As a small business owner, content marketing is a strategy you may want to start considering to help grow your audience and increase brand awareness.
First of all, what is content marketing?
Content marketing refers to the creation and distribution of online marketing material with the goal of driving traffic to your website. This could be anything from blogs and videos to podcasts and social posts. Content marketing is considered a “pull” technique because the purpose is to attract new business by drawing customers to you. Whereas tactics like email campaigns and paid advertising are considered “push” strategies because you’re pushing your brand in front of your audience.
In today’s post, we’re going to discuss five tips every business owner should undertake to create a successful content marketing strategy.
Tip #1: Start Blogging
Not only is blogging a free way to market your business, it also makes you more approachable to your audience. A blog gives you a platform to connect with your audience through relatable content, while establishing yourself as an industry expert at the same time.
- Marketers who blog can generate up to 67% more leads than marketers who don’t.
- Marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI.
- Publishing 21-54 blog posts can increase traffic to your website by 30%.
Blogging is not only a great way to drive traffic to your website, it can also boost your SEO rankings, increase brand awareness, establish trust with your customers, and increase lead conversions. There’s no question that blogging is a highly effective content marketing tactic.
For help getting started on your blog, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re here to give your brand a voice and establish your business as the go-to industry expert.
Tip #2: Focus Your Social Media Presence
Don’t just build your social media presence anywhere – look at where your audience is and build there. These days, simply existing on social media isn’t enough. You need to be actively engaging with your target audience on the social media platforms they use. There are several strategies you can use to determine where your target audience is most active, including:
- Survey your customers.
- Visit your competitors’ social profiles and see who they’re appealing to.
- Use tools like Google Analytics to gauge consumer online behavior.
Find out where your target audience is most active on social media and start delivering content to them.
Tip #3: Mine Consumer Reviews & Testimonials
Did you know 97% of consumers read online reviews when searching for local services? For any small, local business owner, your reviews are driving your business. Make sure those reviews are working for you and not against you.
Bring positive reviews to life through social posts and testimonials on your website to help establish trust. Did you know it takes someone an average of seven reviews before trusting a local business? The more reviews and testimonials you share, the more likely you are to turn leads into customers.
You can tell your audience all day long why they should do business with you and still may not have them convinced. By sharing actual customer experiences, you stay out of the conversation – let your existing or past customers do the convincing for you.
Sharing customer feedback with your audience is essentially consumer-generated marketing that speaks for itself – it’s a great tactic!
Tip #4: Create Variety
A content marketing strategy doesn’t have to consist of one type of content. In fact, when it comes to content, variety will reach the most people. Look at your existing content and your competitors’ content and see what resonates with people. Once you determine what’s working, you can attempt to replicate that with future content.
This is where you can get creative and introduce variety. If you have a blog post that performed well, recreate that information as a video or infographic. Take whatever content that has worked and retell the same story in a new way.
When it comes to content creation, the options are limitless!
Tip #5: Establish a Content Calendar
While creating and delivering content to your audience is important, doing so in a cadenced fashion is what will get you results. Building monthly calendars that include blog posts, social posts, email newsletters, and any other content will keep you organized and get your audience comfortable with scheduled content.
This approach to content marketing will allow your customers to build continued trust and familiarity with your brand. After all, this is the primary goal with content marketing – reach your audience, build trust, and watch leads turn into customers.
How to Get Started
When getting started on your content marketing strategy, make sure you’re working with a marketing team that understands your brand and goals.
- Fine-tune your buyer personas.
- Identify valuable content.
- Set goals.
- Determine distribution channels.
- Establish a schedule.
To get started on building your brand’s content marketing strategy, contact one of our local consultants today! We’ll answer your questions and work directly with you to fine-tune your target audience and business goals.
Thanks for stopping by!