequency of customer service and support content produces many of the same desired results as mainstream content marketing including better SEO positioning, positive brand reputation and increased digital engagement.
In addition to potentially bringing in new customers through search, it satisfies and retains current ones with quality self-service answers and information. Consider these statistics regarding the importance of your organization’s online content:
- A recent study from Fleishman-Hillard found that 89% of consumers go directly to business websites or turn to Google, Bing or another search engine to find information on products, services or businesses before any human to human interaction takes place (if it ever does).
- Brafton reports that more than 70% of enterprise B2B purchase decisions begin on search engines.
- A 2012 survey conducted by leading analyst firm Coleman Parkes for Amdocs shows that 91% say they would use an online knowledgebase if it were available and tailored to their needs, and up to 50% of “How do I” calls could be deflected to self-care channels if consistent FAQ information was provided online or in a knowledgebase.
If your organization is focusing on just marketing content in its content strategy, it’s missing a prime opportunity for even greater reward through adding to and improving the quality and frequency of its customer service content. So brush the dust off that FAQ page or corporate knowledgebase. Content is king, every facet of it.
