Content marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to drive potential customers to your website. But, it isn’t as easy as it used to be, even a decade ago. Taking your content to your customers and getting them read is more difficult due to the various factors like: explosion of content, reduction in attention span of audience, and severe competition.
That does not mean that content marketing is not effective. In fact, the importance of content marketing has risen like never before. Content marketing generates 3 times the leads at almost 62% of the cost compared to traditional forms of marketing.
In this article, we will share helpful content marketing tips for small business, to drive result, more customer traffic, and eventually, sales.
Should small business do content marketing?
The simple answer is a resounding YES. Its proven that a unique viewpoint of a business about its industry expressed suitably through quality content, helps in creating/expanding brand awareness and attracting customers.
Unlike paid ads that stop delivering, the moment the campaign is over, organic content marketing provides long standing results. Businesses derive the following key benefits from a sustained content marketing exercise:
Build your Brand
Irrespective of the type of your business, it is important to create a brand that your customers can easily recall. We all have certain brands that we immediately recall for various categories of business. For instance, Nirma was synonymous with washing powder, thanks to their strong ad campaigns across Indian television. In today’s scenario, it is imperative that you establish a strong organic and social presence, so you can get your customers talking.
Engage with customers
The primary intention of your marketing effort is to connect with and engage potential customers. There are many means like website, blog, social media, and email newsletters to connect with your audience.
Generate leads organically
A website that’s well designed and written which is also SEO friendly, can help attract leads on an ongoing basis. Similarly, blogs, newsletters created systematically will augment your marketing efforts. All this without having to spend large sums on paid ad campaigns.
Here are the steps for you to get started with Content marketing for your small business.
1. Build/Revamp your website
Many small businesses do not attribute adequate importance to have a professional looking website with a clean design and quality content. A website is not a mere information display mechanism for your customers. It’s the digital address for your business. It is critical to pay proper attention to building/maintaining your website.
2. Start Blogging
Blogs are a very good way of engaging with your audience and demonstrating your company’s expertise. Blogs are a strategic tool for all companies, particularly those into the B2B market. A study by Demand Metric shows the significance of active blogging.
Blogs not only drive traffic to your website, but also offers the following advantages:
- Improve your search engine optimization (SEO) rankings – by enhancing your authority on your business domain
- Value to your customers – You can share authentic information with your audience through detailed insights
- Generate leads / customer conversion – The more visitors to your site, more the chances of getting leads/conversions
3. Tap into the power of the Social media
You are already aware of how much social media has become a key marketing platform be it for B2C or B2B markets. Your target customers spend considerable time on various social media platforms. It is important for you to analyze and understand which platforms your customers are active and you must build a strong presence there.
4. Don't forget the Email
Email marketing is an effective way to reach new customers, and better engage current customers leading to better revenues. You might wonder if emails are still any good in the age of social media. Surprisingly, it still is very effective. Consider this, for a fact…
Also, Email marketing boosts sales conversions better, compared to Social media marketing. A study shows that 60% of consumers say they have made a purchase as the result of a marketing email they received, as against 12.5 percent of consumers who say they would consider using the ‘buy’ button on social media. So, it is important to have a proper mix of email and social media marketing in your marketing strategy.
5. Plan your activities with a content calendar
As with anything important, it pays to be organized in marketing as well. Have monthly content calendar that includes details of the social media posts, blog articles, emails, and any other content you would like to share that month. This not only helps your team to create content regularly but also establishes a cadence with your audience on when they can expect to see new content.
To start with, you can refer to this post on creating your content calendar.
6. Mix them all - Putting content types to work
To stay ahead of your competition, you must stand out from the pack. One way for a small business to achieve this is through a well-drafted content marketing strategy.
Analyze thoroughly all your existing content and your competitors’ as well. Arrive at data-driven conclusion on what works well for your target audience. Once that’s known, plan to create content comprising of various type including text, audio, and video. You can also repurpose your content smartly, without having to create afresh.
For instance, you can take the data points from your blog article into an infographic and circulate in social media. Similarly, an infographic can be a source of inspiration for a blog article that will have your unique take on it. Sky is the limit to get creative.
In Summary
A report by SEMrush says that 97% of businesses include content into their marketing strategy. This is ample proof for all types of businesses, irrespective of their size to adopt this and garner customers organically. Consistency, uniqueness, and quality, backed by a clear strategy will go a long way in helping you achieve your business goals.
If you are looking for professional help from a team that has the experience of multiple domains, reach out to us.