Content marketing is one of those techniques that can provide a suite of benefits for your business. Here are five things that it can do for your business.

1. Increased Traffic

You can get links not only from the article directories, but also blog and ezine owners who publish your article. This gives you better search engine exposure, as well as exposure to a wider audience.

2. Increased Exposure to the Market

When the articles you’ve posted to article directories are picked up by bloggers and e-zine publishers, you gain exposure to their readership … a readership you may not have been able to access in any other way.

3. Support Expertise Status

Having a library of articles available for people to read can support your expertise status. Depending on your strategy and what you write about, they can also set you up as a thought leader.

4. Off-Page SEO

Posting articles to directories sets up quality back links to your website, which is one criteria used by search engines when determining how popular or relevant your website is.

5. Can Pre-Sell Products and Services

Well written articles can “prime the pump” so to speak, building the desire for what you have to offer in the reader’s mind.

But you know what? These five benefits come with benefits of their own, as well. For example, when you are supporting your expertise status, you are also building credibility and providing valuable knowledge. You can also be increasing awareness of your brand.

All of the above benefits also can help you attract more prospects, grow your list of prospects and customers and generally grow your business.

And best of all, content marketing comes at no cost but time. And, over time, as you get better at writing articles, the time investment decreases.