If you run a small business, chances are you’ve heard the term ‘content marketing’ thrown around. But can content marketing actually benefit your business in the long run? The answer to that is a resounding yes. Setting up your small business is a huge achievement, so it’s understandable that you may be thinking twice about paying for someone else to spread your brand message.
However, when done correctly, content marketing can bring some huge benefits to your small business. We spoke to content experts at Tecmark, to get some more information on the benefits of content marketing for small businesses.
Related: What content marketing needs to do to move on to the next level
It gets your brand out there
Content is king, and good content can really spread awareness for your brand and build your image. Good, shareable content will get you noticed amongst various networks, and has a much higher chance of being shared on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social sites, and they will share with their networks and so on. This is a great way of reaching a large audience without spending the earth on advertising.
It establishes and develops a real connection to your customers
Rather than just sales pitches and advertising slogans, content marketing is a great way to really connect with any potential or existing customers. If you drive past a billboard, it’s quite a rarity that it will speak to you on an emotional level. However, the beauty of content marketing is that you can really identify with the needs and interests of your customers.
For example, an industry-related 500 word blog post that answers a question that you’re asked time and time again is bound to be really useful to your customers. Not only does it prove you to be knowledgeable about your subject, it’s also helping people out.
It generates web traffic and leads
The key point of creating decent content is to drive more customers to your website. If your website has a wealth of interesting, helpful and unique content, the chances of potential customers finding you increases significantly. Also, each of your pages will feature industry-specific keywords.
Google prefers fresh content from websites that are updated regularly, so adding lots of new and interesting content on a regular basis will help to improve your rankings and gain more visitors to your site.
Even though content marketing might not necessarily generate direct sales, it is a great way to generate leads. If your site features genuine, engaging content, users will be more likely to share their contact information with you, which can be used for email marketing.
It increases the chances of finalising the deal
Once you’ve developed a real connection with your customers through great content, the likelihood is much higher that they will buy your product.
Tips for content marketing
Avoid plagiarism like the plague. Copying work from someone else is unethical and could result in a Google penalty.
Start off with a company blog – write about relevant and interesting topics and try to keep each post between 400 – 800 words.
Conduct keyword research, but don’t stuff your copy with them. It needs to read naturally.
Use an image sourcing site like Unsplash to add some good quality, free images to your content.
Try to avoid being too salesy with your content. It may seem like a good idea to encourage people to buy your product, but users can tell when a blog is nothing but a sales pitch in disguise.
Rebecca Beale is a content specialist at Tecmark.
Further reading on content marketing
