Your knowledge base as a marketing tool

I had the pleasure of dropping in on #SEMrushchat this week. #SEMrushchat is a weekly Twitter chat hosted by SEMrush, a competitive keyword and AdWords research tool. We were there to learn from others, and I was super excited when a question arose that could help use find tools to improve our own search engine marketing.

Q7: What tools should marketers use to make copywriting an easier, faster and more effective process? #semrushchat pic.twitter.com/U0BkWFyDG3

— SEMrush (@semrush) March 4, 2015

As I was taking notes on the different tools being shared by marketing experts, one Tweet in particular caught my eye.

A7. Your customer service department. Ask them what they get asked. Answer it on site, rank and save everyone time #semrushchat

— Stephen Kenwright (@stekenwright) March 4, 2015

I favorited it immediately for two reasons. First, as a customer service enthusiast, this idea is near and dear to me. Your customer service team – your front lines – is an invaluable resource to the entire organization. When integrated well into an organization, a great customer service team can be the the voice of the customer and help the company continuously grow and succeed. Second, as a company who makes knowledge base software, I sincerely believe in the power of sharing information and that great knowledge management is a key component of a great organization.

Your knowledge base is not just for customer service

Sure, there are many benefits of knowledge base software that directly impact customer service – reduced support inquiries, happier customers, improved ROI. I often think of these as the direct benefits of knowledge base software.

However, there are many additional benefits of knowledge bases that touch more than just customer service. The one that jumped out at me from this chat conversation is marketing and SEO. However, documentation can also improve help with product and design (especially when written by your developers), training and professional development (especially for new hires), and clearly sales. I think of these as indirect benefits, but their impact shouldn’t be underestimated.

Great knowledge base articles drive traffic to your website

Marketers can struggle with copywriting, especially deciding what to write. What should we say to get more people to our website and convince them to a buy a product? What tools should we use to make the process easier, faster, and more effective?

Stephen had a simple but profound suggestion: ask your customer service department. Why? They know the questions your customers ask, and your potential customers most likely have similar questions. If you answer those question in your knowledge base or on your website (bonus points if they are on the same domain), you’ll not only save your customers and customer service team time, you’ll also drive relevant traffic to your website and increase your rankings.

A great knowledge base is not just great customer service – it’s great marketing

While I was once skeptical about sales and marketing, I now believe that both can be a function of great customer service and a powerful customer experience. Knowledge base software fits in there. While its primary function may be to share information with and provide value to your current customers, it can also be helpful to prospective customers – helping you attract more website visitors and convert more customers. It tells your current customers you care about them, and it tells your prospective ones that you care about your customers. And showing you care is one of the best marketing techniques there is.