LAS VEGAS — When it comes to how content marketing impacts acompany's website, it easily boils down to four words: “They ask.You answer.”

During a morning session at NACUSO's annual conference Thursday,Marcus Sheridan, founder of The Sales Lion, a sales marketing andpersonal development blog, described those actions as the“golden rule” for marketing as he encouraged attendees to bethe problem solvers for those who come to their websites.

“I define content marketing as becoming the greatest teacher inthe world on what you do on your website,” said Sheridan, who cameoff the meeting room stage at the Encore Las Vegas and spent hisentire talk weaving in and out of the audience to engage and getfeedback on what has and hasn't worked in the past whenit comes to generating leads and sales from onlinechannels

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Sheridan started a swimming pool installation business withtwo friends fresh out of college in 2001. Nine years later, withthe help of inbound and content marketing, he said his companyovercame the collapse of the housing market and became one ofthe largest pool installers in the U.S. and currently has themost visited swimming pool website in the world.

In 2009, he launched The Sales Lion and has since grown it tohelp other see the value in content marketing, he said.

“All your clients want to know is how do things work? It'syour obligation to teach them,” Sheridan said.

Where some may encounter mistakes is basing their marketingdecisions on what their competitors are doing.

“Stop worrying about competition and just be the best teacher, ”Sheridan suggested. “ If you're thinking like your member, you willhave something to say. Don't be afraid that your competitors willsteal your secrets.”

During his talk, he displayed a picture of a Big Mac todrive home the point even further.

“The problem is most businesses think they they're like the BigMac with their special sauce when it's actually only ThousandIsland dressing.”

Sheridan told attendees that research showed that the totalnumber of pages a potential client would be willing to read on acompany's website is two or three.

“That is sad because we are devaluing our info,” he noted.

If a prospect reads 30 pages before they get to a salesappointment, they would buy 80% of the time, Sheridan said.

“Content is the greatest sales and trust-building tool in theworld. Period.”