In the News, a Survey Says 73% of Your Customers are Influenced by Content Marketing

Before you create that next piece of content for your site or social media channel or YouTube channel or whatever, think … is this going to entice someone to buy something from me?

To start this latest edition of This Week in Small Business, co-founder of SMB Group Laurie McCabe and I discussed that idea. We looked at Mike Guta’s recent article on the impact of content on purchases.

A new survey from Clutch shows that 73% of those asked said content was a driving force in making a purchase. In fact, it could have been the clinching thing that induced someone to hit the Buy button.

While it seems likely that content would play a role in increasing sales, 73% seems like a lot.

Laurie, on this week’s show, seems to think the figure makes sense.

“All of us, we’re doing more and more searching and information gathering on our own, before we decide what to buy. We want to self-educate ourselves,” she says.

That doesn’t mean all content is great and is going to lead to a sale.

“The question is, ‘Is this content valuable,’ Laurie adds.  “There is so much noise out there, so much marketing drivel. When you find something that helps you understand something better, it can be really helpful.”

To me, that sounds like authenticity to me. In other words, a piece of content’s ability to answer questions would make it most valuable. Do you agree?

Check out the rest of the discussion on this and a few more articles I found interesting this week on Small Business Trends. For the rest of the week in small business headlines, check out the news roundup below.

Remember, be sure to subscribe to the Small Business Trends YouTube channel today to get updates on the latest TWiSB videos and more.

Economy

New California Diversity Law for Corporate Boards Won’t Impact Small Privately Held Businesses

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Sunday that will require publicly traded companies with headquarters in the state to have women serving on their boards of directors.

Employment

48% of Gen Z Restaurant Employees Say Good Management is Key to Retaining Them

What do Gen Zers feel about working in the restaurant and food service industry? The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and the Center for Generational Kinetics carried out a nationwide research (PDF) to find out. For the $800 billion restaurant and food service industry in the US, understanding what Gen Zers think about working in the business is extremely important.

Research

92% of Small Business Owners Say Mentors Have Major Impact on Growth

New research from Kabbage underlines how important mentors are to small businesses. In fact, the research finds almost all (92%) of respondents that had one found them vital to success in spite of the fact only 22% were mentored when they were a start up. And 89% of that segment wish they’d had a mentor in the beginning.

Technology Trends

Repcruit is a New Hiring Platform from PeopleKeys

When the job market gets tight, the many challenges of finding the right person for your company are amplified. The applicant tracking platform (ATS) from PeopleKeys called Repcruit looks to make the hiring process more manageable with a set of tools for finding the right person for the job. PeopleKeys is putting 35 years of experience into the Repcruit platform with an online resource.

How the Ability to Overcome Challenges Shaped One Woman’s Career

Sylvie Mwila-Jonath blazed an unconventional trail to her current position as Head of IT for Torani. Born and raised in the Congo — a place where women have traditionally been expected to marry, stay at home, and raise a family — Sylvie initially dreamed of becoming a doctor.

Moz Acquires STAT Search Analytics to Bolster Its Marketing Solutions

Popular search engine optimization technology company Moz, Inc. has acquired Vancouver, Canada-based STAT Search Analytics for an undisclosed sum.

New Networking Service Called Alliances Manages Your Business Connections Using AI

There are now more ways to grow your business network than ever, which makes it that much harder to capitalize on each connection. Affinity’s Alliances is a relationship management solution which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to get the most out of your professional network.

Report Says Business Fleet Owners Want to Go Green – Though Challenges Remain

Fleet owners across all industries are willing to give sustainable technologies a chance, but some key barriers to making this happen remain. When it comes to electric vehicles, limited product availability, high purchase price, and inadequate charging facilities get in the way.

FreshBooks Announces 70+ New Integrations with WordPress, Everlance and More

Accounting software maker FreshBooks, Inc. is offering over 70 new apps and integrations it says will make life easier for all kinds of business owners, at every single stage of business. The company offers features to help self-employed people and small businesses with invoicing, managing expenses and tracking time and projects.

Xerox Makes Targets Small Business Market by Updating App Gallery for Smart Devices

Xerox Corp (NYSE: XRX), a global provider of print and digital document solutions like multi-function printers and document technologies and services announced recently it has introduced what it says is a new generation of business transforming apps to its App Gallery.

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This article, "In the News, a Survey Says 73% of Your Customers are Influenced by Content Marketing" was first published on Small Business Trends