Small businesses survive – and thrive – on smart thinking and even smarter doing. Content marketing is no exception. While most small businesses produce content (think websites, newsletters, brochures, blog posts, reports, case studies etc) only a strategic approach will see your small business achieve bang for your content buck.
Here are Content Empire’s top tips for making your small business content work harder.
Make the most of your content
Slaving over a blog post can leave you feeling deflated when, after a few weeks, it’s only had four views and zero comments. Why bother? Making the most of your content means planning ways to present it more than once. Whether you publish it on your blog, share it on Twitter or LinkedIn, or incorporate it into an eNewsletter, choosing a range of channels to publish and promote your content expands your audience and helps maximise your return on investment.
Think like a publisher, not an advertiser
This Huffington Post article summed it up nicely: “in the digital age, every business is in the publishing industry.”
Effective content marketing is about creating, publishing and distributing content that tells your brand’s story and builds customer engagement. While traditional advertising is all about driving sales, quality content can build respect for, and trust in, your business in a way that advertising never will.
Don’t just give it away
Creating valuable content takes time and effort. If it offers readers helpful insights, information or advice (which it should!) maybe you should get something back for it?
‘Gating’ your content means asking customers to enter their details before they receive your content. It’s a transaction most of us are getting used to, and if it’s content we want, we normally don’t mind handing over our email address. The benefit for your business? The opportunity to build up a contacts database of customers who are interested in your business and what you offer.