With the rise of content marketing, the benefits are becoming more widely understood–quality inbound leads, brand awareness, customer loyalty, increased traffic, just to name a few–making content marketing one the most effective forms of advertising for one’s products or services. So why the heck is 1 out of 10 businesses still missing out on the benefits? Let’s look at five common fears many companies experience when preparing to take the leap into content marketing and what one can learn from the business expertise of The Office.

1 – “I’m not superstitious, but…I am a little-stitious.” -Michael Scott

Are you a “little-stitious” that your target customers won’t respond well to your content marketing? Without completely discrediting your fears, stop worrying about it! With few exceptions, customers much prefer to be spoken with than spoken to. Rather than receiving constant product offerings and promotions that beg, “Please buy me!”, customers better appreciate understanding your brand and receiving helpful information and tips that demonstrate your expertise. In fact, this type of exposure leads to higher quality inbound leads. According to the Marketing Insider Group, 70% of consumers would rather get to know your brand through reading an article than seeing ads.

2 – “I declare bankruptcy! [Michael]
I just wanted you to know that you can’t just say the word bankruptcy and expect anything to happen. [Oscar]
I didn’t say it, I declared it. [Michael]”

Worried investing in content marketing is going to break your bank? Well, no surprise, marketing efforts are not free. Regardless of the type of marketing you are involved in, it will cost to do it on a large scale. And yes, that even includes social media. When it comes to marketing efforts, it is important to invest where it means most. The Marketing Insider Group suggests that the most successful business to business marketers spend 39% of their marketing budget on content marketing. Why would they invest so much? Maybe because businesses that blog see five times the traffic than that of comparable businesses that don’t. Or maybe because businesses actively involved in content marketing see 97% more digital leads than those who sit back and hope it just happens. Maybe, just maybe.

3 – “I have flaws. What are they? I sing in the shower. Sometimes I spend too much time volunteering. Occasionally I’ll hit somebody with my car.”
-Michael Scott

If you worry that your company has more flaws in its creative genius than Michael Scott, don’t fret, you’re not alone. According to Marketing Insider Group, 64% of marketers claim that the biggest challenge is creating enough content. Before you turn around running, know that 90% of marketers still continue to do it. If at first you find it difficult to keep up with the pace, remember you don’t have to post every day to be successful–focus on putting out quality content. Take a bit of pressure off and repurpose your content between various platforms. If after this you still need a bit of a jump start, consider hiring freelancers to get you going. Now, take a deep breath, and keep working on it.

4 – “I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” -Michael Scott

Are you nervous the biggest concern of pitching content marketing to your boss is not how much he will love the idea? Once you understand the benefits of content marketing and can articulate it clearly, there’s little to fear. The Marketing Insider Group assures us that clicks from the content you produce are five times more likely to result in a purchase, and conversion rates are 105% higher for customers who interact with ratings and reviews after engaging with content marketing. Understand your own business’s bottom line and make your case–it’s something your boss can get excited about.

5 – “There’s too many people on this earth. We need a new plague.”
-Dwight Schrute

Concerned there are too many companies out there producing quality content, making your company’s story seem a bit boring? Find what makes your story interesting! You don’t have to be a top company to have a top-notch story to tell. Show how your product or service changed the business outlook for a customer. Elaborate on the lessons learned from your company’s inception to the current time. Highlight the most common questions asked by customers. If you step back and look at your company, products, and services, you can find the right story to tell.

At American Name Services, we’ve caught the vision of content marketing. But, if the idea of content marketing still scares the bejeebers out of you, we can help. Contact us here, and let our marketing professionals help you create meaningful content, develop an online presence that increases your traffic, and lead your business to greater opportunities for growth. Content marketing is a worthwhile investment that will, like Kevin from The Office says, help you find greater success “sometimes…and by sometimes, I mean all times…all the time…every of the time.”