CONTENT MARKETING

Most businesses today, whether big or small, have a presence online. Since most of the information that clients and customers obtain are from online sources associated with your business, it is essential that the content you publish meets high standards. Unlike the older days, consumers are no longer convinced by paid advertisements on newspapers or the television. People are now more aware of what they want and usually, look for information on different sources online. That is exactly why the best way to push your products or services today is by publishing informative content relevant to your business on online platforms. This is where the importance of good content marketing lies.

What is content marketing?

Content marketing refers to a long term marketing strategy where you are not advertising your product or services directly but instead giving out relevant and useful content to the target audience.CLICK TO TWEETThis content will in turn help in drawing attention to your business if the prospective customers find the information helpful. The content can be in the form of blog articles, e-books or videos published on your website or even social media posts. If the content is valuable, relevant, and consistent it will succeed in creating and maintaining a customer base for your business.

For small businesses, good content marketing is all the more important to come to the notice of prospective customers.CLICK TO TWEETBig businesses usually have a customer base already and attracting more people is not a difficult task. But small businesses that are still growing can exhibit their expertise and authority on the field by publishing rich and relevant content. Another big advantage of content marketing for small businesses is that it is an inexpensive way of marketing as compared to advertising elsewhere. For those businesses that are low on budget, content marketing can be a great way to make their presence felt.

Content marketing strategy

Content marketing sounds simple of course. All you have to do is publish content related to your business online and you are done. But like all other marketing methods, without proper planning and strategy, content marketing will just be a waste of your time and effort. Content marketing strategies for startups and small businesses are just as important as the content itself. So before you venture into the world of content creation to publicize your business, here are some things you should look into.

• Identify target audience

  Not all businesses cater to all consumers. There will be a particular section of people that you can expect as prospective customers for your business. The content that you plan to create and publish must be directed towards that section of people particularly. Finding out who your target audience is and making the content relevant and useful for that audience will make it more engaging for them and fruitful for you. When the audience can relate better to the content, they show more interest in the source from where the content is being generated.

• Set your content marketing goals

  The purpose of your content marketing efforts are usually specific to your business. You could be creating content to communicate with existing customers or to attract new customers. You could be trying to advertise your online store or grow your email marketing list. The content that you generate has to be in conformance to your goal. The content should be able to direct the audience to do what you want them to do after reading it. Because after all, the content is created to fulfill your goals and not for mere reading pleasure.

• Keep the content flowing

  Once you have started on the journey of content marketing, you have to make sure that you keep generating new, relevant content continuously. Most businesses fail at content marketing because they do not maintain a steady flow of new content and slowly fade out of people’s sight. Publishing new, quality content at regular intervals makes sure that your audience base is intact and your relevance is maintained. Being consistent with your content ensures your target audience that you have actively involved the business.

• SEO and keywords

  Creating good content is of course important. But for that content to be found in the sea of similar content online, you have to make some extra effort. For your content to appear in search results online, some keyword research is necessary before you start creating. Using the right keywords in your content can connect the audience to the information they are searching for. Conducting a detailed SEO analysis before starting will tell you which keywords work best, what should be the length of the article, which platforms to choose to publish your content and other such content marketing guidelines. This can increase your chances of appearing in the top of search results related to your content.

• Use the right platforms to share your content

  Writing and publishing good content on your website’s blog is fine and will draw some attention to your business. But it is also important that the content gets shared to reach a larger audience. Social media platforms are one thing that you can use to your advantage in this regard. Almost everyone has a social media account today. There cannot be a better way to make your content get more views than this. Choose the right channels, and if the content is good and consistent, it doesn’t take much time to go viral these days. HOW SMALL BUSINESSES CAN USE CONTENT MARKETING SUCCESSFULLY

Have you seen the 5 Content Marketing Trends You Cannot Ignore in 2019? Are you on track?