Five valuable advice for small businesses: when and how to use content marketing?

If you have a small business or enterprise, you already know the importance of having quality content on your web page or social media channels. Good content improves connecting with your brand's followers through your digital platforms and is an excellent way of reaching out to buyers. However, in contrast to big companies, small firms most probably do not have a dedicated team for creating and publishing digital content and content marketing. This is the reason why we decided to give you some pieces of advice on how to develop digital content that will attract your target audience.

1. Offline firms need online content marketing too

In contrast with the modern online firms, those that operate only offline sell their products and services IRL only. Even though most brands offer their products online, via the web shop, online platforms, or web pages, many small firms still offer their products only at physical locations, stores, restaurants, galleries, etc.

Nevertheless, even offline firms have to think about the content they publish digitally as a way to reach as many people as possible with their brand. According to Semrush platform research carried out in 2021, 95 percent of examinees that conduct their business offline stated that they have some success in their content marketing activities, while 30 percent claimed that content marketing represents a „very successful“ way of product presentation.

Source: https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-marketing-for-small-businesses/

2. Let your content speaks about what's important to you

Nothing will appeal to your customers better than your authentic story. For example, when you create content that translates your brand's essence, you connect with potential buyers who recognize your authenticity and identify with your story. So, it's good to have in mind these simple questions when you re starting to create your content:

- What's my area of expertise?
- What is important to me?
- How to connect with my target audience?

The example of the Ifixit company, which sells online repair guides and tools, clearly demonstrates this content creation approach. Ifixit does not only sell tools, but it has a good brand story too. The company communicates with their customers about why they sell tools through inspiring blog articles touching on topics like „how the repair can be much better than buying a new product for our planet and ourselves“. 

Blog articles also feature tutorials on how to fix particular things, leading to an online forum where web visitors can find relevant information from other forum members. This way, Ifixit creates a user community (and not only buyers), contributing to the success of the company's business. 

Source: https://www.ifixit.com/Right-to-Repair?pk_vid=4e1aa8eba51197e11658216738dcd059

As Brian Moran, CEO and the founder of Small Business Edge company states: „Small business owners can capture the attention of their target audience by telling good stories through content marketing. You can use your mission and their unique backgrounds to fuel these stories.“

3. Identify the channels your digital content will reach to the target audience

Besides having a web page and publishing blog posts, social media management is the easiest way to reach your target audience. But before you start with your activities on social media, ask yourself one question: which social media channels appeal to your target audience and which they use for their communication?

Marketing expert Neil Patel says that before you publish your content on a specific digital platform, you must get the knowledge of your target audience and their preferred media. To do so, research your competitors and determine which platforms give them the highest reach. Also, use digital marketing tools like Google Analytics to learn about the online behavior of your potential customers.

American beauty web portal Byrdie gives a great example of connecting with your target audience and creating respective content. Their website owes its success to well-chosen topics and long blog posts (these are the formats that the owners of the web page recognized to be appealing to their audience). In addition to that, Byrdie has excellent SEO optimization and quality content which together contributed to high organic reach, as reported by Terakeet.

Source: https://terakeet.com/blog/byrdie-seo-case-study/

The business formula was seemingly simple – create excellent content, optimize it for search engines and cash in via affiliate marketing. So, it brings us to our following advice:

4. First comes preparation, then publishing of content

The content you present to your potential buyers is just one part of the marketing jigsaw puzzle. Before sharing your content with your buyers via digital platforms, it's good to undergo a good preparation process. What does it mean?

Semrush author Margita Loktionova states that a good preparation process means you do not forget about these essential components:

- SEO optimization of a web page (both for users and search engines)
- Application of design and copywriting skills
- Inclusion of e-mail marketing and content that could be downloaded, while including the CTA (call to action) option in blog articles.

5. Ask the digital marketing experts

To conclude: if you still don't invest in digital marketing, the news is that you should. Digital promotion of your products or services is a very effective means of marketing that doesn't demand a big budget. In return, it enables total control over content production, publishing, and timing. However, there are several rules you should follow to ensure your content doesn't get lost in the sea of online information, and there are many common content marketing mistakes that marketing people frequently make to avoid.  

If you are still unsure how to tell or present your brand's authentic story in digital marketing format and reach the target audience effectively, feel free to contact our digital marketing experts.

Additional reading resources:

https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-marketing-for-small-businesses/
https://neilpatel.com/blog/small-business-content-marketing/
https://uproer.com/articles/small-business-content-marketing/
https://terakeet.com/blog/byrdie-seo-case-study/