Small Business Tips
You’ve probably heard of content marketing, right?
Everyone is doing it. EVERYONE.But what’s the deal, exactly? Why should you bother creating a content marketing strategy for your small business? And, more to the point, how do you get started?We’ve got the answers to these and other burning questions on content marketing for small business in this post. Read on.
What is content marketing?
Let’s start at the very beginning. Content marketing involves creating useful, relevant material — or content — and making it available online, usually for free. As a rule, the content doesn’t explicitly promote your business. But its aim is to create awareness and interest in your business, and, ultimately, help you make more sales.
If someone were to ask you for an example of content marketing, chances are your first answer would be ‘blog posts’. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But while blog posts are important, they’re not the only component of a successful content marketing strategy.You’ll also want to think about creating:
- Videos
- Images, infographics and other visual content
- Social media posts
- Reports, ebooks or other downloadable materials
The reason for this is simple: not everyone likes to read. So, by creating content in a variety of media, you’ll improve your chances of reaching a bigger audience.
What are the benefits of content marketing for small business?
Right off the bat, content marketing looks like a lot of work, doesn’t it?As a small business, you probably have way too much on your plate already. So why should you spend time and effort creating original content only to give it away for free?Well, we’ll give you five reasons.
1. You’ll get more for your efforts with less money
Content marketing may need time and effort, but it doesn’t cost much money — great news when you’re a small business on a tight budget.You can get started with content marketing yourself, without spending a penny. But even if you hire a professional, it typically costs 62 percent less than techniques such as cold calling, newspaper ads or sending out flyers in the mail (these are called outbound marketing techniques).At the same time, despite costing less, content marketing is incredibly effective. The Content Marketing Institute reckons it generates three times more leads for every pound spent than other kinds of marketing. And those leads are six times more likely to buy from you.
2. Your business will be easier to find online
There are several reasons for this. Here are just four of them:
- The more often you update your website with new content, the more often Google will visit it (this is called indexing). In turn, the more often Google visits, the more likely your website is to rank higher in the search engine results pages.
- Posting new content regularly makes it easier for Google to understand what your website is about. This means your website is more likely to come up in search results when someone looks for information related to your industry.
- If people find your content relevant and useful, there’s a good chance they’ll share it. And the more they share it, the more they’ll spread the word about your business. It’s word-of-mouth advertising at its best.
- Publishing high-quality content regularly helps you position yourself as an authority in your field. Google is more likely to place your website at the top of relevant search results if it thinks it’s authoritative. You’ll also look more trustworthy, which brings us to the next point.
3. Customers will trust you more
And this means they’ll be more likely to buy from you.Think about it. It’s one thing to say you’re the best accountant in the UK. But what if you could prove it, at no risk to anyone?
Well, that’s exactly what content marketing can help you do. By regularly publishing relevant and useful content, you can help people who are having trouble with an accounting or tax issue. And, you get to prove that you actually know what you’re talking about.The result? People will start trusting you. And, if they decide they’d better hire an accountant, after all, you’ll be the first person they’ll think of.
4. You’ll form stronger relationships… and make bigger sales
Not everyone who visits your website is ready to buy. In fact, according to one study, a massive 92 percent of first-time visitors are on your website for other reasons, such as research.
Clearly, going for the hard sell won’t work in this situation. If anything, it’ll probably put them off. You’ll be much more effective if you let them get to know you and slowly earn their trust. And content marketing is how you can do this without being on the nose.A study by Marketo found that customers with whom you’ve developed a relationship make purchases that are 47 percent larger. So, it turns out, good things do come to those who wait.
5. It encourages customers to come back
Content marketing is the perfect opportunity to stay in touch with past customers, without being salesy. Keep creating and sharing helpful content, and your customers will remember you long after you’ve made the sale.Seeing as returning customers are 60 to 70 percent more likely to buy again, you’d be daft not to encourage them. Right?
