Did you know over 70% of marketers actively invest in content marketing? When you think of content, many forms of media likely come to mind. That might make it difficult to understand exactly what these marketers are investing in, and as a small business owner, may make it seem a bigger risk than you’re willing to take financially.
The upside of content’s variety means you can spend your marketing dollars however you wish. Content isn’t just blogging, email, and social media captions. Content includes other media like images and videos, too. And these resources can often be repurposed for more than marketing, guaranteeing you get more for your money.
If you’re still confused about how content benefits your business, discover its benefits below. Learn how it works and exactly why it’s a worthwhile investment for your business growth.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is all about high-value, relevant information based on your audience and company messaging. A strong brand provides a frame for consistent messaging to advertise and connect with consumers. The more consistency you offer in your content, the higher it is in value.
This particular marketing strategy covers many other marketing types and strategies. Creating quality content is critical for any marketing campaign, including:
- Social media: captions, text overlays on graphics, branded photography,
- Search engine optimization (SEO): optimize ads, search terms, and visibility
- Public relations: connect audience interests and values with your brand
- Inbound marketing: drive traffic and leads with targeted keyword research
Well-made content attracts, engages, and builds your audience (i.e., subscribers and followers). With excessive messaging across every marketing channel (e.g., social media, email, SMS), it’s more important than ever to craft valuable, relevant content. When you offer value beyond service and products, your brand stands out to customers even more.
Build trust, community, credibility, and loyalty
With a clearer picture of content marketing, let’s address how it serves your small business. Unlike major players with millions to invest in marketing, your content isn’t just about profit margins. Communicating value to consumers means you need to share valuable information.
Value is about sharing your brand values, persona, and voice. It’s the why behind your business and the reason you retain customers over a longer period of time. Small businesses attract customers who desire a personal connection or want a particular something that makes your business one-of-a-kind, despite any competitors.
When you emphasize quality over quantity in your content strategy, customers notice. If you’re not worried about churning out tons of Twitter posts daily or a new email every day of the week, you’re likely focusing on high-impact content. However you choose to hone your messaging, you have the chance to build something far more valuable than a one-time transaction; you can create a community of loyal customers.
Generate leads, interest, and shareable insights
Lead generation happens in many ways. You can focus on buyer personas, individual customer journeys, and other tried and true sales techniques. You can also invest in a high-return content marketing strategy to generate leads and interest in more diverse ways.
With heightened recognition of your brand, consumers are more likely to share your industry insights. The more visibility you have online, the farther this virtual word-of-mouth spreads. Potential customers (i.e., leads or prospects) will then take more interest in your business.
Crafting shareable, valuable content relevant to your audience also increases the external perceived value of your brand. This creates new opportunities to leverage your content marketing, increasing potential, higher-quality leads. It also makes it easier to identify customers, too.
Identify new customers and standout tactics
Finding new customers shouldn’t be difficult. With high-value content, your marketing should attract more than leads, but consumers, too. If you’re sharing content consistently, people can’t help but notice your business. And new niches in your current market may even announce themselves.
Depending on how well you position your content strategy, future clients will see your business as trustworthy and helpful to their specific pain point(s). Customer relationships based on quality and trust allow your business to stand out from competitors even more. And, you’ll find your messaging lands even further, too, increasing engagement and marketing efforts.
Time to repurpose, reuse, and create quality content
Since you’re no longer asking, “What is content marketing’s impact on my small business?” it’s time to repurpose and reuse old content. Audit all of your old newsletters, social media campaigns, and more to find opportunities for reuse. Repurposing old content is a great way to save time and money.
Of course, you’ll find a need to create new content, too, but auditing your existing content can determine what gaps you need to fill. How you create content depends on your long-term strategy. And if you don’t have one of those developed, now’s the time to plan out your content marketing.
