Consumers might not think about it as often as business owners do, but businesses today are constantly competing with one another. Sometimes exceptional technology resources, dedicated staff, and a fighting spirit just aren’t enough. Companies are pulling out all the stops, using every tool they can to reach a larger audience, gain better recognition, and portray themselves in a better light.
Content marketing is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways for small- and medium-sized businesses to improve their standing. How could a business owner turn down generating revenue while spending less? More and more small businesses are turning to content marketing to boost interest, generate leads, and convert web visitors to paying customers.
According to research from Demand Metric, content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing (TV, print, and radio ads) and generates 3x as many leads. For small business owners, content marketing is an inexpensive way to lead online visitors down the sales funnel. Knowing what it’s capable of achieving, should you incorporate it into your current marketing strategy? The short answer is, yes. And quick.
What is content marketing?
This approach focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent online content (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts). Content marketing often deliberately avoids promoting a brand, and instead focuses on attracting and retaining a clearly-defined audience to drive profitable customer action. This basically means that content marketing is focused on communicating with the consumers as opposed to bombarding them with advertisements.
Instead of forcing people to look at an ad they don’t want to see, content marketing draws people in with interesting content. SMBs also use content marketing to encourage trust and build brand awareness, with eBook downloads being one of the many useful methods.
Boost brand awareness
One key component of any successful content marketing campaign is consistency. Regularly publishing fresh content creates opportunities for your target market to become familiar with your company. Consistent and reliable content is an easy and effective way for you to stand out amongst your competitors, plus the repetition makes your brand more familiar. Aim to be the first thing consumers think of when they are looking for a product or service you offer.
Become an industry leader
No small business wants to let opportunities to demonstrate its expertise go to waste. Online content marketing is the perfect strategy to ensure that never happens. Whether it's a long-form blog post on your production process or a quick tweet about a recently completed certification, you should be establishing your position as an industry expert as often as possible. Start off by setting a reminder to write about your business’s qualifications on social media or your website a couple times a month. Remember that it doesn’t always have to be detailed; occasional off-the-cuff posts can even be more convincing than stiff marketing content.
Attract people with shareable content
To drive traffic to your website, you need to be visible in relevant search engine results, traditional media, and social media platforms with a steady flow of new information on a variety of topics. For example, marketing tactics such as pay-per-click advertising and digital banner ads are great for that small subset of prospects who know exactly what they’re looking for, but they certainly aren’t going to attract any site visitors who need a little help deciding what to purchase.
That’s why it’s important to publish relevant and sometimes non-marketing content that gives people a reason to visit your site even when they’re not looking for your product or service. Blogs, educational videos and free whitepapers also help boost search engine rankings, which increases the chance of potential customers finding your business first!
Constantly update your website
Today’s consumers heavily rely on the internet to find the information they need before making a decision. Everyone knows how influential first impressions are, and in the 21st century that’s usually your website. Poorly maintained, stale, and sporadically updated sites are almost certain to turn consumers off. If a consumer is on the fence about working with you, they might visit both your website and your social media page over a prolonged period of time. If you’re keeping your online presence updated with current information, prospects will have better experiences with your content and therefore be more likely to convert.
Content marketing is a low-cost and effective way to drive traffic and build awareness for your small business. By partnering with Founders Technology Group, we’ll help you leverage the right technology resources and ensure a profitable future for your business. For more information, give us a call today!