Getting Your Business Out There
No doubt all business owners would agree that we would like at least some notoriety for our businesses and the dedication we put into them. Even for a small business, Content Marketing can help you gain some of that notice that we so often crave, and more than likely deserve.
Building A Reputation As A Reliable Business
Depending the type of business you run, your initial contact with a potential customer is likely not face to face. Even if it is, having relevant informative content on your website’s blog is going to help your visitors trust you.
Custom content based around your business is going to build your authority and reliability in your audience — both locally, and elsewhere. And your audience — a.k.a your potential clients — will more than likely repay you by becoming a loyal customer.
SEO and Social Engagement
If you’re a local based business (that is, your business is derived from your local area), then you are sure to be aware of just how full local web searches can be. Getting to page one under the keywords you think people will search for can be difficult in a crowded market, but it’s nearly impossible without regular content posted to your site. Consistent, high-quality content published to your website and blog, when done correctly, can increase your rankings in Google, and thus, the traffic to your site which can result in leads for your business.
This isn’t an overnight accomplishment, but even Google wants to know if the content for your business is trustworthy before they reward you with better rankings. Google’s SEO rules are bound to change, but rich, valuable content seems to be the one thing that they’ll never shut out.
The other plus to Content Marketing is that it gives you the chance to take advantage of Social Media power. While you’re building your Content, you are also building your brand and people want to be a part of brands they like.
How To Get Started With Your Content Marketing Strategy
Figure Out Your Audience
Defining your audience will immensely help you define the goals of your content creation. It’s important to remember that the content you will be creating should be specifically for your business’s particular audience and not for everyone in the world.
Define Your Goals
Creating and distributing content should never be a shot in the dark — that would just be a waste of time. Instead, you should spend time defining the goals of your content. The goal you set is entirely up to you, but it should take into consideration your audience and be based around your business.
Research Your Competition
If you find yourself at a crossroads when trying to come up with content ideas, then your best bet is to research what your competitors are doing.
What are they writing about? Who is their audience? What are they posting on Social Media? What are their best and most popular posts? Do they find success from using Podcasts or YouTube videos?
Try To Keep It Simple
Much of what you’ll read online (not all, but quite a bit) about how to get started in Content Marketing is often tailored toward bigger or commercial type businesses. Therefore, a lot of the information that you’ll read won’t always apply to a smaller business model and can leave you wondering if you can even do this.
To Wrap It Up
So can a Content Marketing Strategy benefit your small business? Well, if done right, there’s no reason it can’t. Obviously, what you decide to do with your business is, well… your business, but it’s always good to explore your marketing options.